*Wolong Ridge – 48 Hours Before Blood*

  Overlord sat like a boulder.

  Tianyuang prodigies hissed behind fans:

  “Cangjian’s patriarch is coming.

  One sword, one corpse.”

  Overlord didn’t blink.

  He was waiting for the only man whose fortune-telling killed hope and gave it back gift-wrapped.

  Mo Tianyu strolled out barefoot, belly jiggling.

  “Divination for the doomed?”

  He rattled three coins inside a turtle shell.

  Clack-clack-clack.

  Coins leapt.

  Mo Tianyu flicked spirit qi—ping, ping, ping.

  Coins froze mid-air, faces glowing.

  “Great… auspicious,” he said, eyes twinkling.

  Overlord’s heart sank like a stone in wine.

  Reverse Mo = *certain death*.

  He laughed anyway.

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

  “Even if the heavens want my head, I’ll trade it for a bigger one.”

  He left Mo Tianyu bowing to thin air.

  …

  *Little Mountain City – Forge of Last Chances*

  Families fled at the sight of Overlord’s shadow.

  He walked straight to the lonely smithy.

  Gongshu Yu, shirtless, veins like steel cables, hammered a sword embryo.

  Little Ru’s arms trembled—two thousand taps already.

  Overlord bowed.

  “I need a weapon that can split an Infant’s sigh.”

  Gongshu Yu didn’t look up.

  “Back courtyard.

  Iron Mother soaked three days in the Origin Lake.

  Split it, I’ll forge you mystery-tier.”

  Overlord rolled his shoulders.

  Twenty palms later—bones showing, blood painting the ground.

  Twenty-first palm:

  *UNYIELDING.*

  CRACK!

  Iron Mother split like a lie.

  Gongshu Yu stomped.

  The earth parted.

  A buried furnace rose, white flames licking the sky.

  “AXE AND SHIELD!” Overlord roared.

  Gongshu Yu tore off his shirt, seized two hammers.

  *CLANG!*

  Sparks became constellations.

  Three thousand hammers.

  Five thousand.

  Gongshu Yu’s palms split; blood hissed on iron.

  Little Ru counted until his voice cracked.

  At the nine-thousandth strike, the Iron Mother folded like silk.

  Gongshu Yu’s eyes bled fire.

  “Name them.”

  Overlord’s voice shook the forge:

  “Unyielding Axe.

  Indestructible Shield.”

  Twin embryos screamed.

  The furnace roared approval.

  …

  *Western Frontier – 300 Li Out*

  Dawn.

  Old Zhou Haisheng descended from the sky.

  Black robes, black mood.

  He sat cross-legged on the official road, Cangsheng Sword across his knees—mirror-bright, thirstier than grief.

  Behind him: three days of empty sky.

  Ahead: Xiliang iron.

  Xu Chu’s horse snorted steam.

  Ten thousand riders locked shields.

  Old Zhou opened eyes older than mountains.

  “Xiang Shaoyun has three days.

  After that, every city in Xiliang becomes a grave marker.”

  His voice rolled like funeral bells.

  Xu Chu drew his spiked ball.

  “Old dog, you’ll choke on our dust first.”

  Old Zhou closed his eyes again.

  Sun climbed.

  Shadows shortened.

  Somewhere, a forge still sang.

  Somewhere, a whale still dreamed.

  Somewhere, a boy with a wooden sword sneezed and kept swinging.

  Three days.

  One sword.

  One axe yet to cool.

  Five Phoenix held its breath—

  and the desert began to count heartbeats.