All eyes converged on the figure seated calmly in the heart of the abyss, enthroned upon the Thousand-Blade Chair as though it were a divine seat.

  Dressed in flowing white, his gaze was cold and detached, betraying no excess of emotion.

  Before him hovered ranks of terrifying primordial gods and demons—low-tier and high-tier alike.

  Each one represented an Emperor-realm powerhouse.

  Low-tier gods and demons were comparable to early Emperors; high-tier ones were equivalent to Great Emperors.

  Such a lineup would have struck terror even into the Nine Heavens.

  Yet the atmosphere was strangely subdued.

  All these gods and demons hung motionless in the air like statues, not daring to twitch, as though they had been locked in the gaze of an incomprehensibly ferocious beast—one wrong move and they would be torn apart.

  Lu hovered there in serene calm. He had activated his title: *God and Demon Hunter*.

  A reward granted by the system after completing a special mission.

  At first, Lu had paid it no mind at all. To him, it seemed no more meaningful than the title “Qi Refiner”—just a fancy label.

  But now… he realized it was far more than that.

  Lu’s brow lifted slightly.

  Under the weight of his presence, these gods and demons were reacting as if they had glimpsed something utterly horrifying.

  The effect of the *God and Demon Hunter* title was astonishingly potent.

  It pressed down on every divine being in the sky, freezing them in place like prey caught in a hunter’s sights.

  Everyone around was stunned.

  The sight was simply too overwhelming.

  These were low-tier and high-tier gods and demons—Emperor-realm experts in their own right.

  If they all attacked at once, even Young Master Lu might have been forced to pay a heavy price.

  Yet the reality was the opposite.

  Young Master Lu suffered no harm. Instead, he had single-handedly cowed this entire army of gods and demons.

  The scene was engraved into every mind like an epic tableau.

  “As expected of Young Master Lu… Lord of White Jade Capital, suppressor of gods and demons!”

  “So powerful… so terrifying… just one glance and they don’t dare move forward!”

  “How is this even possible? I swear I can see pure fear in their eyes!”

  The eyes of every Five Phoenix cultivator shone with fervor.

  The Overlord stood drenched in blood, yet his face was alight with exhilaration.

  He had withstood a blow from an Immortal-tier god and demon—and not only survived, but felt himself ascending to a higher level.

  Sure enough, only through taking beatings could he find the sensation of breakthrough.

  Zhu Long closed her eyes, long lashes trembling slightly, two adorable dimples appearing on her cheeks.

  Dad was finally here. It seemed everything had been taken care of.

  As long as Dad was present, no problem was truly a problem!

  She let out a long breath.

  Turning, she looked at the panting little Yinglong behind her and reached out to ruffle his head.

  As expected of the little brother Big Sis favored most!

  Lu Changkong broke into a wide smile. Seeing Lu appear, the heavy stone in his chest finally lifted.

  He had witnessed too many miracles. From its humble beginnings to its current might, Five Phoenixes had grown under Lu’s shadow. Lu Changkong was certain that this Immortal-tier god and demon was about to meet a truly miserable end.

  In the Nine Heavens, vast rifts tore through the void.

  Ancient Great Emperors radiated waves of disbelief.

  Through the reflection in the abyss, they watched an army of gods and demons—beings notorious for their savagery—being held at bay by a single human.

  Even peak Emperors would not inspire fear in these creatures; they would charge fearlessly under the command of an Immortal-tier god and demon.

  Yet now, both low-tier and high-tier gods and demons were paralyzed before Lu Ping’an!

  How could one human be this terrifying?

  What gave him such power over them?

  “There must be some secret on Lu Ping’an that we are unaware of…”

  “Five Phoenixes’ rise to this level is absolutely tied to whatever secret he carries.”

  “Could it be connected to the Primordial Starry Sky? Otherwise, why would these gods and demons fear him? Is Lu Ping’an perhaps the reincarnation of an Immortal-tier—or even higher—god and demon?”

  The divine souls of the ancient Emperors surged and clashed in furious debate.

  Yet none could reach a clear conclusion.

  Even the figure deep within the rift seemed unable to guess.

  One thing was certain: Lu Ping’an carried a monumental secret.

  …

  While the Five Phoenixes side felt a wave of relief, the Immortal-tier god and demon known as Evil Eye—whose eye had nearly been blasted apart by Tang Yimo’s eight-meridian eruption—was consumed by towering rage.

  When he sensed that the low-tier and high-tier gods and demons had halted their assault, his fury only grew more violent.

  “KILL!”

  Strange fluctuations pulsed from Evil Eye, like invisible psychic waves commanding the gods and demons to resume slaughter.

  It seemed his roar had some effect.

  The absolute rank suppression of an Immortal-tier being over lower gods and demons finally overcame the indescribable dread Lu’s presence instilled.

  Sometimes, hierarchy was the most terrifying force of all.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  The low-tier gods and demons surged forward once more.

  But their momentum was feeble, nothing like the ferocious tide that had earlier crashed upon Five Phoenixes.

  Lu sat upon the Thousand-Blade Chair, one hand resting lightly on the armrest, fingers tapping rhythmically.

  The world seemed to fall deathly silent.

  He watched calmly as the gods and demons rushed toward him.

  With a mere thought, the *God and Demon Hunter* title flared again.

  An invisible wave of murderous intent erupted from his body.

  In the eyes of the gods and demons, Lu became increasingly bizarre, increasingly incomprehensible, as though drenched in the blood of their kind.

  One low-tier god and demon that had rushed close suddenly froze, eyes filled with raw terror.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  It was a fear born from the depths of its soul.

  A shrill, panicked scream tore from its throat before it turned and fled in blind panic.

  It was as if its mental defenses had shattered completely.

  And that was only the beginning.

  The first one’s fear spread like contagion to the second, then the third…

  Soon, low-tier gods and demons were retreating in droves.

  The title’s effect was weaker on high-tier gods and demons, however.

  Three of them pressed forward regardless, though their ferocity was noticeably diminished. Deep down, they still feared Lu.

  Three high-tier gods and demons—equivalent to three Great Emperors.

  For the first time, Lu’s gaze sharpened.

  The North Sea Fishing Rod appeared in his hand.

  Gripping it, he lashed out toward the three.

  Crack!

  One god and demon’s armor offered no protection. The North Sea Fishing Rod had been forged specifically to subdue elemental gods and demons—it carried overwhelming suppressive power against their kind.

  It was even easier than when he had fought Fire Spirit Ancient Emperor.

  One lash.

  Blood sprayed.

  A high-tier god and demon split open.

  Its soul was directly shattered by the strike.

  In the void abyss, it exploded into a brilliant, gruesome bloom of blood.

  Under the crushing weight of Lu’s title, the remaining high-tier gods and demons lost all will to fight.

  Just like the low-tier ones, they scrambled backward in terror.

  Evil Eye clearly hadn’t anticipated this outcome.

  So many gods and demons… unable to overcome one human.

  Blood still dripped from his eye, though his Immortal-tier regeneration was already repairing the damage at incredible speed.

  His rage was incandescent.

  To be wounded by an ant he hadn’t even taken seriously—this was unbearable humiliation!

  With a roar, he opened his eye once more.

  But the strange black beam that had always dominated lower gods and demons failed completely.

  It was as though the human’s pressure was even more terrifying.

  How could this be?!

  Evil Eye was momentarily stunned.

  For the first time, he truly looked at Lu.

  And in that instant, his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

  From Lu emanated a faint, indescribable aura of oppression—one that sent primal fear crawling up from the depths of his being.

  A fear without name, without origin.

  A god and demon… afraid of a mere human?

  This was utterly incomprehensible!

  Lu raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

  He could sense that while the title still affected an Immortal-tier being, its power was negligible.

  Behind Evil Eye, the passage from the Primordial Starry Sky to Five Phoenixes raged with wild winds.

  Gods and demons were desperately trying to flee through it.

  But each one carried immense destiny—enough to allow a Half-step Golden Immortal of Five Phoenixes to break through, enough to nurture one or even several Golden Immortals.

  How could Lu possibly let such treasures escape?

  He raised a hand.

  The Eight Trigrams formation surged.

  The passage mouth was sealed shut by overwhelming force.

  Gods and demons crashed against it like flies against a wall, unable to break through.

  Their escape route… had been cut off.

  “Since you’ve come, you might as well stay.”

  “Leave something behind, at least.”

  Lu spoke calmly.

  Then his gaze shifted to Evil Eye.

  “Bullying my Five Phoenixes comes at a price… People like you in the past? Their graves are already three feet high with grass… Wait, no, most of them don’t even have graves—just scattered bones.”

  Lu paused, realizing the metaphor didn’t quite fit, then corrected himself.

  He wasted no more words.

  The fishing rod lashed out once more!

  Crack!

  Space shattered inch by inch.

  Evil Eye’s gaze flared with murderous light.

  There was something uncanny about this human.

  But Evil Eye felt no fear—because Lu’s aura had not reached Immortal-tier.

  A non-Immortal-tier dared to provoke him?

  Being wounded by the ant Tang Yimo was already shameful enough.

  He would not suffer a second humiliation!

  One massive arm swept out, aiming to seize the North Sea Fishing Rod.

  Crack!

  The rod struck his arm.

  A searing pain exploded through him, forcing Evil Eye’s eye to contract sharply. His fanged maw twitched uncontrollably.

  Reflexively, his arm jerked back.

  He looked exactly like a naughty student whipped by a teacher’s rod.

  The North Sea Fishing Rod carried a unique power that suppressed gods and demons.

  Crack! Crack! Crack!

  Lu lashed out again and again.

  Each strike tore open space.

  Evil Eye’s colossal body split and bled.

  An Immortal-tier god and demon was utterly unable to resist.

  His strength, comparable to a peak Emperor, could barely manifest the power of a high-tier god and demon in Lu’s presence.

  Whip marks crisscrossed his body.

  His appearance was wretched beyond description.

  And that massive Evil Eye?

  Lu had lashed a giant “×” across it.

  The eye that had just regenerated was blasted open again!

  Blood sprayed through the abyss.

  Roar!

  Evil Eye let out a howl of pain and unwillingness.

  This world… was nothing like he had imagined!

  Why did this human possess a treasure specifically designed to counter gods and demons?!

  Who was he?

  Who the hell was he?!

  Evil Eye unleashed a full-powered psychic shockwave from his eye.

  This was his all-out attack. He understood that against this human, he might very well perish—so he staked everything on this one blow.

  The shockwave ripped space apart, tearing a pitch-black rift across the void.

  Yet it failed to touch Lu’s body.

  Lu’s form shimmered like an illusion in the emptiness, flickering through countless afterimages before reappearing inches from Evil Eye’s enormous pupil.

  He put away the North Sea Fishing Rod.

  Slowly, he brought his palms together.

  His legs straightened.

  His body rose gently from the Thousand-Blade Chair.

  White robes turned black.

  Black robes turned gold.

  The Golden-Element Immortal Demon Body erupted.

  Like a blazing sun undergoing violent transformation!

  Blindingly radiant!

  “Is this where you were hurt?”

  Golden-haired Lu spoke softly, pointing at the massive eye.

  The spot Tang Yimo had nearly shattered with his eight-meridian strike—though healed, it was still fragile.

  Lu smiled.

  He would strike exactly where it hurt.

  Evil Eye locked onto him.

  A chill enveloped his entire being.

  He kept retreating.

  As though facing an endless nightmare.

  Lu was unhurried.

  Evil Eye retreated; Lu drifted forward, slow and steady.

  Boom!

  Evil Eye’s back slammed into the sealed passage.

  No more retreat!

  The surrounding gods and demons scattered in terror, fleeing the clash of their auras.

  Evil Eye desperately tried to force his way through the passage.

  This world… was abnormal!

  Or rather, this human was abnormal.

  Though the Heavenly Dao of this realm was irresistibly attractive, he wasn’t stupid.

  Only by surviving could he have the last laugh.

  Lu slowly raised his hand.

  The power of the Golden-Element Immortal Demon Body surged.

  His gaze gradually emptied of all emotion.

  Just as Tang Yimo and the others had burned their lives to protect Five Phoenixes—because Five Phoenixes was their home, the place where their dreams began—so too would Lu guard it with everything he had.

  Perhaps the old Lu had only come to this world for amusement.

  But watching Five Phoenixes rise from weak low-martial to the current immortal-martial era, he realized it had been etched into his very soul.

  It had become something sacred, untouchable.

  And if anyone dared invade it—they would be crushed!

  Boom!

  Lu threw a punch.

  It struck Evil Eye’s pupil dead-center.

  After being tempered by purple qi in the Origin Space, Lu’s strength was absolutely comparable to a peak Emperor.

  This punch was unstoppable.

  Evil Eye’s eye exploded in a cataclysmic blast!

  This strike was even stronger than Tang Yimo’s eight-meridian eruption!

  Boom!

  Terrifying energy waves surged through the abyss like a tsunami.

  Brilliant light pierced heaven and earth.

  The fist’s momentum tore through the sealed passage, blasting out from the back of Evil Eye’s head, shattering the connection to the Primordial Starry Sky and sending shockwaves rippling far into the distance.

  When the dust finally settled and the light faded,

  Lu had returned to the Thousand-Blade Chair, calmly regarding the ruined corpse of Evil Eye—his eye now pierced by a gaping hole.

  Evil Eye had fallen.

  Lu’s punch had obliterated his soul.

  An Immortal-tier god and demon had been reduced to a lifeless husk, slumped helplessly at the passage mouth.

  His overwhelming aura dissipated completely.

  The surrounding gods and demons trembled in abject fear.

  More than a dozen low-tier and several high-tier gods and demons stared at Lu with eyes full of dread.

  “Don’t be afraid. You still have some use.”

  Lu glanced at them and spoke lightly.

  Yet his words only made them feel colder.

  Some gods and demons even began to think death might be preferable.

  With Evil Eye dealt with,

  Lu waved a hand, collecting the colossal corpse of the Immortal-tier god and demon.

  He cast another formation, sealing the passage once more.

  For the time being, no more powerful gods and demons would be able to invade.

  Behind him, the Five Phoenixes cultivators erupted in ecstatic cheers.

  It was over!

  The life-or-death crisis that had weighed on every heart had finally ended!

  Lu glanced at the crowd and gave a faint smile.

  “This is not the end. It is only the beginning.”

  His words caused Tantai Xuan, Mi Jia, Lu Jiulian, and the others to stiffen.

  They seemed to realize something and turned their gazes toward the direction of the Nine Heavens.

  Invisibly, it felt as though the ancient Emperors beyond the rift were also watching Five Phoenixes.

  The gazes of Five Phoenixes Golden Immortals and Nine Heavens ancient Emperors collided across the void, sparking invisible thunder.

  “Indeed… everything is only just beginning.”

  “This passage was opened by the ancient Emperors of the Nine Heavens. This grudge… we will never forget.”

  Tantai Xuan gripped the Book of Life and Death, his gaze icy.

  The gods and demons who had brought Five Phoenixes to the brink of destruction deserved death.

  But the true masterminds hiding in the shadows, orchestrating this invasion—they too would pay!

  Debts must be settled clearly.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Powerful divine senses swept out.

  In an instant, all Five Phoenixes cultivators were teleported out of the void abyss.

  Lu raised his hand and laid down formations.

  The Eight Trigrams platform flashed and suppressed the abyss, completely sealing it.

  Roar!

  Within the abyss, gods and demons howled in fury, eyes blood-red.

  Thunder chains descended from the Eight Trigrams formation, binding and imprisoning them.

  The abyss had become a prison.

  Lu treated them like tools.

  His movements were eerily practiced—as though he had done this before, back when he sealed saintly sons and daughters in the ice tower.

  Only this time, the prisoners were far more powerful gods and demons.

  “There aren’t many of them, but each one represents an invasion of Five Phoenixes, carrying immense destiny. So these cleaned-up gods and demons must not be wasted. If any Half-step Golden Immortal wishes to break through, come to the abyss in groups. Slay one low-tier god and demon, and you’ll have enough destiny to advance…”

  “For those seeking Sixth Revolution Golden Immortal, seek out high-tier gods and demons.”

  “These are gifts the ancient Emperors of the Nine Heavens have personally delivered to us.”

  Lu’s voice spread, instantly energizing the Five Phoenixes cultivators.

  Many Profound Immortals even shivered with excitement.

  As expected of Young Master Lu—his mastery of turning enemies into tools was truly unparalleled!

  Meanwhile, the imprisoned gods and demons roared in outrage…

  Lu’s words sent chills down their spines while simultaneously fueling their fury.

  Sure enough…

  The ancient Emperors of the Nine Heavens were in league with this devil!

  They had been betrayed!

  Lu didn’t particularly care what the gods and demons thought. He was just having a little fun messing with their minds. After all… it cost him nothing.

  Having finished his instructions,

  Lu settled back onto the Thousand-Blade Chair, lifted his head, and gazed toward the Nine Heavens.

  As though sensing the invisible stares upon him, the corners of his mouth curved slightly. His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.

  “No rush. Once Five Phoenixes completes its transformation into the Immortal-Martial Era…”

  “Then we’ll settle the accounts.”

  At that moment,

  A system prompt finally appeared before Lu’s eyes, slowly emerging after the threat of Evil Eye had been eliminated.