Sweat slid down his forehead.

  The Grand Venerable of the Small Thunder Sound Buddha Realm stared ahead, his face twisted in raw panic.

  As a monk, he shouldn’t curse—but right now, he was one heartbeat away from it.

  Why?

  He’d already humbled himself and apologized through the Pingyang Heaven envoy. Why was this still happening?

  An icy, unstoppable aura of death welled up from the depths of his soul, pouring straight out of the Void Heaven. There was only one person in existence who could do something like this—the enigmatic Lord Lu.

  “What… kind of power is this?”

  Terror flooded the Grand Venerable’s heart.

  Real, bone-deep terror. It felt as though the entire Small Thunder Sound Buddha Realm would be erased in the next breath.

  That apocalyptic killing intent prickled his scalp like a thousand needles.

  Madman.

  Lu Ping’an was an absolute madman!

  BOOM!

  His primordial spirit burst free without reservation, the full might of the Immortal Transformation realm blanketing the Buddha Realm. As for the countless lesser worlds in Pingyang Heaven—he couldn’t spare the strength to protect them.

  After all, Pingyang Heaven was vast beyond measure. Shielding just the Buddha Realm already pushed him to his limit.

  Hum…

  A golden Buddhist bell descended from the void, enveloping the entire realm in mysterious defensive energy. It barely held back the terrifying destructive wave Lu had unleashed.

  Even so, the Grand Venerable’s heart trembled.

  “An immortal-tier artifact? No… this power… this is no ordinary immortal artifact!”

  Shock seized him.

  The Five Phoenixes actually possessed something this horrifying? Then why hadn’t they used it when the upper realms came to conquer? One arrow like that and the invasion fleet would have vaporized before ever reaching the Void Heaven!

  “It must be a relic left behind by some ancient supreme being!”

  All he could do now was pray that Pingyang Heaven wouldn’t suffer too many casualties.

  Yet…

  In the next instant, the terrifying aura of slaughter and annihilation simply… vanished.

  Relief washed over him, followed immediately by confusion and a flare of anger.

  Lu Ping’an… was he just toying with him?

  …

  Bzzz…

  The void itself seemed on the verge of splitting. Countless laws boiled and surged.

  The Five Phoenix Bow had compressed three different energies into a single arrow, and even the void groaned under the strain.

  Even Lu himself felt a chill at the sheer destructive potential. Even swinging the Phoenix Feather Sword with everything he had wouldn’t produce an attack this terrifying.

  He slowly released the drawn string.

  The bow lowered. Demonic energy roared outward like a tidal wave, cloaking Lu in the aura of an archdemon.

  On the bow, the glowing eyes of the three phoenix heads gradually dimmed.

  “Five hundred units of primordial spirit power, one hundred hark of chaos energy, plus destruction dao intent at the limit of third-tier sequence…”

  A cold smile touched Demon Lord Lu’s lips as he sank into thought.

  He returned to the Thousand Blade Chair. The black robes settled, fading back to white.

  “These three energies are fundamentally incompatible. Once the arrow detonates… I can’t even calculate the yield. But judging by how badly I just scared that Grand Venerable, it’s safe to say it’s monstrous.”

  Lu chuckled.

  Not quite a nuke, but the deterrence factor was more than enough.

  And the Five Phoenix Bow’s ceiling clearly hadn’t been reached yet.

  It could fuse five different energies—the stronger each one, the deadlier the resulting shot.

  His own primordial spirit and chaos energy were exceptionally potent; that was why a single drawn arrow had nearly made the Grand Venerable wet himself.

  The void rippled.

  A gaunt, skeletal figure appeared at Lu Fan’s side—Gu Mangran.

  “That apocalyptic aura just now… that was you?” Shock lingered in Gu Mangran’s sunken eyes.

  Lu glanced at him and raised the great bow.

  “By converging three distinct energies, it can fire a single arrow of unimaginable power.”

  “This is the ultimate weapon of the Five Phoenixes.”

  Gu Mangran stared at the bow, light swirling in his eyes.

  “That shot you prepared… it was terrifying.”

  At his peak, Gu Mangran could have slapped an Immortal Constellation expert who’d refined the five qi to death without breaking a sweat. If even he called it terrifying, then it truly was.

  “The three energies you fused were primordial spirit power, dao intent… and chaos energy, correct?”

  His sunken eyes flickered.

  Lu raised a brow, mildly surprised that Gu Mangran recognized chaos energy. Evidently, at that level, chaos energy was no longer a secret.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “Unfortunately, no one in the Five Phoenixes possesses chaos energy as potent as yours, so they probably won’t be able to unleash the bow’s full potential the way you just did,” Gu Mangran analyzed.

  Lu gave a small nod.

  “I have a suggestion,” Gu Mangran continued.

  Lu leaned back in the Thousand Blade Chair, waiting in silence.

  “The innate celestial qi that Immortal Constellation experts condense—if you could strip it away, it could substitute for chaos energy.”

  Lu’s eyes narrowed.

  He suddenly recalled the celestial qi ribbons that had swirled around the Immortal Constellation expert he’d punched into mist.

  “That stuff… can replace chaos energy?”

  He frowned, skeptical. It had felt kind of weak.

  Gu Mangran fell silent for a long moment, utterly speechless.

  That was the foundation of an entire realm of cultivation… and he was calling it weak?

  “…Celestial qi is hardly weak.”

  “Anyway, it’s just a suggestion. Take it or leave it.”

  He glanced once more at the Five Phoenix Bow.

  If he remembered correctly, the Five Phoenixes hadn’t possessed this bow before. It had been forged recently.

  Its potential was astonishing—both floor and ceiling were extraordinarily high.

  In terms of raw tier, it might not match imperial soldiers or ancestral saint weapons, but it had its own unique strengths.

  With sufficiently terrifying energies fused inside, the explosion could rival even an imperial soldier.

  Whoever forged this was a rare genius.

  More importantly, with Gu Mangran’s eyesight, he could tell the bow contained a weapon spirit—one perfectly attuned to it.

  For a post-heaven artifact to birth such a spirit, the only explanation was that the forger had sacrificed their very life and soul.

  That made Gu Mangran admire the creator even more.

  Lu fell into thought.

  To obtain celestial qi, he’d have to strip it from living Immortal Constellation experts.

  There were none in Pingyang Heaven.

  So if he wanted celestial qi… he’d have to take it from the Blood Evil Heaven and the Origin Magnet Heaven.

  “Well now… isn’t that convenient?”

  A faint smile curved Lu Fan’s lips.

  Gu Mangran looked puzzled.

  Lu waved a hand. Silver-gray light flashed, and he vanished.

  “Space profound… the ‘Travel’ Array Word?”

  Gu Mangran’s eyes lit up.

  Approach, Assemble, Travel, Survivor… Four of the great Array Words, all gathered in one person.

  No wonder this man had managed to forge the Five Phoenixes into a high-martial world within the Void Heaven.

  Perhaps… he was the one the ancient Great Emperor Ha had chosen.

  …

  White Jade Capital, Artifact Refining Pavilion.

  Master Gongshu Yu was ancient and frail, his vitality clinging by a thread. An ordinary cultivator would have died the moment their infant soul shattered, but Lu Fan had locked his life force in place, letting him live on as a mortal.

  The burly Aru knelt beside his master, eyes red with tears. Gongshu Yu’s small frame seemed to shrink further as he gently patted his disciple’s hand, whispering final instructions.

  Silver-gray spatial fluctuations rippled.

  Lu Fan appeared inside the pavilion.

  “Young Master…”

  Gongshu Yu’s cloudy eyes brightened the instant he saw him.

  “Does the bow… meet your requirements?!”

  Hope shone in his voice.

  Lu Fan lifted the great bow effortlessly and nodded. “It does.”

  The words had barely left his mouth when the old man’s taut breath finally loosened.

  A contented, weathered smile spread across his face.

  “This old man has no regrets left in this life.”

  “That old fool Kong Xiu once said, ‘Hear the Dao in the morning, and one may die content at dusk.’ Only now do I truly understand.”

  He laughed softly.

  “Was it worth it?” Lu Fan asked quietly.

  “Young Lord Lu, you are not a pure artifact forger. You cannot understand a forger’s faith.”

  “To craft a spirit artifact that satisfies the soul—what greater fortune is there?”

  “And this bow… it contains every secret technique of our Mechanism Family. Every single phoenix feather was polished by hand and inscribed with Array Words. It is the finest mechanical bow ever made!”

  “This old man… has not dishonored the family name.”

  Gongshu Yu’s smile was radiant.

  Lu Fan said nothing more.

  He gently tossed the bow.

  It flew through the air and landed in Aru’s hands.

  BOOM!

  The weight slammed down like a mountain. Aru’s knees sank into the floor, veins bulging on his neck as he barely held it up.

  “You didn’t participate in the Giant Mirror trial, but because of this bow, I’m making an exception. You’ll take the seventeenth special training slot—the only substitute spot.”

  “That’s for your master’s sake.”

  Lu Fan looked at the burly man.

  “Spend what time remains with him.”

  Before Aru could speak, Lu Fan vanished.

  …

  Over the vast sea, the strange aura finally faded.

  It had been treasure light—the kind that only erupted when a supreme spirit artifact was born.

  And it had come from the Artifact Refining Pavilion.

  Master Gongshu had forged yet another legendary treasure?

  Ripples spread across the ocean.

  Lu Fan’s figure emerged.

  Every curious gaze instantly turned reverent and fervent.

  “Old Lü, announce the rankings.”

  Seated on the Thousand Blade Chair, Lu Fan tapped the armrest lightly.

  “Understood!”

  Lü Mudui hurriedly slurped his tea—wolfberries and all—then unrolled the profound yellow paper.

  Beside him, Mo Tianyu stood on tiptoes, trying to peek first.

  Lü Mudui flicked the paper.

  It flew into the sky like a living scroll, unfurling for all to see.

  The top sixteen names blazed with radiant light, the blood-red characters enormous and impossible to miss.

  Everyone stared.

  First place was undisputed—Lu Jiulian. With Bamboo Dragon absent, his score of over 120,000 crushed all competition.

  Second place, however, stunned the world.

  White Bluebird.

  Gasps echoed everywhere. The chicken-raising girl from the Nine Phoenixes Institute… had beaten the Overlord?

  White Bluebird stood tall and serene, cradling Little Phoenix Nine. Cold flames flickered in her pupils.

  She had grown even more extraordinary.

  Even she was shocked to claim second.

  Third was finally the Overlord.

  The rest of the top sixteen: Sima Qingshan, Tang Yimo, Nie Changqing, Ye Shoudao, Kong Nanfei, Luo Mingyue, Du Longyang, Ximen Xianzhi, Jing Yue, Mo Liuqi, Ning Zhao, Ni Chunqiu, Li Sansui…

  The moment the list appeared, the crowd erupted.

  These sixteen would receive the special training quota.

  Tang Guo’s cheeks flushed crimson with pride—both her master and her senior brother had made it!

  Nie Shuang and Meng Haoran clenched their fists in disappointment.

  Jiang Li and Li Sansui had missed the cut.

  Even Young Master Tianxu, who had broken through to the Bestow Realm inside the secret realm, had failed to crack the top sixteen.

  He was only a few points behind sixteenth-place Li Sansui.

  His already pale face turned ashen.

  Old Du, Old Ye, and that lovesick girl Ni Chunqiu had all made it—why was he the one left out?

  Why was it always him who got hurt?

  He glared at Li Sansui. Among the top sixteen, she was the weakest—just half-step Bestow Realm.

  How had a little daoist nun killed more than a genuine Bestow Realm expert like him?

  Suddenly, Li Sansui, still wrapped in origin energy, turned her bloodshot eyes toward him.

  Deep in her pupils, a miniature Ten-Thousand Pattern Cauldron spun silently.

  Tianxu fell silent.

  The Ten-Thousand Pattern Cauldron… the dying old man’s ultimate gift.

  He had no comeback.

  The rankings left everyone reeling.

  So many dark horses had revealed terrifying strength.

  White Bluebird surpassing the Overlord.

  Sima Qingshan edging out Tang Yimo…

  Who were these people?

  One raised chickens for a living. The other was a patched-robe painter too poor to buy new clothes.

  “Excellent.”

  Lu Fan smiled at the list.

  Unexpected names, yes—but he was looking forward to it.

  “This secret realm was just a warm-up. The top sixteen will receive special training.”

  “You’re all dying to know what that training is, aren’t you?”

  Every head snapped up.

  Even the Overlord and the others, still bathing in origin energy, turned to look.

  But slowly, the smile faded from Lu Fan’s face.

  “Sixteen people, two teams of eight. Three one-on-one battles, five team battles.”

  “One team goes to Blood Evil Heaven. The other to Origin Magnet Heaven.”

  Dead silence fell across the ocean.

  Everyone froze.

  Lü Mudui, who had just lifted his tea for a victory sip, sprayed it everywhere.

  “Young Master… you can’t! You’re sending them to their deaths!”

  Lu Fan shook his head, deadly serious.

  “Not to die. To collect rent.”

  “This is training—and also the Five Phoenixes’ formal reckoning with Blood Evil Heaven and Origin Magnet Heaven.”

  He leaned forward slightly, voice low.

  Killing intent rolled off him like storm clouds.

  “Reckoning…?” The crowd was dumbfounded.

  This was their idea of settling accounts?

  “How exactly?” the Overlord growled, murderous light still burning in his eyes.

  “Enter their worlds, challenge their strongest holy lands, and fight under the rules of the Heavenly Grand Competition.”

  “The only difference… is the stakes.”

  A wicked grin spread across Lu Fan’s face.

  Chills ran down every spine.

  Lü Mudui’s hands shook. The Young Master was about to do something insane.

  At this moment, Lu Fan looked almost demonic.

  He had never imagined the “reckoning” would take this form.

  “What are we betting?” Lu Jiulian asked calmly.

  Lu Fan leaned back, eyes narrowing.

  “Everything. All the Dao Reserves they have.”

  Hiss—

  A cold wind swept across the ocean.

  Every cultivator felt an icy weight settle on their shoulders.

  “What if they refuse to bet?” Tang Yimo’s voice was hoarse.

  Lu Fan laughed.

  He looked up at the sky where sunlight finally broke through the clouds.

  His smile was calm, almost gentle.

  “They won’t dare refuse.”

  “If they do… they’ll find out whether Lu Ping’an is the patient type—or not.”