A cold, biting wind swept across the plains beneath the Imperial City.

  No one in the world had expected it to come so swiftly.

  Beyond the walls of the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty’s capital, an endless allied army surged forward, having already smashed through six fortified passes to reach the city gates. Far from dwindling, their numbers only swelled with every victory. Each captured pass saw local cultivators stepping forward voluntarily to join the ranks, causing the force to grow like a rolling snowball.

  Of course, a large part of this momentum came from Jiang Li’s appearance. As the foremost military god of the Five Phoenixes, his name and legends echoed across every corner of the land. Now that he had emerged in the flesh to crusade against the tyrant, he naturally struck a deep chord with countless cultivators, who flocked to the cause.

  Outside the Imperial City, the three main armies were encamped.

  Clad in silver armor, Jiang Li stood at the forefront, flanked by the leaders of the rebel army, the Demon Court’s king, and the commander of the Heavenly Origin Domain forces. A grim, murderous aura hung heavy over the desolate plain.

  No one had imagined that the battle deciding the fate of the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty would arrive so soon. Those six legendary dire beasts had been an unimaginable boon for the dynasty. When news spread that they had become the tyrant’s weapons, despair nearly broke the allied forces. The memory of the six-armed infant beast from years past still haunted the world—brutal, ferocious, unstoppable. The thought of facing so many at once almost shattered their will to fight. Ordinary troops could never hope to overcome such monsters.

  Fortunately, the legendary Immortals of the Five Phoenixes—figures who had long existed only in myth—began to appear one after another, displaying peerless grace and power. They slew three of the dire beasts in succession, shattering pass after pass and forcing Tantai Mojie to recall the Beast Cauldron and retreat to defend the capital. This restored the allies’ confidence and fueled their determination to take the city.

  Jiang Li, in his gleaming silver armor, gazed at the towering city walls. The battlements were packed with soldiers, their golden armor flashing in the sunlight. Overwhelming auras flickered in and out of sight along the ramparts.

  “This battle… will be difficult,” he murmured.

  Unlike the optimism spreading among many of the allied leaders, Jiang Li shook his head.

  “These dire beasts were born from the stolen fortune of the human race by Tantai Mojie. They are weaker than the original Six-Armed Infant, each with its own specific weakness. If we exploit those flaws, victory is still possible.”

  “But now, he has gathered all of them together…”

  “That makes the pressure far greater. Breaking them one by one by targeting their weaknesses has become nearly impossible.”

  Jiang Li’s words were grim.

  He wasn’t alone in this assessment.

  In the allied ranks, Lü Mu, Mo Tianyu, and others also understood how daunting this fight would be. The Imperial City was not like the other passes. Tantai Mojie could afford to abandon those—he could always retake them if he won the final battle. But if the capital fell, it was truly lost forever.

  He would never leave the city. Therefore, he had concentrated every ounce of his strength here for one decisive clash.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  As the midday sun grew blindingly bright, banners suddenly rose above the city walls.

  War drums thundered, each strike pounding like a heartbeat that set the blood boiling.

  On the allied side, at Jiang Li’s command, the assault finally began.

  Roars of battle instantly engulfed the entire capital, like thunder tearing open the calm sky or a colossal stone crashing into a still pond.

  The ground trembled.

  Hooves thundered, boots pounded, armor clashed—a symphony of war.

  From the battlements, a storm of arrows rained down—countless, dense, and deadly.

  These were no ordinary arrows. They were Spirit-Breaking Arrows, forged by Tantai Mojie at enormous cost, inspired by the strange and unorthodox sects that had pledged themselves to him. Years ago, Tantai He had abolished the Office of Strange Scholars in shame after his pursuit of immortality caused calamity. Now, Tantai Mojie had revived it—but this time, its members studied only bizarre and sinister arts.

  The defending soldiers were all cultivators, the weakest at least at the Body Concealment Realm. Ordinary arrows were useless against them.

  Thus, the Spirit-Breaking Arrows were unleashed.

  After the first volley, the allied side suffered heavy casualties among their stronger warriors.

  Jiang Li hadn’t expected such a weapon. But retreat now would shatter their momentum. Under his direction, ten colossal Blood-God War Formations were summoned into being—towering figures forged from battlefield killing intent and blood qi.

  With a roar, the formations froze the arrow storm in midair.

  Creak—creak—

  The massive city gates slowly opened.

  A flood of soldiers poured out, followed closely by the Black Tortoise Guard.

  Two vast armies charged toward each other across the plain, like white-capped waves rising from opposite ends of a vast sea, colliding with unstoppable force.

  The clash of two destinies.

  …

  Inside the Imperial City, the long streets had been cleared. Civilians hid trembling in their homes, not daring to peek outside or watch the spectacle.

  Who would dare spectate in front of a tyrant? That was courting death.

  So the common folk waited in fearful silence for the outcome.

  A grand procession advanced through the empty streets.

  A luxurious palanquin was carried up to the city walls.

  Attendants bowed low and carefully lifted the curtain.

  Tantai Mojie stepped out, dressed in simple robes, a confident smile on his face.

  He spread his arms. Attendants hurried forward and helped him don gleaming golden armor.

  On the ramparts, several golden-armored guards rushed over and knelt on one knee.

  “Have the three bronze cauldrons containing the sealed divine beasts been retrieved?”

  Tantai Mojie asked calmly.

  The guards’ faces lit with fanatic fervor. They stepped aside, revealing three massive bronze cauldrons placed on the wall.

  Fully armored now, Tantai Mojie strode to the parapet, his crimson cloak billowing behind him.

  He gazed down at the battlefield where the two armies were locked in slaughter, his eyes gleaming.

  “This battle will end everything.”

  A faint, arrogant smile curved his lips.

  Golden blood throbbed in his chest.

  Suddenly, strange knowledge flooded his mind—an ancient formation.

  Tantai Mojie threw back his head and laughed.

  He raised his hand.

  Buzz—

  The three bronze cauldrons, together with the smaller one that had sealed the Cloud Gu Eagle, floated around him.

  Vast spiritual energy surged, transforming into intricate array runes.

  Guided by the runes, the four cauldrons formed a grand formation.

  “This formation shall be called… the Four Dire Beasts Array!”

  Golden light blazed from Tantai Mojie’s eyes.

  In that instant, his divine soul erupted with overwhelming force.

  From the four cauldrons, four dire beasts roared forth, tearing the sky apart with brilliant light.

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  Above the Imperial City, the clouds turned blood-red as thick killing intent spread.

  Leading them was the Cloud Gu Eagle—born in the Ascension Land, terrifyingly powerful, carrying the aura of world-ending destruction.

  The other three were a colossal ox-headed dragon-bodied beast, a gigantic black spider with a thousand eyes, and a purple, ferocious six-tailed civet cat.

  Four apocalyptic beasts loomed over the capital.

  Their roars swept across the battlefield, shaking the heavens.

  Countless citizens stared up in terror, their last spark of resistance extinguished.

  The allied forces also felt the crushing pressure.

  Four Xuan Immortal-level world-destroying beasts—this was a sight beyond imagination. Each one possessed the power to annihilate the entire capital.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  The Immortals of the Five Phoenixes rose into the sky.

  Meng Haoran stepped forward with hands behind his back, his Confucian robe fluttering, walking on waves of righteous qi.

  His eyes burned with spirit as he raised a hand. Before him, vast righteous energy coalesced into a grand essay.

  In it, he listed every atrocity Tantai Mojie had committed, every harm he had inflicted on the world.

  With every word of condemnation, the heavens themselves seemed to respond with lightning and thunder.

  The morale of the dynasty’s army, once soaring, visibly wilted with each crime Meng Haoran recited.

  Tantai Mojie stood on the wall, hands behind his back, utterly disdainful.

  Even if the entire world turned against him, he feared nothing.

  Nie Changqing said nothing. With Dragon-Slayer at his waist, he transformed into a streak of white light and charged straight at the four beasts.

  Having slain the six-armed ape and absorbed a massive share of fortune, Sima Qingshan had already broken through to Xuan Immortal. Nie Changqing and the others had received some fortune too, but not enough to push him across that threshold.

  He felt somewhat humiliated.

  So the moment the beasts appeared, he rushed toward the ox-headed dragon beast without hesitation.

  Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao, Empress Ni Chunchiu, and Young Master Tianxu also charged at the thousand-eyed spider.

  Nie Shuang laughed wildly. With his Saint King Physique, his battle power was now close to Nie Changqing’s. He soared upward and swung a fist that seemed capable of shattering the void, aiming for the purple six-tailed civet.

  Ximen Xianzhi, Luo Mingyue, and the others all joined the fray.

  Even if the beasts didn’t bring world-ending disaster, the immense fortune they carried meant that slaying them would grant a huge reward.

  No Immortal of the Five Phoenixes would sit idly by.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The sky shattered like broken glass. Waves of energy rippled outward, shaking mountains and earth.

  Yet the battle was far harder than expected.

  The four beasts stood in formation, their power greatly amplified. Most crucially, the formation masked all their weaknesses.

  The Five Phoenix Immortals clashed with them and gained no advantage—on the contrary, they suffered heavy losses.

  Nie Changqing staggered back in the air, blood sprayed by the six-tailed civet’s tail.

  Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao, and the others were similarly suppressed.

  Everyone’s expression changed.

  On the city wall, Tantai Mojie stood with complete confidence.

  Indeed, with the four beasts in formation, they were nearly invincible. Unless a Xuan Immortal intervened, no one could defeat them.

  In this era where Xuan Immortals were forbidden to act, he was untouchable.

  In fact, Tantai Mojie even felt a twinge of regret.

  Perhaps he should have gathered all seven dire beasts from the beginning and crushed everything in his path.

  With such power, the Demon Court and rebel alliance would have been nothing.

  “After today, the landscape of the Five Phoenixes will be rewritten…”

  Tantai Mojie stood proudly, golden armor gleaming, ambition blazing.

  He raised a hand and pointed west.

  “The Demon Court dared interfere in my Great Xuan affairs. After this battle, my iron cavalry will trample every inch of their lands and slaughter every living creature!”

  Below, the Demon Court soldiers trembled with rage.

  Tantai Mojie laughed again and pointed east—toward the Heavenly Origin Domain.

  “The powers of Heavenly Origin also dared meddle in my Five Phoenixes. After this war, Martial Emperor City, Qiannu Palace, Absolute Blade Sect, and Heavenly Void Palace will be erased from history!”

  His voice rang with unshakable certainty.

  Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao, and the others fighting the beasts glared coldly.

  Boom!

  One after another, Five Phoenix Immortals were sent flying, coughing blood, crashing into the earth.

  For a moment, the allied momentum collapsed to its lowest point.

  Only Jiang Li’s war formations kept them from total rout.

  Jiang Li’s face was grim. He hadn’t expected the battle to be this difficult.

  This young tyrant was far more formidable than he had imagined.

  On the wall, Tantai Mojie also noticed the war formations.

  He raised a hand and beckoned casually.

  Whoosh—

  Ten golden-armored guards—peak Origin Returning Realm cultivators whose bodies he had forcibly turned into saint-level flesh using his golden blood—shot out like golden swords, charging into the battlefield.

  Jiang Li’s expression grew even more severe.

  The war formations were powerful, but against half-step saints, they were quickly torn apart.

  Soon the battle escalated to the True Immortal level.

  …

  Far away in the Eastern Sea, on the island at the heart of the Origin Lake.

  Lu, who had been lounging lazily, slowly sat up straight.

  His features were as refined as a painting. He stared at the holographic projection above the chessboard—the brutal battle outside the Imperial City.

  Tantai Mojie’s side was indeed overwhelmingly strong.

  Four dire beasts plus ten saint-bodied golden-armored guards created a force the alliance could barely resist.

  Though those guards had lost their chance at true sainthood, to Tantai Mojie they were merely tools. He felt no pity—only joy that they could suppress the rebels.

  Watching the Five Phoenix Immortals struggle, Lu’s brows furrowed slightly.

  One hand propped his chin, the other tapped lightly on the armrest.

  Normally, if the Five Phoenixes faced such overwhelming pressure, Lu would have intervened long ago.

  But this time, he did not.

  He simply watched quietly as the True Immortals bled and fought.

  “The Five Phoenixes have established their immortal martial foundation. The enemies of the future will be far more terrifying. You belong to the Five Phoenixes, and the Five Phoenixes belong to you. You have grown together to this point. Therefore… the trials the Five Phoenixes will face in the future, you must also face. If you wish to reach Xuan Immortal, or even Golden Immortal, or transcend the shackles to become a Great Luo Immortal—you must grow.”

  The appearance of the Imperial Blood was merely a minor calamity.

  From this incident, Lu felt he should be wary of those ancient vanished Emperors.

  Beings who had survived millions of years were never easy to deal with.

  At the same time, Lu also wanted the cultivators of the Five Phoenixes to grow through hardship.

  No rain, no rainbow.

  …

  The storm of war swept across the entire Five Phoenix Continent.

  Every cultivator felt the shift in the heavens and earth. Across every region, they raised their heads, sensing a terrifying aura sweeping over the land.

  In the Southern Domain, atop Stargazing Peak, Daoist Nun Li Sansui slowly opened her eyes. Her once jet-black hair had turned silver-white, flowing like mist.

  Gazing toward the Imperial City, she smiled softly. Her Daoist robe fluttered as clouds surged beneath her, forming a dragon that carried her through the Dragon Gate toward the capital.

  In the Western Domain, in the boundless desert, an ancient temple stood at the center of a newly built city filled with people.

  Inside the temple, Monk Ding Jiudeng slowly opened his eyes. From nothing, he had built an entire Buddhist city in the desert, spreading his own vision of the Dharma.

  His realm had long surpassed the Buddha-realm Venerable who once influenced him.

  Clad in his kasaya, holding his staff, Ding Jiudeng left the temple.

  The little monk had grown into a master who could stand alone.

  His disciples stood on the city walls, watching his figure vanish into the desert haze, palms pressed together, chanting sutras.

  In the Eastern Sea, within an ancient tomb, Lu Changkong paused in the middle of refining a hybrid divine herb. He looked toward the blood-red sky.

  Bu Nanxing looked puzzled. “Old Lu, why stop?”

  Lu Changkong waved a hand. “I’ve been cooped up in this tomb for centuries. Time to stretch my legs. Young man, want to come along?”

  Bu Nanxing shook his head frantically. No way. Outside was too dangerous. The tomb was safest.

  At Nine Phoenix Academy, Bai Qingniao had become even more ethereal, her body wreathed in flames.

  She sat cross-legged, while nine little chicks hopped around her.

  Suddenly, her eyes opened.

  She grabbed Little Phoenix One by the neck and tossed it into the air.

  It transformed into a sky-covering fire phoenix. Bai Qingniao sat on its back and took flight.

  The other eight chicks stared for a moment, then flapped their tiny wings, ran across the courtyard, and transformed into fire phoenixes, soaring after her.

  In the Ascension Land, Tang Guo bid farewell to Lu Jiulian, opened a heavenly gate, and stepped through.

  …

  Outside the Imperial City.

  Ni Yu, with Little Yinglong perched on her head and a black pot on her back, darted through the battlefield, dragging wounded soldiers out of danger one after another.

  Each one she fed a pill she had refined.

  After swallowing, their injuries quickly healed, and without time for thanks, they rushed back into the fight.

  Her greatest concern, however, was the Five Phoenix Immortals battling the four dire beasts.

  Whenever one was struck down coughing blood, Ni Yu sent Little Yinglong flapping over with a pill.

  Without her medicine, the Five Phoenix side might have already collapsed.

  Ni Yu’s small figure ran tirelessly, cheeks flushed, sweat pouring, a heartbreaking sight.

  As she worked, she muttered, “Everyone else is trash. Only Young Master is the real thigh!”

  Boom!

  Suddenly, brilliant light burst from the horizon.

  Li Sansui arrived riding a cloud dragon.

  Bai Qingniao came sideways on her fire phoenix.

  A green dragon tore through the void.

  Lu Changkong stepped across waves, Ding Jiudeng appeared with staff in hand and kasaya flowing.

  One after another, the legendary Immortals of the Five Phoenixes joined the battlefield.

  Tang Guo, Zhao Zixu, and other special-constitution True Immortals, along with countless Human Immortals, arrived at lightning speed.

  The sight was electrifying.

  Nie Changqing and the others felt their blood surge.

  On the city wall, Tantai Mojie narrowed his eyes as more and more Immortals appeared. Rage boiled within him.

  “What does it matter how many come?!”

  With the formation empowering them, the four dire beasts had no weaknesses. Unless a Xuan Immortal acted, no one could defeat them!

  Li Sansui sat cross-legged on the cloud dragon’s back.

  She raised her hands, slender fingers weaving.

  Countless array runes danced around her. A moment later, a gigantic cauldron formed entirely of runes appeared.

  It was the very formation Qi Liujia had once taught her.

  “Six Jia Formation Sect… enters the battle.”

  Li Sansui’s eyes shone.

  She gently tossed the Ten-Thousand Rune Cauldron.

  Boom!

  The massive cauldron crashed down from the sky, instantly becoming enormous and enveloping all four dire beasts.

  In an instant, the “Four Dire Beasts Array” shattered.

  Boom!

  Nie Changqing and the others’ eyes blazed with renewed light. Seizing the moment, they divided the battlefield.

  Without the formation, the beasts were still powerful—but their weaknesses were exposed once more.

  Nie Changqing drew Dragon-Slayer from his waist.

  The blade’s suppressed aura pressed down, causing even the ox-headed dragon beast to feel a strange sense of dread.

  It was a unique suppressive force!

  “Dragon-Slayer!”

  Nie Changqing roared.

  One slash.

  Blood sprayed across the sky as the ox-headed dragon beast suffered a grievous wound.

  The other Five Phoenix Immortals swarmed the injury, raining down blows.

  The beast roared in agony, thrashing and shattering mountains and rivers.

  But in the end… it was slain!

  The thousand-eyed spider was terrifying, its poison the most deadly weapon.

  Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao, Empress Ni Chunchiu, and the others were completely suppressed, even toyed with.

  Lu Changkong rose into the air, hands behind his back, smiling kindly.

  He walked slowly toward the spider.

  The creature, though intelligent, felt a primal fear deep in its soul.

  It tried to flee, but Lu Changkong, curiosity piqued, casually pulled it back.

  Before the stunned eyes of Du Longyang and the others—

  The thousand-eyed spider… was poisoned to death.

  The purple six-tailed civet was surrounded and beaten by Ding Jiudeng and the newly arrived Immortals.

  The Cloud Gu Eagle roared in fury. Bai Qingniao pointed from afar, and heavenly flames erupted. Nine fire phoenixes arrived together, joining the other Immortals to slaughter the eagle.

  Blood seas and fortune surged.

  Explosions of killing intent and baleful qi lit up the sky like dazzling fireworks across the Five Phoenixes.

  One by one, the four dire beasts fell.

  Tantai Mojie’s body trembled slightly as he stared into the sky.

  His eyes were bloodshot, filled with unwillingness and fury.

  Clutching his chest, he coughed up four mouthfuls of blood.