Outside Five Phoenixes Continent.

  Monk Wuxing hovered in the void, expression stunned.

  The Liujia Array Sect giant—who had tried to force his way through the formation—had been flung back like a rag doll.

  He crashed onto the dead continent he arrived on, clutching his head, roaring in anguish and rage.

  His voice was wretched, almost soulless—like a man who had lost his most precious treasure.

  Wuxing’s heart jolted. He wasn’t stupid.

  Something catastrophic had happened to the giant.

  “The Nine Array Word… was taken?”

  He sucked in a cold breath.

  Tulang was dead—his indestructible golden body shattered, his soul ground into soul rain.

  And that was only the beginning.

  “There is a hidden expert in this world!”

  Wuxing’s mind reeled.

  That expert had to be the array master the giant mentioned.

  Only that could explain why Fu Tianluo—first to enter—had vanished without a ripple.

  By all rights, a late-stage Spirit Severing like Fu Tianluo should have been invincible. The formation should have crumbled from within long ago.

  Yet nothing.

  Fu Tianluo had simply disappeared.

  Wuxing glanced at Tianluo Continent—no collapse, no violent origin fluctuations.

  Then he looked at Golden Body Continent.

  Its massive origin began to manifest, rumbling ominously.

  Tulang’s death had finally shaken it.

  Wuxing inhaled deeply.

  A strange excitement stirred within him.

  He pressed his palms together and murmured,

  “Amitabha. A plane lord has fallen. Heaven’s Dao will collapse, and all beings will suffer. This monk must ferry the myriad souls from the sea of bitterness.”

  Compassion filled his face.

  He chanted softly.

  Then his figure flashed—shooting toward Golden Body Continent.

  Tulang was dead.

  Golden Body Continent was now a fat, defenseless piece of meat laid before him.

  Neither Tulang nor Wuxing had ever imagined they could fall.

  …

  The giant roared.

  A crushing sense of loss consumed him—his bond with the “Lin” Array Word severed forever.

  His soul quaked; his realm nearly dropped.

  “Thief! THIEF!”

  Blood seeped from wounds inflicted by the formation’s backlash. He looked wretched.

  He formed seals again, driving his eighteen stone slabs into another frenzied assault.

  On the blood-colored battlefield, explosions thundered.

  Everyone stared in stunned silence at the bleeding giant madly smashing the earth.

  His blood steamed. Powerful array runes crisscrossed the sky.

  Li Sansui’s robes whipped in the gale, but her eyes blazed with fervor.

  She absorbed every array rune like a sponge.

  The giant, lost in madness, never noticed her.

  She happily studied—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

  Bathed in soul rain, Body Storage cultivators on the battlefield had all improved dramatically.

  Many were on the verge of condensing Golden Cores and breaking into Heavenly Lock.

  …

  At that moment,

  across all of Five Phoenixes,

  only deafening roars and explosions echoed from beyond the heavens.

  Little Yinglong shrank back to normal size and landed on the sea.

  His tail slap had barely hurt the giant,

  but it was the final straw—the formation ejected the giant like a cannonball.

  Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao, and the others sat on their islands, entering cultivation to digest their battles with Tulang.

  They felt the urgency.

  Tulang had been stronger than Fu Tianluo.

  How many more like him existed?

  Young Master Lu held the line,

  but if too many came… could even he hold?

  They cultivated with desperate focus.

  Origin Lake, Lake Heart Island.

  Green grass swayed. Morning-glory chrysanthemums and biluo peaches rustled.

  Ni Yu paced anxiously with her black pot on her back.

  Ning Zhao stood halfway up the mountain, white dress fluttering, gazing at the mist-shrouded White Jade Capital pavilion—ever more ethereal.

  “Ni Yu, cultivating well is the greatest help we can give Young Master.”

  She pulled Ni Yu to sit before the Dao Stele and resume practice.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  White Jade Capital pavilion.

  Within the Preaching Platform.

  For the first time, Lu felt dazed.

  As though plunged into a spinning vortex deep in the sea.

  Rumble!

  Inside the platform,

  Eight Trigrams runes hovered.

  They resonated with the “Lin” Array Word.

  Soon, Lu saw his soul vortex—massive, with the Dao Stele standing at its heart, ancient and immovable, anchoring his soul.

  The “Lin” Array Word seemed to embed itself within the vortex.

  Rumble!

  Lu frowned, forming seals rapidly.

  Eight Trigrams runes flared.

  The entire platform’s dense spiritual energy churned like an ocean.

  White robes and hair whipping, Lu sat like a true immortal amidst the spiritual tide.

  The “Lin” word grew larger,

  nearly filling his soul space,

  threatening to crush it.

  Lu steadied his soul, resisting the pressure,

  threading wisps of soul power into the rune.

  Rumble!

  The once-dim rune suddenly blazed with blinding light.

  Countless visions flashed before Lu’s eyes.

  His soul drifted free, soaring through heaven and earth.

  A great river plunged from the darkness—like a galaxy falling from the Ninth Heaven.

  His soul was swept into its current.

  Every splash carried fragments of time…

  A River of Time!

  Lu’s soul shone brightly, white robes fluttering.

  The scenes sharpened.

  He saw a being of unimaginable power seated in endless darkness.

  With a gesture, stars were plucked; worlds shattered.

  A presence that inspired utter despair.

  An Ancient Emperor!

  Lu’s mind trembled.

  So this was the realm of an Ancient Emperor?

  Then he watched the Emperor, reflected in the River of Time, forge runes.

  The Emperor severed pieces of his own soul and primal spirit,

  using them as the foundation,

  painting in the void with bare hands.

  Nine great characters took form:

  “Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe…”

  Lu inhaled sharply.

  The Nine Array Words!

  The Emperor before him was the Ancient Emperor “Hao”?

  The River of Time surged on.

  The nine words formed an array.

  Each character crushed the void, severing eternity.

  The formation complete,

  the Emperor drifted away.

  Eons passed in an instant to Lu.

  The Emperor returned.

  Hair white, body hunched, vitality fading.

  He walked like a man half-buried already.

  Lu’s heart shook—even an Ancient Emperor faced mortality?

  Then he understood—the Emperor was gravely wounded.

  Terrifying killing intent shattered the void.

  Darkness itself collapsed.

  Incredibly powerful enemies descended.

  Just their leaked killing intent annihilated countless worlds.

  The Ancient Emperor sat in the void and laughed softly.

  Then his primal spirit ignited.

  His dying body regained vigor—vitality blazing.

  Rumble!

  The nine-word array came alive.

  It ground the void.

  Invaders bled; the strongest were obliterated.

  Lu watched in awe.

  What a feat!

  The Emperor had spent eons forging the array,

  then in his final moments dragged his enemies down with him.

  He sat at the array’s heart.

  Time eroded his glory.

  His eyes were ancient, weathered.

  Yet he gazed into the void as though seeing through eternity.

  His turbid eyes carried a transcendent light across ages.

  Lu’s heart jolted.

  In that instant…

  he felt the Ancient Emperor had seen him.

  Even smiled faintly at him.

  BOOM!

  His soul shuddered.

  Lu snapped awake.

  He sat on the Eight Trigrams Array Platform.

  In his palm hovered the “Lin” Array Word, now glowing soft milky white.

  [Nine Array Words — “Lin” Array Word (Activated). Heaven-and-Earth Supreme Treasure. Possesses the power to manipulate time.]

  The system text flashed before his eyes.

  Lu savored the words and inhaled sharply.

  Activated vs. inactive—two completely different things.

  The system called the activated version a Heaven-and-Earth Supreme Treasure!

  He had truly struck gold.

  That giant was the greatest philanthropist in existence.

  Gifting him such a supreme treasure.

  “Manipulate time… terrifying.”

  Lu’s breath trembled.

  With a thought, the “Lin” word entered his soul vortex, orbiting beside the Dao Stele.

  He exited the Preaching Platform.

  Leaning back in his Thousand Blades Chair,

  though his raw strength hadn’t skyrocketed,

  he had undeniably transformed.

  His soul alone was now far stronger.

  With the Dao Stele and now the “Lin” word,

  if he wished,

  his soul could instantly evolve into a true primordial spirit.

  White Jade Capital pavilion.

  Origin Lake flowed gently.

  Lu gazed at the rippling sea, calm.

  He heard the giant’s roars.

  But ignored them.

  His heart still trembled from the visions in the River of Time.

  The Ancient Emperor’s power had filled him with awe—and a trace of despair.

  His fingers tapped the armrest.

  “Ancient Emperor… what Qi Refining layer is that?”

  “Tenth layer? Or… hundredth?”

  Lu murmured.

  Suddenly—

  he looked up.

  Specks of soul rain seeped through the blood-colored battlefield,

  falling across Five Phoenixes.

  “It’s raining.”

  “Soul rain.”

  Above the sea,

  Du Longyang opened his eyes, robes snapping in the wind.

  A drop landed on his palm and vanished.

  “Yin Spirit realm fallen, soul ground into rain…”

  “Sacrificing self to save the world.”

  The entire continent seemed to transform under the soul rain.

  As though heaven and earth were reborn.

  Many mortals awakened spiritual energy in their dantian.

  Qi Condensation cultivators broke into Body Storage.

  Body Storage cultivators seized the chance to form Golden Cores and shatter Heavenly Locks.

  The cultivation level of all Five Phoenixes rose dramatically.

  A cultivation frenzy swept the land.

  …

  Lu felt the total spiritual energy soaring and raised an eyebrow.

  He quickly understood—Tulang’s soul fragments had triggered the change.

  Suddenly—

  his mind stirred.

  Roars echoed in his ears.

  “Thief!”

  “Damned thief, return my Array Word!”

  The giant’s furious cries thundered across the heavens.

  Lu frowned.

  After a long moment,

  he sighed deeply.

  He flicked his fingers across the Phoenix Feather armrest.

  The Phoenix Feather Swords shot skyward.

  Hum…

  A sword light that stunned the world tore open the heavens.

  A massive rift appeared,

  leading straight to the giant’s feet.

  The giant froze, staring at the gaping wound in the blood-colored battlefield.

  After roaring nonstop,

  he actually hesitated.

  He understood the provocation:

  You can’t break my formation, so I’ll open the door myself.

  So…

  Should he enter?

  Hesitation flickered across the giant’s face.

  But thinking of the consequences of losing the “Lin” word,

  immense pressure crushed his fear.

  He stepped through.

  “RETURN MY ARRAY WORD!”

  The giant strode out of the rift.

  The Boundless Sea churned.

  His colossal body radiated crushing pressure.

  Eighteen stone slabs orbited him.

  He locked onto the white-robed youth calmly seated in the wheelchair.

  “I am the Ninth Disciple of the Liujia Array Sect. Do you understand the consequences of stealing our Array Word?!”

  The giant’s voice boomed.

  Lu’s robes fluttered.

  He smiled.

  “Don’t slander me.”

  “When did this Young Master ever steal from you?”

  “I, Lu Ping’an, am a reasonable man.”

  “You say I stole—where is your proof?”

  His tone was mild.

  The giant nearly exploded with rage.

  What?!

  He was going to play dumb?!

  The giant had watched Lu personally seize the “Lin” word.

  Now he demanded proof?

  Lu’s lips curved. He raised a hand.

  Hum…

  The “Lin” Array Word floated above his palm, radiating profound fluctuations.

  “Besides, what proof do you have that this rune is yours?”

  Lu asked lightly.

  Arrogant!

  Utterly shameless!

  The giant had never met someone so brazen!

  But then—he laughed.

  “Proof?”

  “The Array Word is bound to my soul. That is undeniable fact!”

  “Good.”

  Lu nodded.

  “I, Lu Ping’an, am the most reasonable person.”

  “I’ll give you one chance to prove it belongs to you.”

  He gently raised his palm.

  The “Lin” word rose into the air, warping space as though crushing the void.

  The giant’s eyes blazed.

  Though the soul link was severed,

  he had once been bound to it.

  This arrogant youth dared let him try?

  He lunged.

  His mountain-like body strode across the sea, raising tsunamis.

  His massive hand reached for the rune.

  Soon—it closed around the “Lin” word.

  Joy flashed across his face.

  But it lasted only an instant.

  Horror exploded.

  “This isn’t my Array Word!”

  He roared in terror.

  He had wielded the “Lin” word for centuries—he knew it intimately.

  Yet now it felt utterly foreign.

  BOOM!

  The rune trembled, unleashing terrifying fluctuations.

  It blasted the giant backward.

  Lu was unsurprised.

  Activated and inactive—two different existences.

  The giant refused to believe.

  Even as blood poured from his arm, he lunged again.

  “You see? You can’t prove it’s yours.”

  Lu propped his chin, smiling faintly.

  He beckoned.

  The “Lin” word flew obediently toward him.

  The giant’s eyes turned blood-red.

  BOOM!

  He charged, crossing the sky in one step.

  He would try again.

  But the rune quivered.

  Space twisted.

  A terrifying domain unfurled.

  Hum…

  The giant was enveloped.

  Shock turned to horror.

  He screamed.

  His face aged rapidly.

  Skin withered.

  His body hunched and decayed.

  Yet he clung to the rune.

  Lu frowned.

  The power of time.

  Even a Spirit Severing giant couldn’t withstand it.

  Decay spread.

  In Lu’s gaze,

  the giant’s vitality was severed by time itself.

  His turbid eyes still clung to desperate hope,

  gripping the “Lin” word as life faded completely.

  Thud!

  His ancient corpse crashed into the sea, raising towering waves.

  He sank,

  sea water slowly covering his lifeless, withered eyes.

  Hum…

  Lu beckoned.

  The “Lin” word returned—now radiating dangerous, terrifying power.

  Even Lu treated it with grave caution.

  The brief activation had drained over half his spiritual energy.

  Suddenly—

  his mind stirred.

  He stored the rune.

  Lines danced in his eyes.

  The mist parted.

  He saw Golden Body Continent beyond Five Phoenixes—its origin in chaos!

  Lu’s brows furrowed in anger.

  “Too far!”

  “Daring to pick the peach I planted?”