Lu’s words were calm, yet they caused the great-path rank god-demon Qiang Huo to freeze.

  Not just him—Ancient Emperor Hao and the many Golden Immortals of the Five Phoenix Continent were also momentarily stunned.

  “You know too much…”

  Young Master Lu’s words sounded… off. Wasn’t this the kind of line villains usually said?

  Everyone fell silent.

  At this moment, Qiang Huo felt an inexplicable chill.

  Though his mentality had been slightly shattered, when he realized Lu’s identity, his eyes lit up.

  He hadn’t expected such an unexpected bonus. Lu’s actions in the comprehension ground had already drawn the attention of the Elemental Gods.

  Especially taking the Beast Ancestor statue—that had enraged the Elemental Gods beyond measure.

  What did the Beast Ancestor statue mean? As a great-path rank god-demon, how could he not understand?

  A single Beast Ancestor statue was one of the supreme treasures of the ancient starry void—the most precious kind.

  Even trading ten thousand immortal-rank god-demons’ lives for it would be worth it!

  Because the mysteries contained within the Beast Ancestor statue were the most crucial aid for immortal-rank—and even great-path rank—god-demons to break their shackles.

  Even beings at the level of the Elemental Gods could gain immense insight from its secrets.

  Its value was incalculable.

  In the ancient starry void, four of the five Beast Ancestor statues were held by the Elemental Gods. The last one was in the hands of an extremely terrifying chaos creature.

  Their extreme rarity only underscored their preciousness.

  So when Qiang Huo learned that Lu was the black-robed figure, he became ecstatic.

  He hadn’t been certain at first—he had only been probing.

  But he never expected Lu to not even bother denying it.

  And then say “you know too much”…

  Did this human prodigy actually intend to kill him?

  Though Lu had mastered Gold Origin mysteries and fire origin power—and could do everything he could—his mentality had indeed taken a hit.

  But he was still a great-path rank god-demon. Though only newly ascended, as a prized disciple of the Elemental God, he was still supremely confident.

  If he wanted to leave, neither Lu nor Ancient Emperor Hao could stop him!

  And Lu’s arrogant words made him laugh.

  “So it really was you…”

  Crimson flames burned around Qiang Huo.

  His burly frame trembled—not from fear, but from excitement.

  “Now I have even more reason to kill you…”

  Qiang Huo grinned.

  “Your value is too high. If I kill you, my master will be overjoyed. He might even reward me with supreme treasures, allowing my strength to rise further…”

  Qiang Huo could barely contain his excitement.

  He glanced sideways at the trembling immortal-rank god-demon who had guided him here.

  “Go back now. Report this to the Elemental Realm. Tell them the black-robed man from the comprehension ground has been found.”

  Qiang Huo said.

  The immortal-rank god-demon froze. Then his face lit up with wild joy.

  This was his chance!

  If he seized this opportunity, he might soar to the heavens—even gain the right to live and cultivate in the Elemental Realm.

  Without hesitation, he tore into the void and fled.

  Lu smiled.

  Spatial energy surged. The silver blades behind him stacked and swept forward. The explosive force propelled Lu’s body, instantly intercepting the immortal-rank god-demon who had just hidden in the void.

  The hidden immortal-rank god-demon was scared out of his wits.

  Lu swung the North Underworld Fishing Rod. This rod had a special suppressive effect on god-demons—and was specifically designed for fishing elemental god-demons—so it was perfect for whipping them!

  Earlier, Lu had wanted to test his newly fused breakthrough combat power, so he hadn’t used the rod or activated the God-Demon Hunter title.

  But now that his identity was exposed, Lu got serious.

  “Hmph!”

  Qiang Huo turned into a streak of fire and shifted like a flaming star, blocking in front of the swinging rod.

  “Keep running. Get the message back—this is a great achievement. It’ll benefit you for life.”

  Qiang Huo said.

  His massive hand reached for the North Underworld Fishing Rod.

  The hidden immortal-rank god-demon, hearing Qiang Huo’s words, became even more excited—like he’d been injected with chicken blood.

  He shifted again, turning into a streak of light and fleeing at full speed.

  He no longer cared about the swinging rod.

  In his view… with Qiang Huo blocking it, the rod posed no threat.

  Qiang Huo thought the same.

  But…

  When Lu saw Qiang Huo daring to grab the rod bare-handed, he couldn’t help but admire the god-demon’s courage.

  As expected of a great-path rank god-demon—possessing courage that ordinary immortal-ranks could never match!

  Qiang Huo’s body was incredibly strong. As a great-path rank god-demon and prized disciple of the Elemental God, he had been tempered by countless chaos treasures.

  He was a famous prodigy in the Elemental Realm.

  So he was fearless. A god-demon’s body was the ultimate treasure.

  What was so hard about catching a fishing rod bare-handed?!

  The rod looked plain and unremarkable as it whipped through the void, distorting space slightly.

  But when Qiang Huo’s palm was about to grab it—

  An inexplicable sense of danger surged in his heart.

  The scales on his arm contracted instinctively, as though sensing extreme cold.

  Danger!

  Qiang Huo stared at the rod. A deathly threat instantly enveloped him, giving him the illusion of severed limbs and freezing chill.

  He couldn’t take it head-on!

  This rod… had a problem!

  So Qiang Huo instinctively withdrew his hand and stopped blocking the rod.

  But the moment he pulled back, Qiang Huo’s pupils shrank. He realized something bad.

  The North Underworld Fishing Rod arced through the air and struck the now-relaxed immortal-rank god-demon who had fled into the void.

  A blood-curdling scream exploded through the ancient starry void!

  The god-demon was torn in half. Blood flowed like a crimson river snaking through the stars.

  Ancient Emperor Hao fell silent.

  The Golden Immortals of the Five Phoenix Continent were speechless.

  Qiang Huo froze.

  His heart felt inexplicably stifled.

  Even Lu was slightly stunned. “Thanks.”

  Originally, Lu’s North Underworld Fishing Rod would have had some trouble killing this immortal-rank god-demon—after all, he could run.

  But because Qiang Huo stepped in and then stepped back, the immortal-rank god-demon forgot to flee and was tragically whipped to death.

  “You and Hao are both good people.”

  Lu smiled.

  Ancient Emperor Hao: “…”

  Qiang Huo felt his suppressed rage finally erupt uncontrollably.

  He stared at the North Underworld Fishing Rod. A familiar aura emanated from it—the blood of elemental god-demons!

  “Gold elemental god-demon aura… it really is you!”

  So Lu Ping’an had used this rod to fish elemental god-demons out of spatial turbulence?

  Fishing god-demons?

  Though elemental god-demons were merely livestock they raised to enhance their elemental origin power,

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  they were still god-demons.

  Being fished by a human like this was an utter humiliation!

  The blood-curdling screams continued.

  The immortal-rank god-demon was crying tears of blood.

  He had been hiding far away perfectly fine—yet now suffered this catastrophe—all because of Qiang Huo.

  Qiang Huo said nothing.

  The immortal-rank god-demon let out a tragic laugh.

  Puff!

  The rod yanked. The god-demon was torn apart. Flesh exploded in the starry void.

  His divine soul and essence were shattered.

  The fall of an immortal-rank god-demon added a bloody aura to the battle.

  Qiang Huo also sensed Lu’s extraordinariness.

  That suppressive power against god-demons was incredibly unique!

  “Who exactly are you…”

  “Or rather—who stands behind you? Why do you have such suppressive power against god-demons?”

  Qiang Huo stared at Lu.

  The rod posed a threat to god-demons, and the oppressive aura Lu now released made Qiang Huo’s heart sink. His momentum weakened slightly in front of Lu.

  This was utterly inconceivable!

  Lu smiled. He swung the North Underworld Fishing Rod again.

  It instantly sealed the space around Qiang Huo.

  Qiang Huo roared in fury. Fire origin power erupted. Gold Origin mysteries surged.

  The two forces caused his aura to climb higher and higher.

  He blasted out a punch. The collision with the North Underworld Fishing Rod produced a heaven-shaking explosion!

  Boom!

  Terrifying shockwaves tore open one spatial rift after another in the void.

  But this clash made Qiang Huo’s heart skip a beat!

  A burning, tearing pain came from his fist. Shock filled his eyes.

  His body… had been torn!

  Drop after drop of blood dripped from his arm. His blood was extremely hot—as though a single drop could evaporate an entire ocean.

  Lu gripped the rod and narrowed his eyes.

  His current cultivation realm hadn’t increased. Though his combat power had reached Great Luo Immortal level, his cultivation base was still insufficient.

  The suppression from the God-Demon Hunter title couldn’t fully manifest against a great-path rank god-demon like Qiang Huo.

  But the North Underworld Fishing Rod still suppressed him.

  This made Lu feel much more at ease.

  Otherwise, it would be hard to deal with Qiang Huo—he’d have to rely on Ancient Emperor Hao for a gang-up…

  And gang-ups… Lu really wasn’t used to them.

  Whoosh!

  Lu’s body streaked through the void. He swung the North Underworld Fishing Rod like a whip—dense, layered strikes crashing down like raging ocean waves, carrying terrifying impact.

  Qiang Huo was furious, yet helpless.

  His body was covered in dense whip marks.

  Fortunately, it was him. An ordinary immortal-rank wouldn’t have survived even one lash.

  No wonder he could trick and kill twenty-two immortal-rank god-demons!

  Qiang Huo drew a deep breath. He felt he couldn’t continue this fight. A sense of powerlessness surged in his heart.

  It wasn’t that he couldn’t win—in pure combat power, Lu was inferior.

  But Lu’s strange suppressive power and the North Underworld Fishing Rod’s threat to god-demon bodies left him helpless.

  Of course, more than that, he feared the potential of human prodigies. This was the first time he truly experienced it.

  No wonder the Elemental Gods feared humans so much and constantly suppressed them.

  Humans might lack the innate talent of god-demons, but their growth potential was terrifying!

  Lu could use Gold Origin mysteries and fire origin power. Though his fire origin power was slightly weaker than Qiang Huo’s,

  everything Qiang Huo could do, Lu could do too. He had no killing move that could finish Lu.

  So he had to leave.

  If he left, he was confident he could escape.

  He needed to retreat, regroup with Di Jin and the other four great-path rank god-demons, and fight together.

  With five of them, they could easily suppress Lu Ping’an!

  “He’s trying to escape!”

  Ancient Emperor Hao noticed Qiang Huo’s movement and narrowed his eyes.

  He hadn’t expected Lu to force a great-path rank god-demon to flee.

  Lu Ping’an’s growth speed had exceeded his imagination.

  He felt dazed. Back then, a half-step great-path rank god-demon had required the full might of the Nine Heavens.

  Countless Extreme Emperors died before they finally killed that terrifying being.

  The hope of the Nine Heavens advancing to immortal-martial had been extinguished because of it.

  This time, with a great-path rank god-demon appearing, Ancient Emperor Hao had thought the Nine Heavens was doomed.

  Even the Five Phoenix Continent would follow the same fate.

  Yet Lu Ping’an had created another miracle.

  This man… hid too deeply.

  Seeing Qiang Huo try to flee, Lu wasn’t surprised. If you can’t win, you run—that’s normal.

  Just like how he had fled from the comprehension ground when he couldn’t win.

  Boom!

  Qiang Huo’s expression was cold.

  His hands wove. Fire origin power poured out endlessly.

  Since Gold Origin mysteries were useless against Lu, he could only rely on fire origin power to stall briefly.

  Fire dragons coiled and intertwined, forming a terrifying net of flames that covered the starry sky—as though turning the entire area into a sea of fire!

  Lu narrowed his eyes.

  He activated the Indestructible Fire Body. Facing the sea of flames, he advanced instead of retreating.

  He plunged straight in.

  Boom!

  Lu was instantly swallowed by the sea of fire.

  Qiang Huo’s face lit up with joy.

  He stomped down. His body turned into a streak of crimson light and fled through the starry void—crossing millions of miles in an instant.

  When he returned, it would be Lu Ping’an’s death!

  Perhaps he’d even report this back—his master, the Fire Elemental God, might personally take action!

  By then, the humiliation he suffered today would be repaid a thousandfold—no, ten thousandfold—to Lu Ping’an!

  The sea of fire was absorbed as though by a terrifying vortex.

  Lu’s Indestructible Fire Body devoured the fire origin power clean.

  But Lu still frowned.

  “This much fire origin power isn’t enough to push the Indestructible Fire Body to perfection.”

  It seemed he had to keep Qiang Huo here.

  As a great-path rank god-demon, his fire origin power should be no weaker than a fire elemental god-demon’s.

  With that thought, Lu looked toward Qiang Huo, who had already fled far away.

  His mind stirred.

  He raised his hand and slowly pressed forward.

  Boom!

  The Spirit Pressure Chessboard instantly spread out, covering a small region of the starry void in an instant.

  Qiang Huo’s body froze. He found himself trapped within the chessboard domain.

  “Domain?”

  Qiang Huo’s pupils shrank.

  “Break it!”

  The next moment, fire origin power surged wildly. It transformed into a roaring fire dragon that slammed into the chessboard domain, trying to tear open a gap.

  Lu placed several more pieces in succession.

  Seven chess pieces fell like the Seven Stars formation.

  Boom boom boom!

  Seven ten-billion-fold Spirit Pressure beams smashed down relentlessly.

  They struck Qiang Huo one after another. His aura faltered. His fire origin power became chaotic.

  The seven Spirit Pressure beams caused Qiang Huo’s movements and form to stiffen.

  Though only for a single breath.

  For Lu, who now possessed Great Luo Immortal-level combat power,

  a single breath was enough time to do many things.

  He took out the Five Phoenix Bow slung over his back.

  Boom!

  The Five Phoenix Bow struck the starry void with a muffled sound.

  The next moment, the Five Phoenix Bow began to grow massive!

  Lu’s aura surged within him.

  Gold Origin mysteries, fire origin power, innate purple qi, divine soul, compressed spiritual energy…

  Five types of power poured into it frantically.

  When he infused the Gold Origin mysteries,

  the stored little Beast Ancestor statue trembled slightly. A stream of extremely pure mystery energy surged into the Five Phoenix Bow.

  This surprised Lu slightly.

  The five phoenix eyes at the front of the Five Phoenix Bow lit up.

  From their mouths, five energies shot out, converging into a dazzling arrow dominated by golden light…

  The instant the arrow took shape, everyone felt an icy killing intent!

  It was the scent of destruction and death!

  Ancient Emperor Hao felt a chill.

  The Golden Immortals of the Five Phoenix Continent trembled with awe as they gazed at Lu.

  “That’s the Five Phoenix Bow—the supreme killing weapon of the Five Phoenix!”

  The void collapsed. The pure Gold Origin mysteries from the adorable little statue instantly dominated.

  The five energies intertwined and compressed terrifying explosive power!

  Among the five energies, Gold Origin mysteries were strongest, followed by innate purple qi, then fire origin power, Lu’s divine soul power, and finally spiritual energy.

  Five violent forces stacked together. Within the arrow, a terrifying collision occurred—like an energy fusion.

  Boom!

  When the seventh Spirit Pressure beam smashed into Qiang Huo—

  Qiang Huo roared in fury.

  But soon, his body felt an icy chill.

  It was the aura of death.

  As though some terrifying existence had locked onto him!

  This feeling was like being targeted by a peak great-path rank god-demon!

  Who?!

  He felt cold all over. He turned back.

  He saw Lu drawing the massive bow. A five-colored arrow dominated by golden light was aimed at him.

  An overwhelming sense of crisis came from that arrow…

  If this arrow hit him.

  He would die!

  “A human… when did such a monster appear?!”

  Qiang Huo roared inwardly.

  Without hesitation, he tried to tear open the chessboard domain and escape.

  But the Spirit Pressure beams made his body stiffen. It would take time to recover.

  Qiang Huo was furious, shocked, enraged—his mentality shattered.

  Why was there such a disgusting combat technique as Spirit Pressure beams?!

  Whoosh!

  Lu finally released the Five Phoenix Bow.

  The next moment, the arrow spun at high speed and shot forward.

  As it rotated, space twisted and tore. Spatial turbulence formed terrifying storms.

  Around the arrow, endless blackness appeared—like a distorting black hole!

  Originally, earth-shaking explosions rang out.

  But in this moment, the entire starry void fell deathly silent—as though even sound was swallowed by the arrow’s distortion!

  The arrow seemed to fly slowly.

  Yet it approached Qiang Huo bit by bit.

  In this moment, a great-path rank god-demon’s pupils shrank to the extreme in terror.

  “No!”

  “Don’t come closer!”

  This arrow filled Qiang Huo with dread!

  Horror!

  And… despair!

  As a prized disciple of the Elemental God, his future was bright. He didn’t want to die here like this.

  But this arrow… he couldn’t block it!

  In the instant he broke free from the Spirit Pressure beams’ restraint—

  Qiang Huo realized he couldn’t escape.

  Because the arrow had already closed in!

  Gold Origin mysteries surged. Fire origin power boiled. He even burned his bloodline power!

  He tried to form the strongest shield to block this arrow!

  The arrow arrived.

  It drifted lightly, silently. The void shattered and twisted inch by inch. Countless black spatial currents surged.

  A scene of utter devastation—grotesque and terrifying.

  Boom!

  Finally, sound returned—a heaven-shaking explosion.

  A massive five-colored sphere spun like a top, expanding endlessly…

  Ten thousand li. A hundred thousand li. A million li… ten million li, a hundred million li!

  Everyone stared blankly at the scene, dumbfounded.

  They knew the power of the Five Phoenix Bow.

  After all, Lu had used it many times.

  But this time, the power was shocking.

  Even Lu himself was startled.

  This power… far exceeded his expectations…

  Why?

  Lu sensed it—the pure Gold Origin mysteries from the adorable little statue?

  The design concept of the Five Phoenix Bow was inspired by nuclear bombs from his previous life: compressing violent forces to the extreme, triggering explosive fusion and destruction through energy interactions.

  This unexpected creation had now become Lu’s most powerful killing move.

  “This little statue… really is adorable.”

  Lu sighed.

  He suddenly thought—there seemed to be five such Beast Ancestor statues…

  If he could gather all five, suppressing five types of pure mystery energy within the Five Phoenix Bow… how terrifying would the power be?!

  Lu’s breathing quickened slightly.

  “Perhaps… when the power of five adorable little statues combines, that one arrow could slaughter even quasi-saints!”

  No…

  Lu felt he could be bolder—remove the “perhaps.”

  Rumble rumble!

  The explosion continued for an unknown duration.

  A colossal spherical void annihilated everything, like a massive black hole spinning.

  Destruction, death, annihilation auras swept within.

  Ancient Emperor Hao stared at the center of the terrifying explosion…

  The blinding light made his eyes water.

  Was Qiang Huo dead?

  With an arrow like that, he must be dead without a corpse, right?

  …

  In the ancient starry void.

  Tonggu and the human prodigy Chai Feng hovered.

  Chai Feng’s pupils shrank. He stared in disbelief at the distant terrifying explosion…

  The aura of annihilation and destruction made his skin crawl.

  Even Tonggu was slightly surprised.

  “Incredible! To unleash killing power of this level! Humanity actually has such an outstanding cultivator!”

  Tonggu was delighted.

  “Let’s go over. Next… it’s my turn to clean up.”

  “After all, the one who died was a prized disciple of the Elemental God.”

  Tonggu shook his head, his face practically blooming with a smile.

  An Elemental God had lost a prized disciple—he’d be furious. Tonggu was very satisfied. His mood was excellent.

  Chai Feng could even feel Tonggu bouncing slightly as he flew—like an excited little girl.

  …

  When the annihilating energy finally dimmed.

  Lu’s gaze shifted to the center of the explosion.

  Hm?

  He raised an eyebrow.

  He saw a cluster of vermilion flames.

  That was extremely pure fire origin power!

  Like flames burning in the starry void.

  Qiang Huo… was indeed dead!

  Under that arrow, not even bones remained—only this cluster of pure fire origin power!

  At this moment, Lu’s heart finally relaxed.

  Not just him—Ancient Emperor Hao and the Golden Immortals of the Five Phoenix Continent who had been watching also breathed sighs of relief.

  Qiang Huo—a great-path rank god-demon—was the greatest crisis the Five Phoenix Continent had faced so far.

  Now that the crisis was over, how could they not feel relieved?

  But suddenly, Lu’s expression changed slightly.

  Because…

  A powerful fluctuation suddenly surged from that pure fire origin power!

  Buzz buzz buzz…

  An oppressive aura, as though it could dim the world, erupted with divine soul pressure.

  It felt exactly like when Lu had once unleashed quasi-saint level sound!

  “The will of the Elemental God?!”

  Lu’s pupils shrank.

  He hadn’t expected that Qiang Huo’s fire origin power would contain the will of the Elemental God?

  It seemed Qiang Huo was indeed highly valued by the Elemental God—a true prized disciple.

  The corner of Lu’s mouth twitched. This time… things were going to get troublesome!

  In the comprehension ground, Lu had personally felt the power of the Elemental Gods!

  “Who dares kill my beloved disciple?!!!”

  Boom!

  Terrifying aura, horrifying pressure surged from the pure flames!

  A wave of mental energy swept out like a vortex storm, scanning the surroundings—locking onto and marking Lu, Ancient Emperor Hao, and the entire Five Phoenix Continent!

  But…

  Just as the wave was about to spread—

  A white figure suddenly appeared, landing beside the flames.

  A powerful aura erupted, forcibly shoving the Elemental God’s will and mental wave back into the pulsing flames.

  Then the white figure grabbed the flames.

  His face glowed with excitement.

  “Hey~ Can you hear me? Old Fire, it’s me, Tonggu. Yes, I killed your disciple.”

  “He passed away peacefully. Don’t worry, don’t grieve—take care.”