Kutu’s choice exceeded Lu’s expectations.

  In the final moment, he detonated the mark left by the High Martial Buddha Realm expert in his mind.

  His resolve and decisiveness were chilling.

  Exploding his divine sense cracked the Tianyuan source surface countless times—dooming the continent to burial.

  Black-robed Lu looked skyward; faintly, a great Buddha spanned heaven and earth.

  Terrifying pressure—suffocating.

  One palm: world-ending.

  “High Martial expert…”

  Lu grave.

  Merely a strand via mark—yet this level!

  Pressure felt.

  He stepped back, sat slowly.

  Demonic axe scattered—myriad silver danced.

  Black robes reverted white.

  Void-sat; Phoenix Swords, silver blades stacked—blooming lotus, array runes.

  Spiritual pressure chessboard before.

  Chess box floated.

  Sense surged.

  Pieces fell crisp.

  Against Buddha shadow’s palm.

  Lu played.

  Boom!

  Palm crashed.

  Lotus of swords/blades held—storms swept, source collapsing!

  Shoo shoo!

  White blades rained, riddling black iron ship.

  Lu white robes whipped, clung tight.

  Ten sense strands max—amplified chessboard: great net.

  Clashed palm!

  Bang!!!

  Explosion surged.

  Source lake blasted—towering waves.

  Space rumbled—crumbling.

  Far…

  Du Longyang, Empress breathless—twists rapid.

  Kutu advantaged—self-destruct, source cracking, summoned supreme terror.

  Undoubtedly High Martial.

  Lu block?

  No one sure.

  Du, Empress sighed.

  Tianyuan peaks—now ants to true power.

  Disposable.

  “Young Master Lu…”

  Empress murmured.

  Du sighed.

  Hired big—win alive? Double price.

  But no more first-grade artifacts.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Source roared—cracks widened; top mid-martial Tianyuan: low-martial decay…

  No time care.

  Stared giant ancient Buddha—palm mighty.

  “High Martial, beyond Nascent Soul!”

  Du inhaled.

  Palm hit Lu—ship shattered.

  Silver returned—Thousand Blades Chair; Lu white, seated.

  Breeze-like.

  Palm dispersed.

  Buddha glared—memorizing Lu.

  Lu fearless—met gaze, cold.

  This Buddha… remembered.

  Mark strand—distant; rules reject stay.

  Vast sutras, bells ceased.

  Buddha faded.

  Pressure gone.

  Lu in chair; chessboard dim—frowned.

  “High Martial Buddha Realm.”

  “This young master… remembers you.”

  Stored board; tapped Phoenix guard.

  Eyed cracked source—faint smile.

  “Hiding?”

  Said.

  Du et al. startled.

  Lu raised hand—flicked guard…

  Three Phoenix: fire phoenixes to orb.

  Screech!

  Orb.

  Tiny weird infant fled—monk, third eye: evil three-eyed.

  Infant Transformation infant!

  Normal: self-copy; Transformation: mutated, amplified.

  Kutu’s.

  Still alive?!

  Du faces changed—sly!

  Grand words, decisive.

  Buddha shadow, world palm.

  All act.

  “Why alive?!”

  Kutu infant stunned—strand sense.

  Sense intact, infant: rebirth.

  Plan good, act true.

  Misjudged Lu—survived High Martial palm.

  “This world limited… mid-martial cap Infant extreme. High Martial descent—no break cap. Palm strong, but Infant level.”

  Lu said.

  Implied: same level—kill him? Why?

  Buddha palm stronger—mastery gap.

  No cap break—no break.

  Lu minor loss—palm death? Dream.

  His temper: Buddha remembered.

  Infant flee.

  But.

  Phoenix shot—triangle block.

  Carried infant float.

  Far…

  Du, Empress sped.

  Complex eyes on three-eyed infant.

  Tianxu raised—small sword grew, hovered.

  Ye cold stare.

  Tianyuan peaks encircled “immortal”.

  Infant struggled—failed; shrill.

  Sharp laugh.

  Swept Du, Empress—gleeful: “Don’t victor pose!”

  “Soul gone, source cracking… Tianyuan quake, seas swallow, demon domain unseal… unstoppable! Doom!”

  Laughed.

  Du fists: “Heart… vicious!”

  “Vicious?”

  Half-smile.

  “No source: low-martial, realms Foundation… unprotected: wanderers’ feast.”

  “Wanderers come—hell; fallen you block not!”

  “All die!”

  “Better my funeral than slaughter, enslave!”

  Said.

  “Madman!”

  Empress cursed.

  Even Tianxu—vicious!

  Lives nothing.

  Infant laughed.

  Triumph.

  Controlled—even failed.

  Lu in chair, chin-propped—bored at clamor.

  Raised finger.

  Slight slash.

  Phoenix red—swept infant.

  Vs. true body: weak child.

  Lu slaughter: easy.

  Pfft!

  Head flew—laugh cut.

  Sense strand—Phoenix annihilated.

  Shrill unwilling—Kutu gone from Tianyuan.

  Immortal slaying: complete.

  Du silent—glanced Lu, decisive chill.

  Empress eyes shone—such power, unmoved kill.

  Tianxu heart cold.

  Body occupied once—knew extraordinary.

  Kutu extinguished—infant pure energy, dispersed.

  Lu leaned—yawn.

  Done… depart.

  Eager Five Phoenix.

  Absorbed much Tianyuan source—burst?

  World impact.

  Handle.

  But.

  Du called.

  Complex.

  Lu in chair—puzzled, eyed cracked source.

  Du knelt.

  “Young Master Lu… save Tianyuan!”

  Lu stunned—Martial Emperor City Lord, top spear—kneel.

  Empress disheveled—no grace.

  Knelt.

  “Young Master Lu… save Tianyuan!”

  Serious.

  Tianxu, Ye hesitated—knelt.

  Kutu no bluff.

  Source expert: Lu.

  Only savior.

  ...

  Beiluo, Lake Center Island.

  All sensed unusual.

  Sky: vast orb floated.

  Unknown source—but profound; minds clear, insights.

  Many broke: Qi Core peak to Body Storage—auras soared.

  Body peak to Gold Core/Lock: harder.

  Lu Changkong chatted Mo Beike lakeside.

  Mo sensed change.

  “City Lord views on Daxuan Academy?”

  Curious.

  Lu hands clasped, warm smile.

  “Fan’er approves. True—early cultivation groping.”

  “Now paths carved.”

  Pointed ink-painting Sima: “Painting way—unique, untrod.”

  Tang Yimo: “Body.”

  Ni Yu, Jing Yue, Gongshu Yu…

  All unconventional.

  “Juizi right—like Hundred Schools contention.”

  “Academy fits collision—Fan’er’s reason.”

  Mo thoughtful—nodded.

  Recorded ways—invited lecturers.

  Many refused.

  Lu words affirmed—persist.

  Lu patted shoulder.

  “Thorny path from start.”

  Mo bags twitched.

  Smiled: “Someone must. If Kong Xiu lived… he’d teach—loved it.”

  Rumble!

  Sky rainbow vivid.

  Little Yinglong on Dragon Gate—head up, wings spread, grew; yellow scales noble.

  Roared.

  Scales energy surged.

  Not just.

  Gate: roars.

  Island stunned.

  Buzhou Peak.

  Zhu Long legs hugged on bluestone.

  Lashes trembled—eyes snapped open.

  Roar!

  Peak: girl gone.

  Coiled candle dragon.

  Girl face—black-white eyes: sun-moon.

  Raised—gulped rainbow source.

  Tailing, Wentian Peak.

  Daxuan children pointed sky—excited.

  Dantai Xuanzong plain robes—out.

  Looked.

  Qi mist.

  Azure dragon soared!

  World sensed Five Phoenix evolution.

  ...

  Tianyuan Continent.

  Demon Domain!

  Thick demon qi swept.

  Rivers churned.

  Jubilant laugh—ground demons head up, qi spurts, excited howls.

  Ghost cries.

  Heaven Demon Tower.

  Qi funnel top.

  Invisible chains faint.

  Suddenly.

  Chains snapped inch by inch.

  Tower shook.

  Heaven-shaking lion roar.

  Lion Demon King broke seal!

  Huge lion atop—roar shook domain.

  Demons knelt.

  Starved, sealed ages.

  King free!

  “Seal break: human extinction!”

  Roared.

  Leapt—human form, cold lion armor.

  Demons howled—black army to border.

  Border.

  Daqian women’s walls.

  Cultivators paled—pressure.

  Looked.

  Demon direction: black horizontal.

  Lion King stepped void.

  Laughed.

  Source collapse—demon world soon.

  Stared walls.

  Raised hand—demons ready.

  Suddenly.

  Sensed.

  Head up.

  Sky tore.

  Empress disheveled, red robes—floated out.

  Then Du, Tianxu, Ye.

  Wheelchair white-robed Lu.

  Lion King froze.

  Glanced Empress, Du—no big.

  Drained: Gold Core.

  But…

  Lu’s familiar face—mane exploded!