Lu’s words left everyone stunned and speechless.
Such crude language…
Such blunt refusal—it made people want to laugh and cry at the same time, yet it also stirred excitement in their hearts.
Lord Lu… had compromised once, but he wasn’t about to do it a second time?
Wait…
Many wore strange expressions. “People can be released—they can always be killed later in secret…”
Lu’s meaning was crystal clear. His so-called compromise wasn’t really a compromise at all.
Letting these sacred clan saints go meant nothing to him; he could always hunt them down later.
But now, this powerhouse from the Heavenly Spirit Clan actually demanded the imperial weapons—this directly ignited Lord Lu’s defiance.
“Releasing people is fine, but demanding the imperial weapons… that’s shaking the very foundation of Five Phoenixes!”
Thus, with a furious shout, Lu flipped the table.
“As expected…”
“This is the classic style of Lord Lu.”
In the Boundless Heaven, within the Little Thunderclap Buddhist World, the Great Venerable shook his head with a wry smile, but brilliant light burst from his eyes.
This was Lu.
So what if you’re from the First Heaven, from the overwhelmingly powerful Heavenly Spirit Clan?
When it was time to turn hostile, he turned hostile.
The sacred ancestors who had escaped to the Boundless Heaven looked utterly grim. Lu’s words stabbed their hearts like wooden thorns.
The pain was unbearable.
The sheer sting of it nearly drove them mad.
What did he mean by “people can be released—they can always be killed later in secret”?
Since when were imperial weapons the foundation of Five Phoenixes?!
What did Lu Ping’an take them—sacred ancestors of their clans—for?
They could easily annihilate any third-tier or lower high-martial world. They weren’t ants to be crushed at whim!
Yet even as their faces darkened, the saints secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
From the tense atmosphere, it was clear: Five Phoenixes and the Heavenly Spirit Clan were not colluding.
They had initially suspected the Heavenly Spirit Clan was using Five Phoenixes to scheme against them.
Now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
But in the end, the outcome was still bad news for them.
Thus, the saints fell silent.
The handsome Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse’s smile gradually vanished.
Lu’s response had caught him off guard.
“What did you say?”
The Heavenly Spirit Clan expert stared at Lu, his voice icy.
On the Five Phoenixes Continent.
Lu, seated in his Thousand-Bladed Chair, burst into laughter.
“Like hearing it?”
“Who the hell do you think you’re fooling?”
Lu repeated.
“Well said, Lord Lu of Five Phoenixes… Don’t think just because Five Phoenixes now rivals a third-tier high-martial world that you can act without restraint.”
The corner of the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse’s mouth curled into a cold, mocking smile.
Boom!
Terrifying saintly might erupted from his body.
This Heavenly Spirit Clan expert was among the peak saints.
“Leaving imperial weapons in Five Phoenixes will only spawn rampant ferocious beasts. Since my clan is willing to shoulder that risk and calamity for Five Phoenixes, why not obediently hand them over?”
Powerful energy streams coiled around the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse.
Oppressive aura surged unchecked.
“You’ve gone too far.”
Gu Mangran’s gaze sharpened. His blood-red robes billowed as thick killing intent rolled forth.
He stood firm in the Void Heaven, countering the Heavenly Spirit Clan expert’s pressure.
“Gu Mangran, you’re already half-dead. Why not stay quietly in your coffin? At your peak, I might have some wariness, but in this half-dead state, you dare challenge me?”
“Gu Mangran, the era of the Nine Heavens has changed. It’s no longer the age it once was.”
The Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse fixed his stare on Gu Mangran.
The next instant, his figure shot sideways.
Boom!
Myriad radiant lights dazzled and blinded.
Gu Mangran sneered coldly, swung his coffin lid, and charged.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The two clashed instantly, battling into the extraterrestrial battlefield. Their ferocious exchanges shattered dead continents, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
The fluctuations descending from the heavens were heart-stopping.
This was a clash of top-tier saints.
Though Gu Mangran had not fully recovered his peak strength, he far surpassed ordinary saints.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle in the extraterrestrial battlefield shook the entire Void Heaven.
Everyone’s expression changed.
On the Five Phoenixes Continent.
Lu leaned back in his Thousand-Bladed Chair, narrowing his eyes.
“Why… is this man unaffected by the Void Heaven’s rules?”
This puzzled and intrigued Lu.
The Void Heaven’s rules had no effect on this Heavenly Spirit Clan saint.
Unlike the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor and others, who could not resist the rules’ power.
Boom!
Suddenly.
The void exploded. Chaotic currents churned.
Gu Mangran’s body shot backward like a cannonball from the extraterrestrial battlefield. Terrifying intertwined auras caused unrest in many worlds within the Void Heaven.
Boom!
Imperial might spread.
No imperial weapon—yet a fearsome Great Emperor aura lingered.
“Ancient Emperor Imprint!”
Blood trickled from Gu Mangran’s mouth. His blood-red robes sliced the void like sharp blades. He lifted his head, staring at the radiant figure in the extraterrestrial battlefield.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A twisted trident pattern twisted at the figure’s brow.
The imperial might emanated from that mark.
In truth, even without full recovery, after consuming the divine medicine, Gu Mangran could unleash considerable power. The Heavenly Spirit Clan expert might not have been his match.
But…
With the emperor imprint’s blessing, it was as if he wielded an imperial weapon. Gu Mangran stood no chance.
The gap between a saint with an imperial weapon and one without was immense—practically two different realms.
Zhu Long and Lu Jiulian gathered at Gu Mangran’s side.
“No wonder he fears not the Void Heaven’s rules. With an ancient emperor imprint, it’s like using an imperial weapon to hold the rules at bay.”
Gu Mangran said.
In the Boundless Heaven.
The Upper Realm sacred clan saints gasped, feeling crushing pressure.
An emperor imprint!
Proof of a living ancient Great Emperor.
Only a living ancient Great Emperor could bestow such an imprint.
The Heavenly Spirit Clan truly had a living Great Emperor—an existence of supreme transcendence!
Even in the Nine Heavens’ golden age, Emperor-realm beings had been rare.
“Lord Lu… are you willing to surrender the imperial weapons?”
From a rift in the void.
The Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse, radiating myriad lights like a blazing star, spoke calmly.
“This is your final chance—and Five Phoenixes’ final chance…”
“I come representing the Heavenly Spirit Clan’s Sacred Hall. If Five Phoenixes chooses to oppose the Sacred Hall, it no longer deserves to exist.”
The Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse declared indifferently.
His tone of lofty superiority weighed heavily on everyone.
On Five Phoenixes’ side.
In the Nether Realm.
Dantai Xuan’s eyes bulged. Hearing the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse’s words nearly made his explosive temper erupt.
If not for suppressing the emerging Hell Hound, he would have rallied the Nether Realm army and charged out.
“This bastard!”
Dantai Xuan cursed.
Within the Five Phoenixes Continent.
With the beast Liu Ying’s death, heavenly fortune surged and overflowed.
The Overlord, Tang Yimo, and others absorbed it, strengthening themselves.
Yet the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse’s words boomed into Five Phoenixes, thick with threat. They opened their eyes, killing intent sharp.
Lu, holding the Heaven Stealing Tower, no longer lingered on the island.
With a flicker—like teleportation—he vanished, reappearing in the Void Heaven.
White robes pristine, silver blades stacked.
Lu sat solemnly, gazing coldly at the radiant figure in the extraterrestrial battlefield.
“Are you threatening me?”
Lu asked.
“If Lord Lu sees it as a threat… then yes, it is a threat.”
The Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse smiled faintly, mockery in his voice.
He had full confidence.
He represented the Heavenly Spirit Clan’s Sacred Hall.
He represented the Heavenly Spirit Clan.
Sent from the First Heaven on Sacred Hall orders, he naturally displayed the dominance and might unique to the First Heaven.
In the Thousand-Bladed Chair, Lu cracked his neck.
“Threats? I love threats.”
“Because everyone who’s ever threatened me, Lu Ping’an… is dead.”
Lu said.
With a flick of his finger, the Vermilion Bird divine medicine shot from his Profound Mystery Ring.
It streaked toward Gu Mangran.
“Old Gu, take your medicine.”
Gu Mangran’s eyes lit up. He caught the Vermilion Bird divine medicine, energy surging as he absorbed its essence.
Far more potent than the crimson chrysanthemum, this divine medicine restored him further.
With it, Gu Mangran… could fight on!
Lu eyed the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse’s brow.
“I thought you had an imperial weapon. This young master was ready to negotiate politely, hoping you’d join my million-Dao-reserve deal.”
“But it turns out… you don’t have one.”
Lu shook his head, voice full of regret.
His words twisted everyone’s expressions—especially the saints in the Boundless Heaven, whose faces darkened to dripping ink.
Could he stop mentioning that damned million-Dao-reserve deal?
Their imperial weapons were now in Lu’s hands. Every mention made their hearts bleed.
Everything had gone wrong the moment Lu asked them to stay and “talk business.”
“Well played, Lu Ping’an… bold enough.”
The Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse laughed.
Five Phoenixes had grown quickly, but he remained unfazed.
No matter how fast it rose…
In the current Nine Heavens, the ruling power was the Heavenly Spirit Clan—with a living Great Emperor. Could Five Phoenixes truly defy an Emperor?
Lu cracked his neck again.
He raised a hand, pointing forward slowly.
Gu Mangran, having absorbed the divine medicine and recovered several tenths of his strength, moved.
He shot forward like a streak of light once more.
Not just Gu Mangran—Zhu Long and Lu Jiulian joined him.
Under Lu’s primordial spirit control, the Demon Lord and Demon Master charged as well.
“My friends.”
The Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse, shrouded in myriad radiance, turned to the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor and others in the Boundless Heaven.
The sacred clan saints had intended to watch from the sidelines, but under his stern gaze, they reluctantly joined the fray.
They could not afford to offend the Heavenly Spirit Clan.
Thus, five saints moved—even the one who had fled returned with his imperial weapon.
He feared refusing would breed resentment in the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The extraterrestrial battlefield was once again engulfed in terrifying energy blasts.
In the Lower Third Heavens and on Five Phoenixes, all beings looked up.
The saintly war had reignited.
The outcome of this battle held profound meaning—it could decide Five Phoenixes’ future fate!
Lu raised a hand, spatial profound meaning surging.
He entered the extraterrestrial battlefield.
Upon arrival, rolling energy overflowed, saintly might boundless.
The Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse battled fiercely with Gu Mangran. With the emperor imprint’s aid, Gu Mangran could not hold his own.
The other sacred clan saints posed little threat.
The only real danger was the saint who had returned with his imperial weapon.
Wielding it, his might was unmatched.
Five Phoenixes’ side was clearly at a disadvantage.
Lu tapped the Spirit Pressure Chessboard.
The chessboard domain expanded instantly.
Beams of spirit pressure rained down. Lu drew the Phoenix Feather Sword and three thousand silver blades.
Myriad silver gleams spanned the void, carrying terrifying tearing power as they closed in.
With his aid, Lu Jiulian and Zhu Long fought with growing ferocity.
Yet overall, Five Phoenixes remained suppressed.
Even Lu Jiulian was pinned down by the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse.
Prolonged defense would eventually fail. One mistake, and Five Phoenixes’ side could be annihilated!
Though the Upper Realm sacred ancestors had lost the Fire Clan’s, six remained—one wielding an imperial weapon.
Five Phoenixes had only four: Lu Jiulian, Zhu Long, Demon Lord, and Demon Master.
Without Lu’s support, they would have fallen long ago.
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor’s eyes flashed. She broke free.
Hair flying, killing intent surging, her stunning face sharpened.
Her form became a stream of water, streaking toward Lu.
“Lu Ping’an, return my clan’s imperial weapon!”
She targeted Lu. She knew he had broken through to saint realm, but a newly ascended saint—what was there to fear?
Lu had intended to aid Gu Mangran.
But seeing the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor charge, he paused in mild surprise.
But… only mild surprise.
A Water Clan Sacred Ancestor without her imperial weapon—against Lu, now at ninth-layer Qi Refiner—he truly felt no fear.
Lu raised a hand, resting it slowly on the armrest.
His body rose inch by inch.
Boom!
Terrifying demonic qi began to surge, leaking bit by bit.
His white robes turned black.
Lu saw no need for formations.
He stood, transforming into his demonic form.
Thud! Thud!
The charging Water Clan Sacred Ancestor felt her heart palpitate. She beheld demonic Lu.
The Indestructible Demonic Body activated—perfected to minor completion, multiplying his strength manyfold.
Lu stood, hair whipping the void.
The next instant, he glanced at the incoming Water Clan Sacred Ancestor.
Divine ability unleashed.
Demonic Lord’s Gaze.
Humm…
Mysterious profound meaning rippled invisibly.
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor felt as though she had plunged into a vast, endless ice abyss.
Her blood flow stiffened.
“A… divine ability?!”
Terrifying pressure sent chills through her!
Compared to their last clash, Lu’s transformation was monumental!
Demonic Lu moved.
The “Travel” array glyph wove.
Lu flashed past. The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor couldn’t even dodge before darkness engulfed her vision.
Demonic Lu’s fist exploded her stunning head.
Flesh burst apart.
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor’s voluptuous form shattered in the void under Lu’s merciless strike.
Boom!
Like a gorgeous flower withering.
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor’s primordial spirit surged in agony, yet under Lu’s divine ability, it began to crumble.
The stunning sacred ancestor wailed in despair…
Soon crushed bit by bit!
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor—fallen!
The beautiful saint, gone forever!
One strike—one sacred ancestor slain!
The scene stunned the battling saints in the extraterrestrial battlefield.
Even the Heavenly Spirit Clan powerhouse felt a jolt.
The emperor imprint at his brow pulsed again.
Imperial might surged.
Pfft!
Gu Mangran was suppressed once more, his body hurled back, smashing dead continents.
“Impossible…”
The Heavenly Spirit Clan saint narrowed his eyes. The Fire Clan Sacred Ancestor’s death was understandable—slain by the Void Heaven’s rules, Emperor-realm power.
But Lu had just killed the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor without borrowing the rules!
A fair and square kill!
Gu Mangran too was surprised. One-strike execution—this echoed a fraction of his own peak glory.
Lu’s strength… had risen again!
Lu streaked forward, demonic qi rolling.
The Heavenly Spirit Clan saint’s brow imprint radiated once more.
Wary now.
Lu slaying the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor in one blow—next, he would likely come for him.
Lu’s power truly exceeded the Heavenly Spirit Clan saint’s expectations.
Yet what shocked him even more…
After killing the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor, Lu did not target him immediately.
Instead…
Spatial profound meaning flared as he shot toward the saint wielding the imperial weapon.
That saint’s face blackened.
Why him?
Shouldn’t Lu go for the Heavenly Spirit Clan saint first? Why target him?
Despite his complaints, seeing Lu approach, he unleashed the imperial weapon without hesitation. Boundless imperial might blasted terrifying attacks across the battlefield.
Yet…
Facing the fearsome imperial might, Lu merely flung the Heaven Stealing Tower.
The unassuming ancient pagoda forcefully suppressed the imperial might, slamming into the weapon.
Thud!
Now bearing five imperial weapons plus absorbed Dao reserves from others…
This strike stalled the weapon’s power, scattering its surging imperial might!
Lu struck. Primordial spirit power surged.
Clashing with the saint’s primordial spirit.
Pfft!
The saint’s primordial spirit suffered heavy damage, coughing blood as he retreated.
Lu domineeringly seized the imperial weapon from the saint’s grasp.
The final imperial weapon of the nine sacred clans fell into Lu’s demonic clutches.
Controlling the Heaven Stealing Tower, he stored this last piece.
The surrounding sacred clan saints lost all will to fight, fleeing in panic and chaos.
The Heavenly Spirit Clan saint had called them to aid, but now—with another sacred ancestor dead—what aid could they offer?
Naturally, they chose flight!
The longer-lived these saints, the more they feared death.
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor’s demise—plus the earlier Fire Clan’s—deeply rattled them.
The Heavenly Spirit Clan saint’s face darkened, his myriad radiance blazing brilliantly.
But the brilliance lasted only a moment.
Spatial profound meaning tore open.
Lu, one hand gripping the Heaven Stealing Tower, appeared behind the Heavenly Spirit Clan saint battling Gu Mangran.
He swung the tower toward the man’s head.
The Heavenly Spirit Clan saint initially dismissed it—his brow’s emperor imprint granted defense rivaling an imperial weapon.
Yet…
Under the Heaven Stealing Tower’s power…
The imprint’s imperial might…
Failed completely!
It could not affect the tower in the slightest!
In the Heavenly Spirit Clan saint’s incredulous gaze, Lu swung the Heaven Stealing Tower, striking his head—right on the brow imprint.
Boom!
In that instant, radiance burst like brilliant fireworks.
