Origin Lake, Heart Island.
White Jade Capital Pavilion.
Lu Ping’an lounged in his Thousand-Bladed Chair, elbow propped on the armrest, fingers idly spinning the dark ring on his thumb.
“‘Forge an invincible path,’ she says…”
He chuckled and shook his head.
That girl really knows how to talk big.
Keeping Ni Yu cooped up for so long had clearly driven her stir-crazy. Letting her out to stretch her legs with Little Yinglong wasn’t a bad idea at all.
A gentle breeze lifted his hair and robes.
His gaze drifted downward.
Around Ning Zhao, ripples of Dao Intent began to stir—she was on the verge of comprehending her own unique Dao.
No surprise there. The cultivation resources on Heart Island were leagues above the outside world, and with the Origin Lake’s source energy bathing her day and night, her progress had been meteoric—even without the Nine Prisons Secret Realm, she wasn’t far behind Nie Changqing.
Ning Zhao’s breakthrough was her own fortune; Lu Ping’an didn’t interfere.
He had bigger things to attend to.
He lifted his eyes to the sky, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Finally…”
“I’ve been waiting so long the flowers have withered.”
Nearly a year had passed since he crushed that Buddha seed. He’d assumed the retaliation would come swiftly, yet only now were they drawing near.
With a thought, the Thousand-Bladed Chair hummed to life. It shot upward in a sonic boom, vanishing from the giant whale’s back and piercing straight into the heavens.
On the island below, Ning Zhao’s long lashes trembled. She opened her eyes, black hair dancing in the wind, and glanced toward the direction Lu Ping’an had disappeared.
Somehow, she knew—the Young Master was about to do something huge.
He tore through the clouds and soon arrived before the swirling vortex of the world’s Origin.
The Tianyuan Origin orbited the Wuhuang Origin, releasing profound fluctuations.
World Origins needed eons to mature naturally. A single year was nothing.
Leaning back in his chair, Lu Ping’an drifted higher, clouds parting beneath his feet.
“So this is the void beyond the plane…”
He raised a hand, reaching out as if to touch the emptiness.
The moment his fingers brushed it, an invisible membrane rippled outward like water disturbed by a stone.
The World Protection Force.
A rule-based barrier designed to shield weaker worlds from predators, giving them time to grow.
Lu Ping’an could feel it weakening. The stronger Wuhuang became, the thinner this shield grew. Once Wuhuang broke free and ascended to High Martial, the protection would vanish entirely, leaving it exposed to every wandering hunter and High Martial power in the void.
But with him here, ascension was inevitable.
The barrier had simply bought him time.
He wasn’t worried about rogue wanderers—bunch of failures, really. But if they came in droves, even he would find it annoying. The barrier had kept things peaceful so far.
As for the Buddha seed he’d annihilated… its master had surely sensed it. The seed had boasted that nearby High Martial-controlled Mid Martial worlds would come to “exterminate” Wuhuang.
The World Protection Force could slow Mid Martial worlds, but not stop them completely.
Lu Ping’an’s eyes narrowed.
He had broken through to Qi Refinement Layer Five—his true strength now surpassed Infant Transformation. He was confident.
Besides, fortune favored the bold.
If he could devour the Origins of those incoming worlds and fuse them into Wuhuang’s…
Evolution through time was one path.
Devouring was the shortcut he’d invented.
And bait? The golden lotus light that had burst from the Buddha seed when he crushed it—that was the bait.
Even if the fish drawn in belonged to High Martial tigers, so what?
He, Lu Ping’an, aimed to drag Wuhuang all the way to Super Fantasy. Snatching food from a tiger’s mouth? Child’s play.
Spiritual sense surged from him like a savage beast, tearing a hole straight through the World Protection Force.
The Thousand-Bladed Chair carried him out into the endless void.
A boundless darkness, like an infinite starry sky.
Lu Ping’an gazed into the distance and felt a faint, awe-inspiring pressure.
His eyes narrowed; deep within his pupils, vortexes spun as he looked farther.
Countless worlds drifted in the emptiness—some bright, some dim, some shattered.
He quickly closed his eyes. Peering into the void like this drained spiritual sense at a terrifying rate—even for him.
“So many worlds floating in the void…”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“It’s similar to the universe I knew in my previous life… or rather, this void is the universe.”
But unlike that cold, dead cosmos of barren planets, this one thrummed with life.
No more pondering.
Lu Ping’an rubbed his ring.
Eight jade talismans materialized. With a flick, they shot away, orbiting Wuhuang like satellites.
He removed a milky-white miniature sword from his crown—the Sky-Covering Sword, the core of the Sky-Covering Formation, one of the Four Heaven-Slaughtering Arrays.
As the sword appeared, the eight talismans blazed to life. Mysterious runes burst from them, weaving together into a vast net that enveloped the entire world.
Formation complete.
Lu Ping’an tore back through the barrier and returned to Heart Island.
---
In the endless void,
A continent the size of a realm drifted through the darkness, crushing weaker worlds in its path like a cosmic bulldozer.
At its center stood a solitary, snow-capped peak piercing the heavens, surrounded by lesser spears of stone.
Atop the highest peak sat a humble temple.
Inside, a monk in plain white robes—not saffron kasaya—chanted sutras. Golden characters floated from his lips like living things.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
He lifted a golden alms bowl, walked to the backyard, and filled it with fresh snow.
The snow melted into clear water.
Sitting cross-legged in the blizzard, he gazed into the bowl.
Ripples spread across the surface, revealing an image—Wuhuang, bathed in golden lotus light.
“Amitabha.”
“Almost there.”
The monk smiled faintly.
He formed a mudra and dipped a finger into the water, plucking out the illusory golden lotus as though it were real.
The lotus rose into the sky and dispersed.
Invisible traction pulled the entire continent in a new direction.
“Amitabha.”
“The Buddha has lured two other worlds as well… I hope we arrive first.”
White robes whipped in the icy wind as the monk stood.
---
Dongyan River.
Water exploded again and again!
Zhong Nan, Absolute Blade Sect’s supreme genius, wielded a saber sharp enough to split the heavens.
He had comprehended Saber Intent—that was why his combat power was monstrous.
Overlord never removed his helmet.
The once-frigid river was boiling from their clash.
BOOM!
Zhong Nan flipped through the air and crashed onto the water’s surface, gripping his plain saber tightly.
Silence.
Every spectator held their breath.
A peak Ninth Revolution Golden Core should absolutely be able to fight Nascent Souls.
Yet against Overlord, Zhong Nan kept eating dirt.
Overlord frowned, axe in one hand, shield in the other.
Zhong Nan charged again, saber slicing upward. White waves rose like dragons, water turning into whips infused with saber intent.
Overlord raised his shield—profound-tier spirit tool, immovable as a mountain.
Water and saber qi exploded outward, carving the river into blooming flowers of spray.
Western Liang cavalry watched without blinking.
The two traded blows across the surface, evenly matched for a long while.
Then both slid backward hundreds of meters.
Zhong Nan’s emotions were complicated.
He had lost.
Because Overlord still wore his helmet.
Headless Overlord was his strongest state. Zhong Nan couldn’t even force him to remove it.
And Overlord hadn’t even unleashed his Unyielding Dao Intent yet.
Now he understood why Overlord sat at number one.
The current Overlord wasn’t Seven Extremes—he was Eight.
His mastery of power and profound-tier axe-shield had reached another level.
Zhong Nan found no openings.
Still, a blade master never flees without a fight.
War intent blazing, he charged once more.
Everyone could see it—Zhong Nan had lost.
When Overlord finally released his Unyielding Dao Intent, returning every blow he’d blocked in a single devastating axe strike…
Zhong Nan was cleaved straight into the depths of the Dongyan River, vanishing without a trace.
Absolute Blade Sect disciples paled and dove in after him.
They dragged out a blood-soaked body.
Zhong Nan’s eyes still burned with unwillingness.
Overlord stood calmly on the water, slung axe and shield onto his back, and turned away without a word.
The Mortal List meant nothing to him.
His targets were Nascent Souls.
In the distance, Feng Yilou and Xiao Yue’er watched with complex expressions.
Just as the crowd prepared to disperse,
Zhong Nan—after swallowing healing pills—sat cross-legged on the riverbank. Terrifying spiritual energy swirled around him like a vortex, devouring the heavens.
Overlord paused mid-step.
He glanced back.
“Breaking through to Nascent Soul?”
He murmured, then ordered Xiang Family troops to guard the area and prevent interruptions.
Only then did he stride away.
Back in the main tent,
Xu Chu came stomping in, dragging two spiked iron balls.
“My king!”
Excitement blazed in his eyes.
He had broken through—into the Heavenly Lock realm!
Overlord raised a brow. “What’s got you so worked up?”
Xu Chu grinned. “You forgot, my king! The one-year wager with White Jade Capital is due!”
Overlord smacked his forehead. “Got my head chopped off once—memory’s a bit fuzzy.”
“Already a year, huh…”
He sighed, then his gaze sharpened.
“The Northern Xuan King with imperial dragon qi is the true destined ruler.”
“But this fight… we’re still taking it.”
Xu Chu’s blood sang at the ferocity in Overlord’s eyes.
He’d been worried his king had gone soft!
“Pick the ten best from the Xiang Family army,” Overlord ordered solemnly. “We’re going to teach those soft academy brats a lesson.”
“YES, SIR!”
“Those delicate little scholars against my Xiang Family wolves? Ha!”
“We’ll beat them so hard they forget their own mothers!”
Xu Chu pounded his chest and laughed maniacally, practically bouncing with eagerness.
---
Dongyang Prefecture was in chaos.
Second- and third-rate Tianyuan sects had their gates kicked in—one after another.
A girl with a black wok on her back and a baby dragon on her head rampaged through the land.
No reasoning, no warnings—just wok to the face.
Even Golden Core elders got smashed into critical condition if they slipped up.
In three days, she bulldozed half the prefecture.
South Dou Mountain suffered the worst—their entire sect gate was demolished, every Golden Core elder personally wok’d until they spat blood.
When fifth- or sixth-revolution Golden Cores tried to stop her, she simply tossed pills to her dragon and let it handle business.
Not a single one survived a tail whip.
The entire prefecture wailed in despair.
They couldn’t win.
So they begged the Four Great Holy Lands for help.
The Holy Lands took it seriously and dispatched Nascent Soul experts.
Against Nascent Souls, Ni Yu obviously stood no chance.
Her “unbeatable path” was mostly just loud talk.
The real fighter was Little Yinglong.
These Holy Land Nascent Souls had never visited Heart Island—they didn’t recognize Ni Yu.
If the Empress or Du Longyang had shown up, things might’ve been different.
But they were all in seclusion.
So conflict erupted.
Ni Yu stood with her wok on her back, facing four Nascent Souls floating in the sky.
She popped a calming pill into her mouth and crunched nervously.
Turning to Little Yinglong, she said earnestly,
“Little Yellow, your turn!”
“Sister Zhulong can solo twenty-seven Nascent Souls. You don’t need to do that much—just four, okay?”
“Don’t let the Young Master have raised you for nothing!”
“Come on, show some pride!”
Little Yinglong shot her a sideways glance and huffed hot air from his nostrils.
Compare him to Big Sis? Please.
He was the Young Master’s favorite dragon baby!
He turned to the four Nascent Souls, puckered his lips, and spat a cute little water arrow.
The four experts frowned—this dragon seemed… a bit slow?
Then—
BOOM!
Little Yinglong’s body exploded in size, from fluffy bunny to mountain-crushing titan.
ROAR!
Wings unfurled, blotting out the sun.
---
Buzhoutian Peak.
Zhulong, mid-flute, suddenly tilted her head.
The next instant, she vanished.
Mount Tai, Asking Heaven Peak.
Blue Dragon’s dark-golden eyes blazed. With a sky-shaking roar, he dove into the Dragon Gate.
At the same moment,
Every dragon breed lounging by Dragon Gates across the continent—Tiangang Mountain, Dongyan River, Southern Prefecture’s Great Marsh—felt the call and plunged through.
Dongyang Prefecture, Red Dragon Gate.
Flames scorched the sky for hundreds of li.
Beneath crimson scales, fire danced.
From the palace at the gate’s end, heavenly dragon after heavenly dragon soared forth.
ROARS shook the heavens!
Outside the gate, Tianyuan cultivators stared in dumbstruck horror at the dragons crossing the firmament.
At their forefront walked a blindfolded girl.
Every practitioner in Dongyang Prefecture felt a chill crawl down their spines.
---
The four Holy Land Nascent Souls stared at the now-gigantic Little Yinglong, unease creeping in.
Just as they prepared to strike—
All four froze.
They turned toward the horizon.
And went pale.
Black clouds boiled.
Dozens of heavenly dragons escorted a blindfolded girl as if she rode the very storm itself.
Ni Yu’s jaw dropped.
The calming pill fell from her limp fingers and rolled away.
She looked at Little Yinglong in utter betrayal.
This little bastard…
…actually had this kind of ultimate flex?!
