They had arrived!

  With utter arrogance, they tore through the barriers of space and emerged in the Blood Evil Heaven.

  On the ancient warship, the phoenix carved into its hull seemed alive, as if it were about to spread its wings and soar into the sky—a dazzling, breathtaking sight.

  Figures stood proudly aboard the vessel, gazing straight ahead. Even under the combined oppressive aura of the many Holy Lords from the high-martial worlds of Blood Evil Heaven, they showed no trace of fear.

  They were like a lone boat in a raging storm, rocking violently amid the crashing waves.

  Yet they pressed forward with unyielding resolve, cutting through the towering surges.

  What truly silenced the Blood Evil Heaven, leaving it in stunned hush, was the single white chess piece that descended from the heavens. A simple piece, yet it carried overwhelming dominance and murderous intent.

  The auras unleashed by the Holy Lords shattered one after another in that instant!

  “It’s Lu Ping’an! Lu Ping’an of the Five Phoenixes!”

  “He’s really come to settle the score…”

  “We once mocked the cowards of Pingyang Heaven for yielding… and now, Lu Ping’an has made his move.”

  The bloodied Holy Lords stared in horror.

  What baffled them most was this:

  From such an immense distance, how could Lu Ping’an still strike?

  How could he, from within the Nihility Heaven, reach into Blood Evil Heaven and suppress them?

  How was Lu Ping’an capable of this?!

  Their brazen confidence had stemmed from betting that Lu Ping’an would never dare leave the Nihility Heaven to descend upon Blood Evil Heaven.

  But now, that confidence lay in tatters.

  Even so…

  Wasn’t this far too audacious?

  Did Lu Ping’an truly believe he could challenge the entire Blood Evil Heaven alone?

  So what if he could slay those at the Immortal Ascension realm?

  Blood Evil Heaven was not the Nihility Heaven. There were no rules here to restrain anyone. If Lu Ping’an dared show himself, the powers of the Upper Realm would never stand idly by!

  So why…

  Why did Lu Ping’an dare act this way?

  Many Holy Lords clutched their chests, their faces ashen after having their spirits and auras crushed by a single chess piece from Lu.

  Overlord burst into laughter.

  Worthy of Young Master Lu—truly domineering. This was how the Five Phoenixes should be.

  Today they struck Blood Evil Heaven; one day, they would storm the Upper Realm!

  They would drench the Upper Realm in rivers of blood!

  Overlord’s eyes gleamed as he stood aboard the warship, his laughter echoing and darkening the expressions of Blood Evil Heaven’s many Holy Lords.

  “Insolence!”

  Boom!

  The Holy Lords trembled with rage, but soon their fury cooled.

  They realized that none of the Yan Six or Yan Five high-martial sacred grounds in Blood Evil Heaven had made a move.

  “Anyone who blocks the way… dies.”

  A calm voice drifted through the void—Lu Ping’an’s voice.

  To many Holy Lords, this Lu Holy Lord was a nightmare. In the battle where the Cloud Clan of the Upper Realm Sacred Clan killed the Blood-Robed General, he had descended like a god or demon, shattering the Cloud Clan’s divine son with a single punch and daring to strike an imperial weapon.

  Such a madman filled them with dread.

  They had believed Lu would never dare come to Blood Evil Heaven, yet here he was—settling accounts.

  Overlord’s tyrannical spiritual energy surged.

  He steered the ancient warship forward, crushing the void of Blood Evil Heaven as it advanced steadily.

  Creak… creak…

  The sound rang out like a series of resounding slaps across the faces of every Holy Lord.

  Who dared stand in their way?

  Those who had moments ago radiated towering auras and hurled abuse now stood frozen—none dared step forward.

  Even setting aside Overlord’s earlier feat of slaying a Tribulation Transcender Holy Lord, Lu Ping’an’s threat alone was enough to paralyze them.

  In their respective worlds, the Holy Lords stood in dazed silence.

  Since when had the Five Phoenixes—the sole high-martial world in the once-despised Nihility Heaven—grown to command such awe?

  At the start of the Heaven and Earth Grand Competition, the sacred grounds of the Lower Nine Heavens had sent cultivators with overwhelming arrogance, treating the Five Phoenixes as beneath notice and intending to strip away their Dao reserves.

  Now, the Five Phoenixes sent emissaries into Blood Evil Heaven—and no one dared stop them.

  Tang Yimo, Nie Changqing, Du Longyang, and the others stood beside Overlord. Some with hands clasped behind their backs, others with arms folded, their calm gazes hid surging battle intent and killing desire.

  “The Five Phoenixes are magnanimous. The worlds of Blood Evil Heaven once gathered a million-strong army to invade us. By rights, we should have marched with our full force, turning Blood Evil Heaven into a river of blood and mountains of corpses. Yet Young Master Lu is kind-hearted and repays enmity with virtue, offering the worlds of Blood Evil Heaven a chance.”

  “By Young Master Lu’s command, we have come from the Five Phoenixes to Blood Evil Heaven to find a Yan Five sacred ground—giving you the opportunity to settle our grudge through the format of the Heaven and Earth Grand Competition.”

  Overlord stood at the prow. With his energy fueling the ancient warship’s core, it streaked through Blood Evil Heaven like a bolt of light.

  His voice boomed across every corner of Blood Evil Heaven.

  The Holy Lords of the many Yan Eight and Yan Seven sacred grounds wore strange expressions.

  Kind-hearted?

  Repaying enmity with virtue?

  Settling the grudge through the Grand Competition?

  The Five Phoenixes… were being this reasonable?

  Many Holy Lords exchanged glances across the void, then broke into laughter.

  The Five Phoenixes were afraid!

  Holy Lord Lu was afraid!

  He clearly feared the Upper Realm backing Blood Evil Heaven. Unable to come personally to settle accounts, he was forced to use this roundabout method to save face after his earlier bold declarations.

  Many Holy Lords sneered.

  They wiped the blood from their mouths. Lu Ping’an’s strike had indeed been domineering.

  But in the end… he was backing down, seeking peace through the Grand Competition.

  “Do you… dare to fight?!”

  Overlord’s gaze sharpened.

  He stood tall aboard the warship.

  Even with the protective barrier shielding them from the ferocious winds of their speed, his hair whipped wildly.

  His domineering words thundered across Blood Evil Heaven.

  A roar that struck the soul!

  Would they fight?!

  Would the worlds of Blood Evil Heaven dare accept the challenge?!

  Hum…

  Moments after Overlord issued his defiant words, powerful auras began rising from the depths of Blood Evil Heaven.

  A streak of light shot across the sky.

  A figure cloaked in flowing robes emerged.

  “It’s the Immortal Transformation powerhouse from the Yan Five high-martial Hexagram Minor World!”

  Many Holy Lords recognized the figure and spoke up.

  The expert hovered in the void, blocking the warship’s path.

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  “Turn back…”

  The Immortal Transformation powerhouse spoke slowly.

  “The Five Phoenixes have no qualification to demand a competition of this sort.”

  A faint sneer played across the face hidden beneath the loose robes.

  Overlord narrowed his eyes at the Immortal Transformation expert.

  “Young Master Lu says we can fight—so we will. Are you… afraid?”

  Overlord lifted his chin and spoke calmly.

  The moment the words left his mouth, terrifying aura erupted from the Immortal Transformation powerhouse.

  Boom!

  “Insolent!”

  “Though the Five Phoenixes advanced a rank in the previous Grand Competition, they are merely Yan Seven. What gives them the right to challenge Yan Five high-martial worlds?”

  “And what qualifies Lu Ping’an to demand such a competition?”

  The Immortal Transformation expert unleashed his full aura without restraint.

  It transformed into a colossal shadow that blotted out the sky.

  Many Holy Lords from smaller worlds in Blood Evil Heaven struggled to breathe under the pressure.

  Immortal Transformation—those who had survived heavenly tribulations and earned the potential to ascend as immortals. They were among the supreme existences.

  The number of such beings in all of Blood Evil Heaven could be counted on one hand.

  Thus, when this Immortal Transformation expert stepped forward, every Holy Lord knew: the situation was under control.

  Ruthless!

  The Hexagram Minor World, as a Yan Five, was truly ruthless.

  The Five Phoenixes sought reconciliation this way—only to be brutally slapped down!

  Many Holy Lords laughed.

  Overlord rolled his neck.

  “I forgot to mention…”

  “Young Master Lu said you have no right to refuse. You will compete—whether you want to or not!”

  Facing the aura of an Immortal Transformation expert, Overlord showed no fear.

  He hefted his axe and shield. Third-sequence Dao intent soared into the heavens.

  His unyielding will stood like a mountain, clashing head-on with the Immortal Transformation expert’s pressure.

  “Heh…”

  The expert chuckled.

  “Lu Ping’an is far away in the Nihility Heaven. What right does he have to make threats?”

  “Even if I slaughter all of you, what can he do to me?”

  With those words, the Immortal Transformation expert truly attacked.

  Killing intent surged like a tidal wave, sweeping through the void of Blood Evil Heaven with terrifying force.

  He intended to kill Overlord in a single strike.

  Overlord was merely a Tribulation Transcender—nothing worth noticing to an Immortal Transformation expert.

  Overlord narrowed his eyes.

  He cracked his neck. The severed head split open further as he prepared to unleash his full suppressed power multiplied several times over.

  Though he could have long since reattached it, he rather liked it this way.

  “On what basis?”

  Suddenly, just as Overlord readied himself,

  the void shuddered again.

  Silver-gray light surged, space profound rippling outward.

  In the next instant,

  another chess piece fell.

  Tap!

  It emerged from the spatial profound and drifted down lightly, like a snowflake, toward the Immortal Transformation expert’s head.

  Yet the expert felt an overwhelming aura of death envelop him completely!

  “Space profound?! The ‘Travel’ Array Word?!”

  His pupils contracted.

  He finally understood how Lu was able to crush the auras of so many Holy Lords in Blood Evil Heaven from such distance!

  “That damned bald donkey from Pingyang Heaven’s Buddha Realm!”

  Boom!

  The expert no longer held back. His formidable aura transformed into a rainbow piercing the heavens as he sought to block the seemingly weightless chess piece.

  The piece landed—light as a feather—on his brow, as though merely brushing against him.

  In the next moment,

  to the horror of every Holy Lord in Blood Evil Heaven,

  the expert’s head exploded. The area around the chess piece warped like a black hole, pulverizing his body.

  Thick blood mist filled the air.

  His primordial spirit fled in panic.

  A wretched scream rang out—then his primordial spirit vanished into nothingness.

  Pop.

  Like a soap bubble bursting in sunlight, the white chess piece gently shattered.

  Blood Evil Heaven fell into deathly silence.

  Lu Ping’an of the Five Phoenixes—using the “Travel” Array Word and space profound from across the Nihility and Pingyang Heavens—was killing people in Blood Evil Heaven?!

  …

  Five Phoenixes, White Jade Pavilion.

  Countless lines danced in Lu’s eyes.

  He held a chess piece between his fingers, a half-smile on his lips.

  Whoever blocks the way dies. Did they think I was joking?

  Still, he truly owed the Great Venerable for gifting the “Travel” Array Word. Without it, achieving this would not have been so easy.

  Many of the Nine Heavens’ great spatial teleportation arrays were built using patterns derived from the “Travel” Array Word.

  Having refined it on the preaching platform to near its true form, its power was naturally formidable.

  …

  Pingyang Heaven.

  Little Thunderclap Buddha Realm, pagoda.

  Joyful Venerable and Great Venerable watched the scene in the golden alms bowl. Great Venerable’s face twitched.

  Joyful Venerable looked alarmed.

  “Great Venerable… does this count as colluding with the Five Phoenixes?”

  Joyful Venerable asked cautiously.

  Great Venerable shot him an icy glare, silencing him instantly.

  At this moment, Great Venerable felt like spitting blood. He was definitely carrying this blame.

  But he had only given a flawed replica of the “Travel” Array Word—how had Lu managed this?

  Why did the array word struggle to cross from Pingyang to Nihility Heaven in his hands, yet wield such terrifying power in Lu’s?

  “If he can wield the ‘Travel’ Array Word so flexibly, why doesn’t Lu Ping’an come to Blood Evil Heaven himself to settle accounts?”

  “Why send these elite cultivators on the warship? What is his true purpose?”

  “Using the Grand Competition format… given Lu Ping’an’s temperament, could it be…”

  Great Venerable pondered—then his pupils shrank.

  This young man’s ambition was truly terrifying!

  …

  “Hahahaha!”

  “Now—who still dares to block us?!”

  Overlord stood aboard the warship, eyes cold yet burning with excitement, passion, and fervor.

  Young Master Lu!

  Unmatched dominance!

  He stared toward the depths of Blood Evil Heaven, at the Hexagram Minor World. Yan Five high-martial—so what?!

  “Hexagram Minor World—do you dare fight?!”

  Overlord roared.

  His voice exploded like a tidal wave!

  The lingering blood mist of a fallen Immortal Transformation expert filled the void.

  The Holy Lords of Blood Evil Heaven’s sacred grounds no longer dared speak. Fear gripped them.

  The death of an Immortal Transformation expert had sounded the alarm.

  Lu Ping’an… could truly kill in Blood Evil Heaven!

  “Trash! And you thought you could assemble an army to invade our Five Phoenixes!”

  Tang Yimo slowly bound white cloth around his hands, speaking calmly.

  Disdain filled his sharp eyes.

  “Arrogant juniors!”

  The experts of Blood Evil Heaven’s high-martial sacred grounds seethed with anger.

  Hum…

  Suddenly, from the depths of Blood Evil Heaven,

  a vast continent shaped like a six-pointed star drifted forward.

  Tremendous energy soared into the sky, shaking heaven and earth.

  Strands of Dao reserve writhed like dragons in the origin space of the Hexagram Minor World.

  “Since Holy Lord Lu wishes to resolve our grudge this way—then let us fight.”

  A calm voice echoed from the vast Hexagram Minor World.

  Boom!

  The misty veil around the world parted, revealing an enormous passage.

  “Do you dare enter our world and fight?”

  A voice challenged.

  “What is there to fear?!”

  Overlord’s eyes flashed. Tang Yimo and the others wore cold expressions as they steered the warship forward, shooting into the Hexagram Minor World.

  A vast, majestic world unfolded before them.

  Towering mountain ranges coiled like dragons. Endless desolate plains stretched to the horizon. Grand cities with walls dozens of zhang high stood proudly, and magnificent immortal palaces perched atop peaks that seemed ready to take flight.

  A Yan Five high-martial world that had developed over countless ages—truly boundless and majestic!

  Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

  Terrifying auras rose from every corner of the vast land.

  Countless mighty experts, entire formations of Tribulation Transcenders, and several Immortal Transformation auras surged, threatening to collapse the mountains themselves.

  Cold eyes fixed upon Overlord and the others aboard the warship.

  Hum…

  Suddenly,

  an incomparably colossal figure materialized above the vast land of the Hexagram Minor World,

  as though propping up heaven and earth.

  Immortal Ascension realm!

  Dreadful Immortal Ascension aura spread, the immense pressure threatening to shatter the ancient warship.

  Yet the phoenix on the warship cried out sharply, dispersing the Immortal Ascension pressure.

  “Well done, Holy Lord Lu.”

  “Well done, cultivators of the Five Phoenixes.”

  The Immortal Ascension expert gazed at Overlord and the others, then smiled.

  “Since Holy Lord Lu wishes to settle this through the Grand Competition format—then let us compete.”

  The expert declared.

  Across the vast land of the Hexagram Minor World, auras formed radiant seven-colored lights, wave after terrifying wave crashing against the psychological defenses of Overlord and his companions.

  This was the pressure of fighting on enemy ground.

  “Three individual battles, one five-person team battle! The rules remain the same!”

  Overlord narrowed his eyes, neither servile nor overbearing, staring at the heaven-piercing silhouette of the Immortal Ascension expert.

  His muscles trembled—not from fear, but from excitement under the overwhelming pressure.

  “Agreed.”

  The Immortal Ascension expert spoke slowly.

  “Then… the wager.”

  Overlord narrowed his eyes.

  Not only Overlord—Tang Yimo, Du Longyang, and the others felt their hearts tighten.

  Truth be told, the pressure was immense!

  Betting all their Dao reserves.

  This was an all-or-nothing gamble. Young Master Lu had left them no retreat—forcing them to win, to triumph.

  The trial, the pressure—it was enormous!

  “Oh? How many Dao reserves do you wish to wager?”

  The Immortal Ascension expert smiled faintly.

  Overlord stared at him and grinned.

  He raised his long axe, pointing it at the expert.

  “We wager… all of them!”

  Silence fell across the vast land of the Hexagram Minor World.

  Even the distant Nihility Heaven seemed to hold its breath.

  All… of them?!

  Madmen!

  Absolute lunatics!

  After a moment of stunned silence, Blood Evil Heaven erupted into chaos!

  What insane notion was this?!

  The most horrifying gamble in history!

  Which world would ever stake all its Dao reserves?

  Every high-martial world in Blood Evil Heaven boiled with shock and uproar.

  This… was Lu Ping’an’s idea of settling accounts?

  Many finally understood: his “settlement” meant stripping them of every last strand of Dao reserve!

  A true madman!

  But on what basis did he believe the Five Phoenixes’ cultivators would definitely win?

  A handful of Tribulation Transcenders challenging a Yan Five world guarded by an Immortal Ascension expert and multiple Immortal Transformation powerhouses?

  This wasn’t settlement—this was delivering Dao reserves on a platter!

  Absurd!

  Laughable!

  Did they truly think that after one minor victory over the Star Moon Minor World in the Grand Competition, the Five Phoenixes were invincible?

  That they could now provoke a Yan Five high-martial world?!

  In Pingyang Heaven,

  watching the scene in the golden alms bowl, Great Venerable’s body suddenly erupted with shocking aura.

  “So that’s it! Of course…”

  “Lu Ping’an’s settlement… was for this!”

  “Thank heavens we made amends early!”

  Great Venerable’s body trembled slightly as he exhaled long and slow.

  One had to admit—this Holy Lord of the Five Phoenixes was truly a madman!

  “Daring to make such a decision—doesn’t Holy Lord Lu fear losing?”

  Joyful Venerable, shocked to his core, murmured.

  “Losing?!”

  “With the courage to make this decision, how could he not have an ace up his sleeve?”

  Great Venerable shook his head, eyes flickering. “Holy Lord Lu must have a guaranteed path to victory!”

  In Blood Evil Heaven,

  above the vast continent,

  the heaven-propping silhouette of the Immortal Ascension expert laughed.

  “Excellent… wagering everything.”

  “Utterly ridiculous.”

  “Our Hexagram Minor World is Yan Five, possessing one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine Dao reserves. You Five Phoenixes… barely over a hundred—not even a fraction. How dare you speak of wagering everything? On what grounds can you compete?”

  Boom!

  As the words fell,

  terrifying pressure swept forth like a storm.

  In the Hexagram continent, an Immortal Ascension expert was akin to a god.

  His anger darkened the skies, black clouds rolling in as though doomsday had arrived!

  The dreadful pressure bore down directly on the warship.

  …

  Five Phoenixes,

  White Jade Pavilion.

  Lu’s white robes fluttered. One elbow rested on the railing, chin in hand, while his other hand flicked lightly.

  “Heh.”

  In the next instant, the Phoenix Feather Sword shot forth, streaking through the rift torn open by silver-gray spatial profound.

  …

  The Immortal Ascension expert’s fury sent terrifying pressure crashing down, forcing the ancient warship representing the Five Phoenixes into a steep plunge.

  It smashed into a mountain, pulverizing the entire peak!

  Overlord endured the immense pressure, blood boiling within him—pure exhilaration.

  Tang Yimo’s eyes gleamed. Too thrilling!

  So thrilling he almost wanted to open his six meridians in celebration!

  The Immortal Ascension expert’s wrath darkened heaven and earth.

  But in the next moment,

  the crushing pressure enveloping the warship vanished as though sliced away.

  Silver-gray light exploded.

  From a massive torn ravine, a faint chuckle drifted out.

  “Not betting? Try it and see.”

  “We Five Phoenixes are here to settle accounts—not to haggle.”

  Swish swish swish!

  Crimson light streaked through the ravine.

  Along its path,

  the Phoenix Feather Sword casually slew several Tribulation Transcenders as though merely brushing past them.

  An enraged Immortal Transformation expert charged—only to have his body shattered, his primordial spirit nearly cleaved as well.

  Wherever the Phoenix Feather Sword passed, oceans of flame boiled and raged.

  Finally, it halted abruptly.

  Hovering before the neck of an elder wreathed in faint immortal aura inside a luxurious palace on the vast Hexagram continent.

  The once-magnificent palace had already been reduced to ruins by the sword.

  The sword’s gleaming tip sliced the elder’s throat, drawing a thin line of crimson.

  The Immortal Ascension elder of the Hexagram continent glanced at the Phoenix Feather Sword, expression calm, heart unmoved.

  “I accept the bet.”