Prajna Continent.

  Upon returning, the monk did not go back to his mountain temple.

  Instead he entered the most magnificent city on the continent, walking into a temple worshipped by countless nobles and tycoons.

  The entire structure was gilded, every brick cast from gold. Spirit stones formed the pillars that held the temple aloft.

  A fifty-meter golden Buddha statue loomed inside, radiating solemn majesty.

  Nobles and merchants streamed through constantly.

  In Prajna Continent, Buddhism was everything.

  The moment the monk arrived, the abbot hurried out with a procession of senior monks and novices, bowing deeply.

  The monk returned the gesture kindly.

  “Amitabha. This poor monk intends to contact the Venerable One and set up the array.”

  Word spread quickly.

  Soon the abbot led robed elders to prepare.

  In the center of the golden temple, priceless spirit-stone treasures were arranged with exquisite precision.

  The monk sat cross-legged at the heart of the altar, golden alms bowl in hand.

  Around him, the elders took their places, wooden fish in hand, striking in perfect rhythm. Their powerful divine sense turned each knock into rippling sound waves that filled the temple.

  Strange fluctuations spread.

  Hum…

  The monk formed seals and placed the golden bowl onto the altar.

  A beam of light shot from the bowl into the heavens.

  Rumble!

  Buddha-light bathed the temple. Seven-colored auspicious clouds bloomed across the sky.

  Outside, everyone—nobles, merchants, commoners—fell to their knees in ecstasy, kowtowing toward the light.

  The Buddha had manifested!

  Within the temple, clouds of gold condensed into a towering golden Buddha.

  Terrifying pressure flooded the air.

  “Wuxing pays respects to the Venerable One.”

  The monk prostrated fully.

  The golden Buddha regarded him silently, waiting.

  Time was precious; contacting a High-Tier Buddhist Realm consumed astronomical energy.

  Wuxing quickly recounted everything about Five Phoenixes.

  “That world which bloomed with Buddha-lotus light is protected by a mysterious grand array. This disciple cannot break it to enter and ferry its people across the sea of suffering.”

  Compassion filled his voice.

  Buddhist chants thundered.

  The golden Buddha spoke, voice resounding through the nine heavens.

  “I will send an array-breaker. The dignity of the Buddhist Realm must not be defied.”

  Every monk in the temple burned with fervent faith.

  Wuxing remained prostrated, palms pressed to his forehead.

  Soon the golden light faded.

  Every top-grade spirit stone in the array had been drained dry.

  Wuxing rose, expression serene.

  He bid the abbot farewell and left the temple.

  The Venerable One was sending an array-breaker.

  That formation wouldn’t hold them much longer.

  …

  Northern Luo City, Martial Arena.

  Young Master Lu’s incarnation had vanished.

  Everyone held their breath.

  No one had expected a simple competition between Great Xuan and Western Liang to unveil such a terrifying secret.

  Young Master Lu had been bearing this alone.

  Overlord and Tantai Xuan stared at the sky, hearts pounding.

  Beyond the clouds—two more continents loomed.

  Enemies.

  They had always been right above their heads.

  Were the Tianyuan foreigners the enemy?

  Both kings knew the answer.

  Tianyuan cultivators might disdain Five Phoenixes natives and clash often, but they shared the same sky.

  The real enemies were those invaders from other continents.

  “Anyone who invades our homeland is the true unforgivable enemy!”

  Tantai Xuan clenched his fists, eyes blazing.

  The competition was over.

  Yet tension only grew thicker.

  The martial arena remained shrouded in mist.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Xie Yunling arrived, daoist robes fluttering. Though aged, he commanded deep respect.

  Not just because he represented the era of the Hundred Schools—but because of his strength.

  Mo Beike, Xie Yunling, and Sword Saint Hua Dongliu—three elders—approached the floating jade talismans inscribed with strange arrays.

  “These eight talismans likely connect to the blood-colored battlefield,” Xie Yunling said.

  “This old daoist can try replicating the array and open a path there.”

  The entire city seemed to fall silent.

  Hua Dongliu turned sharply. “Old Xie, seriously?”

  Overlord and Tantai Xuan’s attention snapped to him.

  Xie Yunling nodded solemnly.

  But complexity soon clouded his eyes.

  “Yet… should we really open that gate?”

  “We have no idea how strong the enemies on the other side are.”

  He sighed.

  He could copy the array.

  But the consequences? He dared not bear them.

  They wanted to share Young Master Lu’s burden—but did they even have the right?

  “This array has restrictions,” a calm voice suddenly said.

  Everyone looked—Lu Jiulian, the newly advanced Heavenly Lock genius.

  “It only allows those below Heavenly Lock to enter. Anyone above is ejected. And the enemies inside seem limited to below Golden Core.”

  He shared his observations.

  Young Master Lu had given no hints; the world had to figure it out themselves.

  Zhao Zixu nodded and recounted everything he had experienced.

  Xie Yunling stroked his beard, eyes brightening.

  “If that’s true, then opening the path is feasible… It could even become a trial ground for Body Storage cultivators.”

  “Battles on the edge of life and death awaken true potential faster than anything else.”

  But he frowned again.

  “However, this old daoist cannot replicate Young Master Lu’s life-saving talismans.”

  “Death inside would be real death.”

  Overlord spoke gravely.

  “Lord Xie need not worry. If Young Master Lu cannot hold, and invaders come anyway, soldiers will still have to fight and die on the front lines. That is their fate—they cannot escape it.”

  “Agreed,” Tantai Xuan rumbled.

  Jiang Li, who had been silent, finally spoke with weight.

  “This could be an opportunity—a chance to temper our troops.”

  “The array restricts enemies to below Golden Core. We have plenty of cultivators below that level, and they are born quickly.”

  “This is a rare chance for them to grow stronger through real combat.”

  His words sent a shiver through everyone.

  Battlefield growth far outstripped peaceful cultivation.

  “Very well. This old daoist will return and study the array.”

  Xie Yunling gathered the eight talismans and left Northern Luo City, heading back to the Dao Pavilion on Tian Dang Mountain.

  For Lu, it was a simple rune array.

  For Xie Yunling, it required meticulous care.

  …

  Northern Luo Lake had lost its divine luster without White Jade Capital.

  Fishermen poled their boats across the water, sky and lake blending into one color.

  On the shore, Overlord stood like an iron tower, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the surging waves.

  Xue Tao escorted Tantai Xuan to the shore.

  “My king…”

  Seeing Tantai Xuan intend to meet Overlord privately, Xue Tao hesitated.

  Tantai Xuan raised a hand.

  “It’s fine.”

  He smiled and walked toward the towering figure.

  The kings of Western Liang and Great Xuan spoke long into the cool night by the lake.

  Xue Tao’s heart pounded the entire time.

  Overlord was number one on the Human List—if he harbored ill intent, the Northern Xuan King might not survive.

  No one ever learned what they discussed.

  When dawn painted the sky pale gold, Tantai Xuan turned and left.

  …

  Nie Changqing, Jing Yue, and the others returned to the Nine Prisons Secret Realm.

  They had to grow stronger.

  Only then could they stand in front of Young Master and share the pressure.

  The Nascent Soul ancestors from Tianyuan’s four holy lands also left Northern Luo, returning to Dongyang Commandery to report everything.

  But when they arrived, Du Longyang and the others were nowhere to be found.

  Meanwhile, Great Xuan and Western Liang began mobilizing armies, gathering cultivators below Golden Core, drilling in the yellow sands, preparing for the coming war.

  Time slipped by.

  A sword seemed to hang over every heart.

  The pressure from those three foreign continents was immense.

  As cultivation spread, tales of “demons from beyond the heavens” circulated.

  It was said that in ancient times, a glorious cultivation civilization had been destroyed by such invaders.

  Now history might repeat itself.

  No one dared slack. Everyone pushed themselves harder than ever.

  Within the Nine Prisons Secret Realm, the geniuses on the Human List trained like mad.

  They turned pressure into motivation.

  They could feel it—terrifying battles were coming.

  The Great Xuan Academy expanded rapidly.

  After the tie in Northern Luo, news spread and shocked the world.

  Soon after, Tantai Xuan issued imperial edicts establishing Great Xuan Academy branches in every major city, recruiting talented youths and pouring resources into foundational training.

  All factions were stunned.

  Many waited for Western Liang’s reaction.

  But Overlord and Western Liang remained silent—as if in tacit approval.

  The world erupted.

  Had Overlord yielded?

  Or had the two kings reached some secret agreement?

  …

  Southern Commandery, Tian Dang Mountain, Dao Pavilion.

  Wind rustled the bamboo outside the tower.

  After a long time, white-haired Xie Yunling emerged, weary but eyes shining.

  Outside stood Ximen Xianzhi with his sword case, and Sword Saint Hua Dongliu perked up.

  “Well, Old Xie?”

  Hua Dongliu asked.

  Xie Yunling’s pale face was serious.

  “Young Master’s array dao is simply too profound. A single casual rune would take a lifetime to study.”

  “But… I managed to replicate two complete sets.”

  He coughed, clearly drained.

  Yet excitement blazed in his eyes.

  Studying this array had been a blessing.

  There was no time for idle talk.

  They all knew what duplicated arrays meant.

  Ximen Xianzhi and Hua Dongliu escorted Xie Yunling down the mountain.

  Through the Dragon Gates, one set was sent to Western Liang, the other to Great Xuan.

  …

  Above the Boundless Sea.

  The ice pagoda towered.

  A streak of light shot out of the tower and crashed into the ocean.

  From within came a furious, icy roar.

  “Keep running if you dare! One day I’ll kill everyake my chance!”

  Inside the pagoda, Fu Tianluo’s cold eyes shot divine light through the entrance.

  Ye Shoudao floated on the sea, chest caved in, on the verge of death.

  But origin energy surged through him, rapidly healing his wounds.

  A Yin Spirit realm expert sealed as a sparring partner—perfect.

  Du Longyang and Ye Shoudao, fresh Yin Spirit cultivators, improved by leaps and bounds fighting him together.

  The Empress and Young Master Tianxu activated their tokens next.

  The tokens suppressed Fu Tianluo to early Yin Spirit level.

  Even then, killing them was easy for him.

  One mistake and they died.

  Tianxu once nearly had his body sliced in half.

  Dangerous, yes—but the benefits were undeniable.

  They could already feel the barrier to mid-Yin Spirit.

  Finally came Zhu Long.

  She used Fu Tianluo to test her divine abilities without restraint.

  Black-and-white millstones descended, grinding the void itself.

  Every session brought massive gains. Her mastery grew by leaps, and so did her strength.

  Inside the pagoda, Fu Tianluo’s mood was darker than the abyss.

  A mighty plane lord reduced to a tool.

  Now he understood—Du Longyang was no plane lord.

  The real master was that white-clothed youth in the wheelchair who had sealed him here.

  Soul Projection?

  Impossible.

  No Mid-Tier Martial world could birth a Soul Projection expert.

  The rules of heaven and earth weren’t that easy to break.

  So Fu Tianluo concluded Lu must be using some secret treasure or forbidden art passed down from a High-Tier world.

  To dare offend the Venerable One, he must have a High-Tier backer.

  Fu Tianluo stared coldly through the ice.

  He refused to die.

  He would endure, bide his time.

  Sooner or later, the Venerable One from the High-Tier Buddhist Realm would come and free him.

  …

  Origin Lake, Lake Heart Island.

  Xie Yunling had taken longer than Lu expected to copy the array.

  Within the Heaven Covering Formation, Lu had already opened breaches for early Golden Core cultivators.

  Countless Foundation Establishment invaders from Prajna, Golden Body, and Tianluo Continents now wandered lost inside the blood-colored battlefield, running in endless circles under Lu’s control.

  Now that Xie Yunling had succeeded, Lu could finally stop toying with them.

  It was time to let them serve as proper whetstones for Five Phoenixes’ Body Storage cultivators.

  Later, he would gradually raise the limit—Golden Core, then Nascent Soul.

  Increasing difficulty step by step.

  In short, Lu had turned the cultivators of all three continents into tools, just like Fu Tianluo.

  Once that was done, he could begin planning how to infiltrate and fuse their continental origins.

  Suddenly—

  A gentle breeze swept across Lake Heart Island.

  Lu raised an eyebrow and looked into the boundless starry sky.

  Beyond Five Phoenixes Continent,

  A withered, deathly silent land slowly drifted closer.

  Cold, deadly array runes coiled around it like chains.

  From Prajna and Golden Body Continents, the monk and the burly man sensed it and shot into the void.

  Their eyes gleamed as they watched.

  Atop the dead continent sat a mountain-like figure, motionless.

  When the monk and burly man saw him, they exchanged a glance and smiled.

  The array-breaker sent by the Venerable One had arrived.