Inside the Preaching Platform, the River of Time roared forth.

  The conjured void collapsed under its weight, emitting deep, muffled booms.

  Lu’s robes whipped violently.

  In the next instant, his eyes blazed. A colossal sundial seemed to manifest, descending from the heavens.

  The “Lin” profound word faintly overlapped with the sundial.

  Waves crashed. Every splash from the River of Time carried the weight of countless ages.

  Back when Lu was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, he had already entertained the idea of enveloping the entire Five Phoenixes within the “Lin” word, isolating its time flow from the outside world.

  But at that time, he lacked the strength. The terrifying power of the profound word would have drained him dry.

  So he had given up.

  Now, he tried again—this time deducing it within the safety of the Preaching Platform.

  Rumble!

  The sundial formed by the “Lin” word hovered above the Five Phoenixes, growing larger and larger until it resembled a blazing sun.

  The entire world turned strange. With his naked eye, Lu could almost see the rise and fall of civilizations, the transformation of seas into mulberry fields.

  Yet in the next moment, the gray River of Time poured backward into the Five Phoenixes.

  Mountains shattered, oceans collapsed.

  The power of time was too vast and too treacherous—even Lu could not control it perfectly.

  The first attempt failed.

  He wasn’t discouraged. If he had succeeded on the first try, that would have been the real surprise.

  Again and again, he deduced.

  He carefully adjusted the flow rate.

  His primordial spirit power drained at shocking speed.

  Finally—

  Success.

  The Five Phoenixes and the sundial achieved a delicate balance.

  Lu spread his arms, committing the sensation to memory.

  The energy consumption was within acceptable limits.

  Like floating and sinking in an endless sea, Lu gradually calmed.

  He sat cross-legged on the array platform, settling his mind and recovering his spirit.

  The repeated deductions had taken a heavy toll.

  After a long while, he opened his eyes.

  The Grand Time Array was complete. But he had no intention of leaving the platform yet to set it up in the void.

  There were still preparations to make.

  And one more plan remained unfinished.

  “Create special physiques and spread them across the world.”

  Lu smiled, eyes gleaming. This had been on his agenda for a long time.

  “What exactly is a special physique?”

  He murmured.

  With a thought, his white robes turned pitch-black. Demonic qi surged, shaking the very void.

  “The Indestructible Demonic Body is, in fact, a kind of special physique—just an extremely high-grade one.”

  “Top-tier physiques are nearly impossible to fully construct from scratch. I can only forge seeds. In future cultivation, they will grow and evolve. Because the path is unknown, no one can predict how far they will ultimately reach.”

  Lu pondered.

  Like the Myriad Poison Body he had given Lu Changkong—it was merely a seed with astonishing potential.

  In Lu’s estimation, if the Myriad Poison Body reached its apex, a single drop of blood could slay immortals or raise the dead.

  Different physiques also granted extraordinary cultivation speed.

  Lu smiled.

  First, he would use his own Indestructible Demonic Body as a template.

  Origin qi poured down from the void, joined by Chaos Energy. Like refining a pill, he followed a unique method.

  After a long while, a black flower bloomed in the emptiness, demonic qi curling from its petals.

  This was a physique flower.

  Lu formed a figure with a pinch of his fingers and implanted the flower.

  Demonic qi exploded. The figure howled in agony, as though every inch of flesh was being torn apart and replaced.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The process was excruciating.

  Soon, it was complete.

  The figure revived—towering and majestic, demonic qi rolling off him like a god of the abyss.

  One punch flattened a mountain.

  “This physique shall be called the Demon King Physique—peerless and domineering.”

  Lu created another radiant golden flower.

  “This one—the Divine King Physique. Heaven-defying talent, unmatched grace.”

  Then a holy, brilliant bloom.

  “The Saint King Physique…”

  Followed by one that seemed to contain the Dao itself.

  “The Innate Dao Physique…”

  One after another, flowers blossomed.

  Each represented a unique special physique.

  Lu built a towering peak within the platform and planted them all upon it, every flower vying in splendor.

  As for distribution—he would let the Preaching Platform’s selection function choose those with fate.

  Of course, he would not release them yet.

  The Grand Time Array came first.

  …

  Outside the ice tower imprisoning the various holy sons and daughters,

  Qi Liujia sat cross-legged.

  Li Sansui listened attentively nearby as Qi Liujia lectured on the Dao of formations.

  The boy had always loved formations—ever since Xie Yunling’s influence. And after comprehending his own Dao intent, his passion had only grown.

  Now receiving Qi Liujia’s full inheritance, he was overjoyed.

  Qi Liujia looked at his disciple with kind eyes, teaching without reservation, imparting everything from the Six Armored Formation Sect.

  Suddenly, his eyes twitched.

  An oppressive aura spread.

  A primordial spirit transmission rang in his ears.

  “Sansui, continue cultivating on your own. Master must visit White Jade Capital.”

  Li Sansui was startled but bowed respectfully.

  Qi Liujia did not linger. He rose, treading lightly across the sea toward Lake Heart Island.

  There he saw Lu strolling slowly through the peach blossoms.

  And Ni Yu.

  One glance at her made his eyelids spasm.

  She was casually popping a fifth-grade Origin Fusion Pill into her mouth like candy.

  Origin Fusion Pills aided primordial spirit birth—she was eating them like sweets!

  He nearly had a heart attack.

  “You’re here.”

  Lu spotted him and smiled.

  “Young Master, what do you need?”

  Qi Liujia bowed slightly. Truthfully, he dreaded meeting Lu—every time meant something troublesome.

  He had only just disposed of one tribulation venerable’s corpse, after all.

  But this time, to his shock, Lu wasn’t asking him to clean up a body.

  He wanted help setting up a formation.

  “S-set up a formation?”

  Qi Liujia was dumbfounded.

  With Lu’s mastery of arrays, he needed assistance?

  Something felt off.

  Lu chuckled and drew a line in the air.

  Spiritual energy condensed into paper, and upon it appeared the formation diagram.

  “This is…”

  Qi Liujia only glanced once.

  The next instant, crushing pressure slammed into him.

  His weathered face twisted in shock; he nearly spat blood.

  Trembling with excitement and horror, he stared at Lu.

  “Young Master… this formation is no simple matter! One tiny mistake and it’s utter annihilation!”

  Not for any other reason—this was a time array!

  Any formation involving time was terrifyingly profound.

  Even with a complete diagram, failure was likely.

  Failure could mean losing lifespan—or worse, having one’s time completely severed, flesh withering, aging to death in an instant.

  “It’s fine. Just gather the materials listed.”

  Lu said calmly.

  Qi Liujia took a deep breath.

  He could feel the unshakable confidence in Lu’s tone.

  If that was the case, he would not obstruct further.

  “Yes.”

  He left with the diagram, face grave.

  But doubt gnawed at him.

  Why was Lu setting up a time array?

  He had already suspected the time formation in the immortal ruins was Lu’s handiwork.

  Yet this one felt far more terrifying.

  It took Qi Liujia nearly three days to gather everything.

  The materials weren’t rare—just troublesome.

  When the last item was collected,

  Lu appeared beside him in the Thousand-Bladed Chair, out of thin air.

  Overwhelming primordial spirit fluctuations enveloped Qi Liujia, and they vanished.

  Outside the Five Phoenixes.

  In the void.

  Qi Liujia handed over the materials.

  His task complete, he floated in the emptiness, watching Lu begin.

  Lu’s expression turned solemn.

  Real deployment was different from deduction.

  Even he dared not be careless.

  He pushed his primordial spirit to its limit.

  Materials transformed one by one into array foundations and inscription mediums.

  Every profound rune he carved was sent hurtling toward the space around the Five Phoenixes.

  This was merely the appetizer.

  When all materials were processed, countless array patterns already floated outside the world—protective measures to keep the River of Time from destroying the Five Phoenixes.

  Finally,

  under Qi Liujia’s nervous gaze,

  Lu began drawing the River of Time.

  The sundial appeared—a colossal dial hanging above the Five Phoenixes.

  The gray River of Time surged out from the immortal ruins at terrifying speed.

  Overwhelming primordial spirit fluctuations battered it continuously,

  slowly setting the Grand Time Array in motion.

  …

  Little Thunder Sound Buddhist Realm.

  Inside the golden pagoda,

  a terrifying figure opened his eyes. Countless rays of light swirled within them.

  “Refusing the High Martial Registry, yet still daring to erect a time array to accelerate your flow?”

  “You push too far.”

  The figure murmured.

  His soft whisper alone made the entire pagoda tremble, on the verge of cracking.

  The next moment, he took out a prayer mat and gently tossed it forward.

  A faint “Xing” profound word flashed upon the mat, then silver-gray energy surged.

  The figure vanished, mat and all.

  At the border between Pingyang Sky and Void Heaven,

  space itself shattered.

  A figure sat upon the prayer mat, radiating ten thousand zhang of Buddhist light that illuminated all things.

  BOOM!

  Countless Holy Lords in Pingyang Sky were startled.

  Tuoba and Qingling, both from Yan Seven high martial worlds, appeared almost instantly—they had been watching the Void Heaven closely.

  But when they saw the figure seated on the prayer mat,

  their breathing stopped. They dared not make a sound.

  “That’s…”

  Qingling’s pupils contracted.

  “Shh!”

  “Don’t speak.”

  Tuoba pulled him away. The two fled silently, as if that seated figure were an apex terror.

  Rumble!

  Within the Void Heaven,

  regulatory power stirred.

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  Under Lu’s gaze, strands of regulatory power transformed into gleaming, murderous blades!

  These were blades of rule—possessing horrifying killing intent!

  “Young Master!”

  Qi Liujia’s expression changed drastically.

  Now he understood Lu’s ambition: to shroud the entire Five Phoenixes in a time array!

  If successful, one year inside could equal ten outside. The Five Phoenixes’ growth would explode!

  But…

  This was insane!

  Even the regulatory power of the Void Heaven had manifested as blades, forbidding him from continuing!

  “Young Master, careful!”

  Qi Liujia shouted.

  Lu was prepared.

  While his primordial spirit guided the array, he raised a hand and flicked.

  Silver blades streaked across the void, forming a perfect silver sphere that encased him completely.

  Clang!

  Countless regulatory blades slashed down!

  The void itself seemed to scream as it was torn apart.

  Clang clang clang!

  Sparks flew endlessly. The void boiled.

  Qi Liujia had long retreated to a frozen continent fragment, watching from afar.

  He dared not approach. A single stray blade could sever his primordial spirit and strip his flesh.

  Suddenly,

  he sensed something and whipped around.

  Every pore on his body constricted as though about to explode.

  Because he saw it:

  an enormous figure looming beyond Pingyang Sky, gazing down coldly upon the Void Heaven.

  A time array that defied the heavens naturally drew the attention of countless experts.

  Qi Liujia could feel the suffocating despair emanating from that being—one glance could kill him!

  Third realm of Great Power?

  Beyond Tribulation-Transcending?

  The Great Venerable of Little Thunder Sound Buddhist Realm?

  Qi Liujia felt his throat seized, unable to breathe.

  And what horrified him even more—

  that terrifying figure sat calmly upon his prayer mat,

  leisurely crossing the world barrier,

  stepping from Pingyang Sky into the Void Heaven!