The uproar finally came to an end.

  The greatest victor was, without question, the Five Phoenixes.

  The lower three heavens, the upper-realm holy clans, and countless other powerhouses fell silent.

  No one had expected such an outcome. The return of an Ancient Emperor avatar should have been a grand, earth-shaking event.

  Yet…

  That avatar had been brutally tormented in the Five Phoenixes and ultimately crushed to death by a young girl.

  The moment the imperial blood burst, everyone shivered. Their fear of the Five Phoenixes deepened.

  The Five Phoenixes of today were no longer the world that could be casually crushed by a single Immortal from the upper realms.

  Beneath the Heavenly Spirit Continent, they were now the strongest high-martial world!

  The second greatest high-martial power in the nine heavens!

  After the turmoil caused by the imperial blood, the Five Phoenixes not only emerged unscathed but gave birth to eight Xuan Immortals—equivalent to eight Saints, comparable to a million years of accumulation by a saint ancestor.

  Thus, every force in the nine heavens now regarded the Five Phoenixes with awe.

  Even though the ancient Emperor rules that once blanketed Void Heaven had vanished.

  …

  On the Five Phoenix Continent.

  Atop the white-jade pavilion.

  Lu leaned back, watching the aftermath of the battle. He had barely intervened, which pleased him greatly. Unknowingly, the many powerhouses of the Five Phoenixes had grown to the point where they could stand alone.

  With the Heavenly Dao’s blessing, Zhu Long had reached Quasi-Emperor strength.

  At the very least, the Ancient Emperor avatar had been utterly dominated—no match at all.

  The Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao had now refined hundreds of thousands of Dao Essence strands.

  So much Dao Essence, channeled through the Heavenly Dao into Zhu Long, allowing her to erupt with Quasi-Emperor power—it was no surprise to Lu.

  In fact, he even felt it was a little weak.

  After all, Zhu Long empowered by the Heavenly Dao was essentially bearing the entire Five Phoenixes on her back.

  In other words, the Ancient Emperor avatar had been fighting against the accumulated might of the whole Five Phoenixes. Being crushed was only natural.

  With the matter settled, everyone dispersed.

  Lu Jiulian took Tang Guo and returned to the Ascension Land.

  Overlord went back to the Western Domain, where Luo Mingsang had been waiting patiently.

  Tang Yimo secluded himself in the Southern Domain, digging into the limits of the human body, determined to perfect the Eight Meridians Escape Armor Demonic Art.

  Lu Changkong returned to his ancient tomb to continue his hybrid divine herb experiments.

  Before leaving, he took the massive thousand-eyed spider corpse with him.

  Its venom was mildly poisonous—perfect for cultivating some highly lethal poisons.

  Sima Qingshan returned to the Painting Sect. His advancement to Xuan Immortal brought fortune to the entire sect.

  Many disciples broke through in cultivation, overjoyed.

  In the sect’s pavilions, An Miaoyu gazed into the distance.

  Seeing Sima Qingshan return safely, she let out a relieved breath and smiled sweetly.

  Kong Nanfei led his Confucian scholars back to the northern snowfields, where his Vast Righteousness Sect resided—refining a breath of vast righteousness.

  Bai Qingniao and Jiang Li exchanged a nod before parting ways. She returned to her small courtyard to study the Nine Phoenixes Transformation.

  Everything in the Five Phoenixes returned to its former rhythm, as though the chaos had never happened.

  The Five Phoenix Immortals dispersed, each returning to their own cultivation grounds.

  Zhu Long went back to Buzhou Peak.

  She immediately entered the Origin Space to swallow and refine the Heavenly Dao. Perhaps having tasted the power of the Dao’s blessing, she had become somewhat addicted to that strength.

  Everything returned to normal—for the Five Phoenix Immortals.

  For the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty, however, the real storm was only beginning.

  Great Xuan Calendar, Year 650.

  With the tyrant Tantai Mojie dead, the Five Phoenixes plunged into endless turmoil. The dynasty’s fortune collapsed. Forces rose everywhere across the land.

  Though the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty had not yet fallen, it existed only in name—its rule over the regions shattered.

  Rebel armies fragmented, warring endlessly against one another.

  They carved out territories and declared themselves kings, causing the dynasty’s dominion to crumble further.

  The smoke of war spread across the entire Five Phoenix Continent.

  Worse still—

  With Tantai Mojie’s death, the tacit alliance between the Demon Court army and the rebel forces collapsed. They turned on each other.

  The reason was simple: the rebels coveted the demon crystals of the demon race and launched an attack.

  The Demon Court was naturally furious. They had helped overthrow the tyrant, only for the humans to betray them and try to seize their crystals.

  How could they endure? War erupted. After fierce fighting, they seized vast territories northwest of the Imperial City.

  The Tianhan Pass, which had guarded the border for centuries, fell to the Demon Court.

  The age of chaos had arrived.

  Smoke and fire spread without end.

  …

  On the island in the heart of Origin Lake.

  Lu sat in the white-jade pavilion, setting up a chessboard. The pieces reflected the myriad states of the world.

  The chaos across the Five Phoenixes appeared on the board.

  The world was in turmoil because human fortune had shattered.

  Lu did not intervene for now. At his current level, he would not personally handle many matters. The Five Phoenixes was a world—it needed its own natural development.

  Still, the scattering of fortune would bring many troubles—troubles that would soon manifest among the people.

  As for the disappearance of Void Heaven’s rules, Lu was unconcerned.

  With the Five Phoenixes’ current strength, they feared no one—even without the rules.

  When one’s power was sufficient, one’s confidence was absolute!

  Who among the saint ancestors of the nine heavens dared invade the Five Phoenixes?

  If they dared, they would die!

  Unless the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor descended—but whether the rules existed or not made little difference to a true Ancient Emperor.

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  Thus, Lu was completely at ease. The mysterious entities beyond the Void Heaven rift had removed the rules in an attempt to intimidate the Five Phoenixes. He scoffed at the notion.

  Thinking too highly of themselves.

  Boom!

  Suddenly, waves surged across the sea.

  A streak of light flew in. A massive coffin was carried ashore by the tide.

  Gu Mangran sat up from the coffin, looking at Lu with a complicated expression.

  “General Gu, what brings you here?”

  Lu held a chess piece, pondering his next move. Seeing Gu Mangran, he smiled and asked.

  “When the Ancient Emperor’s blood entered the Five Phoenixes, I failed to detect it. Because of my negligence, such a great calamity nearly befell the Five Phoenixes.”

  Gu Mangran spoke, voice tinged with guilt.

  “No matter. For the Five Phoenixes, though it was a disaster, it was also a grand opportunity.”

  Lu waved a hand dismissively.

  Gu Mangran looked at the increasingly unfathomable Lu, his expression growing even more complex.

  “Young Master Lu, when the Ancient Emperor avatar descended, I kept thinking about one question.”

  “Go on.”

  Lu raised a brow curiously, shifting his gaze from the board to Gu Mangran.

  “This time it was only an avatar. What if next time a true Ancient Emperor descends?”

  “And if that Ancient Emperor is the one I once served—Emperor Hao—what then?”

  “If Emperor Hao stands against the Five Phoenixes… what should I do?”

  Gu Mangran took a deep breath.

  The question caught Lu slightly off guard.

  “General Gu, follow your heart… do as your heart dictates.”

  Lu said calmly.

  “Everyone lives for themselves. What matters most is what lies within your heart…”

  “No one can replace your inner thoughts, for they are the proof of your own existence.”

  Snap.

  Lu placed the piece.

  A strange aura emanated from the board.

  Gu Mangran fell into thought, then smiled in relief.

  He bowed to Lu and left the island without lingering.

  Lu glanced at his departing figure but said nothing.

  He didn’t know what Gu Mangran was thinking, nor did he need to.

  Everyone had the right to choose, the right to decide.

  Not long after Gu Mangran left,

  Lu looked up in surprise.

  A figure was walking slowly across the waves.

  Soon, the figure reached White Jade Capital and ascended the island.

  “Hall Master Micah.”

  Lu was genuinely astonished.

  He knew Micah had left an avatar in the Five Phoenixes and had not exposed it—yet he never expected Micah’s avatar to come in person.

  “Young Master Lu.”

  Micah bowed.

  This avatar possessed Saint-level strength—though among the weakest Saints.

  “I came today to deliver a message to Young Master Lu.”

  “With Void Heaven’s rules gone, the upper-realm holy clans have entered the Holy Hall in person, requesting the Hall to attack the Five Phoenixes.”

  “But Young Master Lu need not worry. With me presiding over the Hall, no action will be taken against the Five Phoenixes.”

  “However, the disappearance of Void Heaven’s rules is a grave matter. It has already drawn the attention of the nine heavens’ Heavenly Dao and the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor.”

  “If the Emperor and the Heavenly Dao return, I will do my utmost to shield the Five Phoenixes, but I cannot guarantee complete success. Therefore, Young Master Lu must prepare for possible investigation by the nine heavens’ Heavenly Dao and the Ancient Emperor.”

  Lu narrowed his eyes at Micah’s words.

  He hadn’t expected Micah to personally deliver such information. He had no reason to doubt its truth.

  Micah genuinely wished to break through his own shackles and saw the Five Phoenixes as his chance.

  Thus, he spared no effort to help them.

  “May I ask—do you know why the nine heavens’ Heavenly Dao and the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor are absent from the first heaven?”

  Lu asked curiously.

  Micah shook his head. “I do not know. The Emperor has never spoken of it.”

  Lu clicked his tongue, feeling a touch of regret.

  He said nothing more.

  Micah bowed and departed, vanishing into the misty sea.

  He had come solely to warn Lu and urge him to prepare.

  The pavilion fell quiet once more.

  Lu tapped lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair.

  Then, with a thought,

  His divine soul surged outward. The time array that had been paused during the war began to operate again.

  The sundial floated, absorbing vast amounts of divine soul energy.

  With more Dao Essence refined, the Five Phoenix Continent grew stronger and could now bear a faster flow of time.

  Thus, Lu planned to gradually increase the time acceleration.

  The Five Phoenixes needed time above all else.

  The sundial shimmered—this was the modified “临” (Arrival) rune array.

  Lu placed piece after piece on the board.

  With each move, the scenes before him flickered faster and faster, dizzying to the eye.

  His divine soul was devoured like a whale swallowing the sea.

  “Two hundred to one… five hundred to one… one thousand to one!”

  Golden light flickered in Lu’s eyes as he controlled the time flow.

  Boom!

  Countless rays of light poured from the sundial.

  Finally, Lu stabilized the time ratio at one thousand to one.

  This speed was perfect for the current Five Phoenixes—it would not crush the living beings under accelerated time.

  Of course, maintaining such a massive drain placed enormous strain on his divine soul.

  Every moment left Lu somewhat weary, lacking in spirit.

  But for the entire Five Phoenixes, the effect was immense.

  Previously, one year outside equaled one hundred years inside.

  Now, one year outside equaled one thousand years inside.

  Ten times the speed—enough to greatly accelerate the Five Phoenixes’ development and the Heavenly Dao’s refinement of Dao Essence.

  Though Lu spoke casually, the pressure from the entities beyond the Void Heaven rift was real.

  If those beings truly were Ancient Emperors—a group of them uniting against the Five Phoenixes—

  It could be a catastrophe of unimaginable scale.

  …

  In the Underworld.

  Tantai Xuan returned on the Hell Hound.

  Yet he felt no joy—his brows were tightly knit.

  Lu had given him a chance: one hundred years to regather the scattered human fortune.

  It was no easy task.

  But Tantai Xuan had to try.

  If he did not, there might never be another Human Emperor in the world.

  He could see the endless wars raging across the Five Phoenix mortal realm—flames spreading, lives extinguished.

  The Underworld received souls every moment.

  The world was in chaos. More lives were lost now than during Tantai Mojie’s reign of terror.

  Regathering human fortune was far harder than he had imagined.

  “What should I do?”

  In the Tenth Hall, Tantai Xuan fell deep into thought.

  Eventually, he realized thinking alone was useless. He needed to act.

  He left the Underworld, transforming into an old man.

  He walked through the war-torn, warlord-divided continent.

  He saved common folk, gathered fortune, hoping to slowly collect and organize the scattered, chaotic human fortune.

  In the process, he also sought a virtuous successor—someone to become the new Human Emperor.

  But he soon realized he was wrong.

  He traveled the entire Five Phoenix Continent, yet fortune could not be gathered.

  It was like picking up sesame seeds while losing the watermelon. As soon as he gathered one area, the fortune he had collected elsewhere began to collapse.

  Worse—he could find no virtuous person in this chaotic age.

  Almost everyone had been corrupted by the shattered human fortune. Environment shaped character. Kindness vanished; evil reigned.

  The gap between rich and poor widened. The wealthy lived in extravagance and debauchery.

  The poor became selfish, thieving, and ruthless.

  Order collapsed. Decorum and music disappeared.

  Walking through such a world, Tantai Xuan’s heart suffered a violent shock.

  He finally understood why Young Master Lu wanted to abolish the Human Emperor.

  A ruler without virtue had brought such terrible consequences to the Five Phoenix Continent.

  Those above set the example; those below followed.

  It had influenced countless common people.

  Even Tantai Xuan began to doubt whether reestablishing the Human Emperor was right.

  The cultivators who had once planned to spread their teachings to gather fortune now sealed their mountains.

  This mortal realm was no longer worth lingering in.

  It might even taint their sects’ fortune.

  For ten years, Tantai Xuan traveled the mortal world.

  His heart gradually sank into despair.

  The cultivation world and the mortal world completely separated. Spreading cultivation methods to this generation of mortals would only bring disaster.

  On the island in Origin Lake.

  Lu naturally observed Tantai Xuan’s actions.

  His expression was complex.

  In truth, if not for the bet with Tantai Xuan, Lu would have already begun addressing these matters.

  Because of the ruler’s lack of virtue and the collapse of fortune, this era had become the darkest in history.

  Lu already had a solution in mind.

  But…

  Tantai Xuan had come to him, so Lu held off on his plan.

  He wanted to see what Tantai Xuan would do.

  Clearly, even the first Human Emperor could not change this era.

  He persuaded people to be kind—yet the moment they turned away, they were corrupted by evil.

  Wrapped in black robes, Tantai Xuan could no longer bear the foul air of the mortal world.

  He left the desert, walking through endless dunes. The vast yellow sands finally calmed his heart.

  He came upon an ancient temple.

  A Buddhist city stood there—every resident practiced Buddhism.

  Ding Jiudeng sensed Tantai Xuan’s arrival and personally came out to greet him.

  “Amitabha. The King of the Underworld visits—forgive this poor monk for not welcoming you from afar.”

  Ding Jiudeng smiled.

  He respected Tantai Xuan deeply.

  In life, he had been the Human Emperor who ushered in the Great Xuan golden age.

  In death, he became the King of the Underworld, creating the cycle of reincarnation so souls could rest.

  What merit—what could he not respect?

  Ding Jiudeng had reached True Immortal level. He had fought in the crusade against the tyrant.

  The two walked through the endless yellow sands—both top-tier cultivators, unaffected by the harsh environment.

  They spoke of many things.

  When Tantai Xuan asked why the Buddhist city had closed its gates and ceased accepting common folk, Ding Jiudeng shook his head.

  “Now, many cultivation sects have sealed their mountains, cutting all contact with the mortal world. Because the Human Emperor lacked virtue, human fortune has shattered and cannot gather. People pursue their six desires by any means.”

  “This is a dark age.”

  Ding Jiudeng sighed.

  Tantai Xuan fell silent. Fortune required qi—collective qi from all people. When qi gathered, fortune formed.

  But in this dark age, people’s qi was turbid, drowned in six desires. No matter how hard Tantai Xuan tried, he could not gather human fortune. Even if he gathered some and changed a few, the majority would still be assimilated by the era.

  After talking much with Ding Jiudeng, Tantai Xuan refused to believe the age could not be changed.

  He bade farewell and reentered the world.

  Wherever he went, he saw endless war—countless dead, corpses strewn across the land.

  Villages burned and plundered, roads lined with frozen bones.

  He had once thought the demon race caused the chaos.

  He traveled north to the border cities built by the demons.

  Yet he found the demon army firmly shut their gates, making no move to invade the mortal realm.

  They even feared their own fortune would be tainted.

  Tantai Xuan gave a bitter, self-mocking smile.

  Standing beneath the demon city walls.

  He looked back.

  Across the mortal land, smoke rose everywhere. War spread like wildfire. Filth blanketed the earth.

  Finally, Tantai Xuan had to admit: in this dark age, he could not gather human fortune.

  “To hell with this dark age.”

  Tantai Xuan cursed furiously.

  Boom!

  On this day, he no longer concealed his aura. His Xuan Immortal power erupted fully.

  The world trembled.

  Countless cultivators emerged from their sealed mountains to watch.

  They did not understand what Tantai Xuan intended.

  Overlord, Tang Yimo, and the others were stunned.

  Tantai Xuan threw back his head and laughed madly.

  Floating in the void, he summoned endless karmic power, forming a book.

  Flipping through it, he located all the newborn infants.

  Infants were innocent—untouched by this dark age.

  He gathered them together.

  Then.

  He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

  Boom!

  The void shattered. A colossal rift tore across the sky.

  The Hell Hound’s head burst forth.

  The rift widened.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The raging waters of the Bitter Sea poured from the Underworld into the mortal realm.

  In an instant, they became a great flood, swallowing everything.

  Tantai Xuan had made his choice.

  Since he could not change this age, he would destroy it.

  What did it matter if he was stained with sin?

  When the mountain flowers bloomed again, he would create a new golden age.