Lu placed a piece on the chessboard.

  It was as if a butterfly had flapped its wings, setting off a cataclysmic storm across all of Five Phoenixes Continent.

  A suffocating pressure, like the prelude to an avalanche or a tsunami, descended without warning upon the entire world.

  Lu made no preparations. He simply unleashed the “Voice of the Quasi-Saint,” using the Six Paths Immortal as its vessel, revealing it directly to the eyes of the world.

  Just as when the Sermon Platform first appeared, it drew in those with affinity without any prior sign.

  This was an opportunity. Those who understood recognized it; those who didn’t were simply not fated.

  Boom!

  In that instant, Five Phoenixes Continent underwent an earth-shaking transformation.

  Even ordinary mortals instinctively looked up, for above the firmament, a colossal figure had appeared—like a deity descending from the heavens.

  Towering, divine, blotting out the sky.

  As if a single palm could cover the sun, moon, and stars.

  As if a single breath could shatter the primal chaos of heaven and earth!

  What kind of existence was this?

  The oppressive aura radiating from it filled everyone with terror and a chill down the spine.

  The figure’s face was indistinct, yet an ethereal presence permeated the world, making hearts race and bodies tremble.

  “This… this is a supreme immortal!”

  The common folk could only cry out in awe.

  In their eyes, such power could only belong to lofty immortals, beings of boundless divine ability.

  For cultivators, however, it was sheer dread.

  This power… this aura…

  Even Profound Immortals couldn’t achieve something like this, could they?

  Which Golden Immortal overlord had manifested in the world?

  Yet for ordinary cultivators below the Human Immortal realm, a Profound Immortal was already an untouchable existence.

  On Five Phoenixes Continent, however,

  Gu Mangran, who had only just become a Golden Immortal, stared with an expression of utter disbelief.

  “Golden Immortal?”

  He himself was a Golden Immortal—freshly ascended, hot off the tribulation.

  Yet before this figure, even a Golden Immortal felt like a child, without the courage to even raise a fist, as if he might kneel at any moment.

  What kind of terrifying existence still hid within Five Phoenixes?

  How many more secrets did Five Phoenixes conceal?!

  Gu Mangran’s heart erupted like a volcano.

  Even a peak Emperor might only reach this level!

  Meanwhile, Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor, who had only just returned to the Yu King’s Manor, looked up in stunned silence.

  He had reincarnated into Five Phoenixes, confident he could see through everything.

  The strongest in Five Phoenixes was that enigmatic White Jade Capital’s Lu Ping’an—the man who loved toying with his psyche.

  Beyond him, the number of Golden Immortals and Profound Immortals was slowly growing. That was the extent of Five Phoenixes’ power—enough to rival the Nine Heavens, but surpassing them would be difficult.

  In the void rifts of the Nine Heavens, numerous ancient Great Emperors gathered, each equivalent to a Sixth Revolution Golden Immortal.

  Thus…

  There was still a gap between Five Phoenixes and the Nine Heavens.

  Especially in top-tier combat power.

  Moreover, did Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor truly believe the Nine Heavens had only one peak Emperor—Ancient Emperor Hao?

  The Nine Heavens had once been glorious. If not for the brutal invasion of gods and demons from the Primordial Starry Sky, they might have achieved a qualitative transcendence.

  In that era, the Nine Heavens had many peak Emperors.

  Each one had dominated their age.

  In those days, countless peerless peak Emperors had fought bloody battles against the gods and demons of the Primordial Starry Sky, forging a defensive line with their flesh and blood, preserving a golden age for the Nine Heavens.

  Yet some peerless peak Emperors had ventured far into the Primordial Starry Sky.

  Others might even still be hiding deep within the rifts.

  Thus, Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor had always judged the Nine Heavens to be stronger than it appeared.

  But now, with the emergence of this figure, he realized his understanding of Five Phoenixes had been gravely mistaken.

  Had Five Phoenixes truly risen this far on its own?

  Or was this the limit of Five Phoenixes?

  Was Lu Ping’an’s peerless elegance, his world-shaking charisma, truly all his own doing?

  Perhaps behind Lu Ping’an—behind Five Phoenixes—stood an even more terrifying existence.

  And now, that existence had revealed itself!

  “This person has surpassed even peak Emperors!”

  Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor’s body trembled.

  He was supposed to be teaching the little princess swordplay, yet his sword-holding hand shook uncontrollably.

  For a supreme sword cultivator, this was unthinkable—proof of how violently this shook his heart.

  He hurriedly restrained his aura, not daring to leak even a trace.

  If such a colossal being discovered he was an ancient Great Emperor of the Nine Heavens, it might descend with overwhelming might and obliterate him.

  In an instant, Five Phoenixes once again became shrouded in a thick, mysterious veil for Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor.

  …

  Origin Lake, Heart Island.

  Lu was quite pleased with the world’s shock.

  The Six Paths Immortal making its grand appearance this way fit perfectly with the mystique it had carried in the Sermon Platform.

  Nowadays, many in Five Phoenixes knew of the Sermon Platform. Seeing the Six Paths Immortal step from the platform world into reality would surely deliver a powerful psychological blow.

  A gentle breeze blew.

  In the purple bamboo grove, leaves rustled softly.

  A peach petal drifted over, spun in the wind, and finally settled on the chessboard.

  In the distance, the sky-facing chrysanthemums bloomed brilliantly, swaying in the breeze.

  Lu smiled faintly, held a piece, and slowly placed it.

  The Voice of the Quasi-Saint—unleashed.

  Buzz buzz buzz…

  …

  When the colossal figure opened its mouth, it seemed to chant sacred verses, immortal melodies swirling, as though the ultimate truths of heaven and earth were being expounded, the Great Dao roaring!

  A resounding phoenix cry echoed.

  In that moment, the Origin Universe suddenly manifested, overlapping with the entire starry sky of Five Phoenixes.

  Every living being felt as though they had been placed within the Origin Universe.

  They glimpsed the profound truths of heaven and earth, beheld the essence of the origin!

  In that instant, everyone felt their pores tighten!

  “What… what is this?”

  “What is this sound? Why do I feel like I’m about to have an enlightenment?”

  “Is this a heavenly deity?!”

  Mortals cried out in astonishment; cultivators knelt upon the ground.

  Even Profound Immortals and Golden Immortals suffered immense impact on their hearts.

  In the void abyss,

  Tantai Xuan, Mi Jia, Lu Jiulian, and others paled dramatically upon hearing the profound truths.

  “This chanting contains the ultimate principles of heaven and earth! It can help one break through realms, achieve enlightenment, attain sudden insight!”

  “This is a supreme opportunity!”

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  “This voice… covers the entire Five Phoenixes Continent!”

  Tang Yimo, the Overlord, Bai Qingniao, and others who had once entered the Sermon Platform showed expressions of disbelief.

  Yet they accepted the scene more readily than those who were unaware.

  “This is fortune!”

  Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

  Figures shot outward, as if piercing through space.

  They wanted to rush back to Five Phoenixes.

  But it was too late.

  The moment they reached the outskirts of Five Phoenixes Continent, the Voice of the Quasi-Saint resounded. They hurriedly sat cross-legged in the starry sky.

  They began to listen to the Voice of the Quasi-Saint, to that sound that reached straight into the depths of their souls.

  Even Zhu Long sat cross-legged, her lashes trembling slightly, listening to the mysterious existence’s chanting.

  Though she vaguely felt the figure resembled her dad a little.

  …

  The earth bloomed. Tender green shoots of life broke through the soil, swaying as they grew, filled with longing for the world.

  Farmers tilling the fields looked up at the sky. A profound sound enveloped heaven and earth.

  In an instant, the ailments in their bodies melted away like ice under the chanting.

  Mountain woodcutters, axe in hand, paused mid-swing. Listening to the Voice of the Quasi-Saint, they knelt piously, and naturally, qi cyclones formed within their bodies—they could now cultivate.

  In that moment, all of Five Phoenixes was enveloped in the Voice of the Quasi-Saint, undergoing an indescribable transformation.

  Wild beasts running through the forests halted, ears twitching, listening to the Voice and the truths of heaven and earth.

  They received a baptism of life, gaining spiritual wisdom.

  In waterfalls and mountain groves, spirit creatures wept, gaining a thousand years of cultivation from a single sound.

  Cultivators received even greater benefits.

  Many fell into sudden enlightenment. Long-standing confusions and doubts were instantly resolved.

  It was a rare state, as though every person had become a peerless genius, granted the chance for sudden insight.

  And Five Phoenixes itself was transforming.

  Immortal qi rose in great waves. Dangerous and divine places revealed their splendor. The land expanded; towering peaks grew higher; the fabric of space became more stable.

  The high-martial Five Phoenixes had already been extraordinary.

  But now, under the Voice of the Quasi-Saint, Five Phoenixes took another step forward.

  The Origin Universe and reality gradually merged.

  The Immortal Origin Phoenix spread its wings.

  It soared freely through heaven and earth, like a spirit.

  Innate purple qi drifted down.

  The sky was covered in purple glow.

  Some Human Immortals, in a flash of insight, became True Immortals with a single thought, their destiny pillars soaring into the nine heavens.

  Some top-tier Half-step Profound Immortals advanced by leaps and bounds, drawing vast oceans of destiny, triggering Profound Immortal tribulations.

  Almost every powerhouse in Five Phoenixes achieved a breakthrough in cultivation.

  Even Tantai Xuan, Mi Jia, and the others sitting in the starry sky underwent a transformation of will.

  Tantai Xuan opened his eyes. His destiny sea inverted once more. The Book of Life and Death above his head bloomed with endless radiance.

  Infinite karma surged into the book. In that moment, Tantai Xuan became a Sixth Revolution Golden Immortal—a peerless powerhouse of Five Phoenixes!

  This immortal fortune bathed everyone equally—even Tantai Xuan received its blessing.

  And not just him.

  Lu Jiulian, Tang Yimo, the Overlord, and others all experienced something akin to sudden enlightenment—a rarity at their level.

  The entire world was in enlightenment.

  Everything between heaven and earth seemed to fall still.

  Only high above, the mysterious Six Paths Immortal continued chanting quietly, bestowing the Voice of the Quasi-Saint.

  …

  Lu leaned back in the Thousand-Blade Chair, fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

  He sensed one beam of light after another rising from Five Phoenixes Continent, sensed wave after wave of tribulation thunder gathering.

  The corners of his mouth curved upward. He was quite satisfied with the effect of the Voice of the Quasi-Saint.

  Though there was only one reward, and it didn’t seem targeted at Lu himself,

  He still felt joy in his heart.

  Because this reward seemed prepared for the people of Five Phoenixes—for the entire world.

  The whole world had leaped forward in this moment.

  Five Phoenixes’ growth brought Lu greater happiness than his own strength increasing.

  As the Origin Universe and reality gradually merged,

  The process of Immortal-Martial transformation accelerated dramatically.

  What might have taken ten thousand or even a hundred thousand years was now rapidly shortening.

  It felt as though in just a few more years, the transformation would be complete.

  Lu raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

  The crisp sound echoed faintly across Five Phoenixes.

  Yet all the tribulation clouds that had gathered due to breakthroughs—clouds that had been frozen in time—now halted mid-descent, suspended in the air.

  Lu did not wish for tribulations to interrupt the world’s enlightenment.

  Though he should not interfere with tribulations,

  This time, he would make an exception.

  And as the world’s cultivation rose, Lu could clearly feel the spiritual qi he could draw in surging wildly.

  White lines danced in his eyes.

  He looked up.

  He could see strands of spiritual qi rising from every person, forming torrents that converged toward Heart Island like ten thousand swords returning to their origin, like fish entering the vast sea.

  They gathered above his head.

  Lu’s gaze was deep. In that moment, a brilliant smile bloomed on his lips.

  This was the reward.

  The strengthening of Five Phoenixes was his own strengthening.

  In the system panel,

  The spiritual qi reserve finally broke through the 1,000 hundred-million mark!

  In that instant, Lu felt his soul undergo a sublimation.

  The Innate Purple Qi within him surged uncontrollably, swirling and coiling around his body.

  His essence, energy, and spirit soared without limit.

  …

  In the Nine Heavens, within the void rift—

  Boom!

  The rift that had fallen silent erupted once more with storms and tempests.

  The dormant ancient Great Emperors opened their eyes, sharp light flashing within.

  It was as though countless eyes stared out from the rift, fixed upon Five Phoenixes.

  Like wolf eyes glowing green in the dark forest.

  From deep within the rift came Ancient Emperor Hao’s powerful divine fluctuation—an aura that inspired awe, the mental pressure of a peak Emperor.

  Yet in the eyes of these ancient Great Emperors, Five Phoenixes now appeared like a girl holding an oil-paper umbrella in misty rain—blurred, indistinct, yet stirring an intense desire to peer closer.

  In their perception, Five Phoenixes seemed shrouded by a terrifying power!

  “What’s happening? What’s going on with Five Phoenixes?”

  “Why do I suddenly feel a heart-palpitating aura, as though something extremely terrifying has been born within Five Phoenixes!”

  “Why can’t we sense anything inside Five Phoenixes anymore? With our divine sense power, even across the void abyss, we should be able to see something!”

  The ancient Great Emperors cried out in alarm.

  They felt their divine senses being suppressed by an overwhelming force.

  This restriction filled them with dread.

  Yet alongside the fear was confusion.

  Compared to the ancient Great Emperors’ bewilderment, however, Ancient Emperor Hao’s breathing had become rapid.

  Vaguely, his powerful divine sense transformed into a sharp sword, tearing through the barrier.

  He caught a fleeting glimpse of the scene in Five Phoenixes!

  A figure that blotted out the sky, high above, enveloped in endless radiance.

  It chanted—a sound that seemed to be the manifestation of the Great Dao, analyzing and expounding the essence of heaven and earth.

  This was the sound of the Great Dao—a sound even Ancient Emperor Hao found unbelievable!

  “This aura…”

  Ancient Emperor Hao’s hair stood on end.

  In the Origin Lake,

  Lu seemed to sense Ancient Emperor Hao’s spying.

  While drawing spiritual qi from the world, he smiled faintly.

  Seated on the Thousand-Blade Chair, his white robes fluttered in the wind.

  He picked up a chess piece and slowly placed it.

  Boom!

  The hazy Six Paths Immortal seemed to lift its head and glance unintentionally toward Ancient Emperor Hao.

  That single glance made Ancient Emperor Hao feel as though his soul had frozen!

  “Above peak Emperor! A being that transcends the Emperor realm!”

  “This is Five Phoenixes’ greatest secret—the true secret of Five Phoenixes!”

  Ancient Emperor Hao’s breathing stopped.

  He felt he had uncovered Five Phoenixes’ greatest secret.

  That peerless, world-shaking Lu Ping’an was nothing but a pawn pushed to the forefront by a mysterious existence.

  Just a pawn!

  Behind Five Phoenixes’ rise stood a being that transcended the Emperor realm, engaged in an astonishing game!

  No wonder Five Phoenixes had risen so rapidly in such a short time.

  So that was it…

  But Ancient Emperor Hao was no weakling. Suppressing the tremor in his soul, he stared at that fleeting glance from the Six Paths Immortal.

  It was like staring into a storm.

  Yet he could faintly sense that this existence was merely a projection descending here!

  This figure would soon vanish!

  “Perhaps… when Five Phoenixes broke through the high-martial shackles, it drew this existence to bestow a heavenly opportunity, projecting across the heavens to preach the Dao!”

  Boom!

  His essence, energy, and spirit seemed to traverse space and time.

  Ancient Emperor Hao’s mind returned to the depths of the rift, back to the Nine Heavens.

  Everything fell silent.

  Yet gradually, heavy breathing echoed from deep within the rift.

  “Five Phoenixes…”

  Originally, Ancient Emperor Hao should have been filled with dread.

  But inexplicably, a low, deep laugh emerged from the rift.

  The laughter sent chills through the ancient Great Emperors, as though it stirred long-buried, unpleasant memories.

  “Behind Five Phoenixes stands a mysterious powerhouse, the true mastermind concealing everything…”

  “But when the gods and demons of the Primordial Starry Sky invaded, this mysterious existence did not intervene. Perhaps this being will not personally take action. Thus, the Nine Heavens still has a chance to replace it—to swap the prince for the civet cat!”

  “Before, Five Phoenixes used the Nine Heavens as a stepping stone… Now, let the Nine Heavens use Five Phoenixes as its stepping stone!”

  The cold voice carried a trace of madness.

  And faintly, suppressed excitement!

  While the ancient Great Emperors in the rift were still discussing the anomaly in Five Phoenixes,

  The powerful divine fluctuation from deep within soon silenced the heated debate.

  Ancient Emperor Hao displayed the scene he had witnessed to every ancient Great Emperor.

  In the next moment, all of them sucked in cold breaths. Compared to Ancient Emperor Hao’s excitement, they felt far more fear and disbelief.

  “This… how is this possible?”

  “There really is such a terrifying existence in Five Phoenixes?”

  “So Five Phoenixes… has never truly shown its full power? We’ve been contending against such a being all this time?”

  “My mentality… is collapsing!”

  …

  Heart Island remained as tranquil as ever.

  Above Lu’s head, the spiritual qi vortex expanded madly. Now it had grown to a diameter of millions of miles, and beyond it, countless invisible streams of spiritual qi poured in at high speed.

  This was only the beginning.

  “Ancient Emperor Hao should now know the current situation in Five Phoenixes. The appearance of the Six Paths Immortal must have shocked him.”

  Lu smiled.

  He, Lu Ping’an, didn’t deliberately toy with people’s minds.

  But the Six Paths Immortal had been unexpectedly discovered—there was nothing he could do. The ancient Great Emperors of the Nine Heavens had brought this upon themselves.

  Moreover, once the Voice of the Quasi-Saint ended, the ancient Great Emperors would surely receive another surprise.

  They would discover, to their astonishment, that Five Phoenixes’ long Immortal-Martial transformation period… seemed to be ending very soon!

  Lu could already imagine their expressions.

  They would surely be spectacular and delightful.

  Buzz buzz buzz…

  The Voice of the Quasi-Saint continued.

  For seven full days.

  The entire void starry sky, all of Five Phoenixes Continent, and every life-bearing star within the starry sky were enveloped by the Voice.

  All were immersed in enlightenment, undergoing transformation.

  The stellar origins of the Origin Universe gradually overlapped with those of the void starry sky.

  Every life-bearing star was transforming, attempting to condense its own Dao Origin and give birth to a secondary stellar Heavenly Dao!

  Many dead, lifeless stars were sprinkled with the seeds of life, beginning to birth civilizations.

  The entire void starry sky seemed on the verge of transforming into the Five Phoenixes Universe!

  Becoming the true Immortal-Martial Great World of Five Phoenixes!

  The seventh day finally arrived.

  The Voice of the Quasi-Saint gradually faded.

  The figure of the Six Paths Immortal also melted away like ice and snow.

  Everyone came back to their senses.

  Tantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, the Overlord, Tang Yimo, and other powerhouses shrank their pupils.

  They shot forward at high speed, wanting to catch a glimpse of the Six Paths Immortal’s true face.

  Yet before they could approach, they felt the terrifying aura radiating from the Six Paths Immortal—a leap in life level.

  “Above Ninth Revolution Golden Immortal! This Six Paths Immortal must be the Daluo Immortal described in the Great Luo Immortal Scripture—above Golden Immortal!”

  Everyone sucked in cold breaths.

  The Six Paths Immortal’s fleeting glance carried overwhelming pressure, freezing their bodies.

  Vaguely, they sensed the Six Paths Immortal giving them a faint smile.

  After that smile,

  The Six Paths Immortal sat in meditation. Immortal qi rose from beneath it, transforming into cranes, dragons, and true phoenixes…

  It rode the wind and departed.

  Carefree and at ease, transcending all things between heaven and earth!

  Everyone felt a sense of loss.

  They slowly exhaled the breath they had been holding.

  Their gazes shifted to Five Phoenixes Continent.

  Above it, thick tribulation clouds surged. The tribulations that had been frozen in time now began to pour down madly.

  Those who had broken through under the Voice of the Quasi-Saint were now facing their tribulations!

  This would be a brilliant and colorful era!

  The meaning of “Immortal” in Immortal-Martial might be precisely the pursuit of becoming a carefree, transcendent Daluo Immortal!

  Everyone seemed to sense something.

  Their gazes fell on the eastern coast of Five Phoenixes Continent, where a massive million-mile spiritual qi vortex swirled downward. A powerful aura was brewing within.

  “It’s the Young Master!”

  Ni Yu, carrying her black pot, was overjoyed.

  Ning Zhao and Yi Yue exchanged glances, grave looks flashing in their eyes. In the next moment, the three maids soared into the sky.

  The Young Master was breaking through. The Young Master needed them to stand guard!

  Meanwhile, Tantai Xuan, the Overlord, Tang Yimo, and the others were dazed.

  Young Master Lu… had also achieved enlightenment and broken through under the Great Dao sound of the Six Paths Immortal?

  “We thought the Six Paths Immortal was Young Master Lu… Now it seems we were wrong!”

  They looked at each other, a trace of regret in their eyes.

  But soon, they seemed to realize something. Their gazes sharpened.

  Wait…

  What exactly were they regretting?

  Young Master Lu, who could already fight peak Emperors!

  If he broke through again now… wouldn’t he defy the heavens?!