The axe stood alone in the glass desert, blade still dripping.

  Overlord lay on his back, chest heaving, sky spinning.

  Luo Mingsang’s tears fell like hot rain on his split lips.

  “Idiot,” she whispered. “You promised to come back pretty.”

  He grinned crimson. “Pretty is overrated.”

  Three hundred li away, Zhou Haisheng’s corpse cooled in two perfect halves.

  His Nascent Soul had burst mid-scream; the echo still rattled distant windows.

  *Tian Yuan – Four Holy Lands*

  - Martial Emperor City: Du Longyang dropped his fishing rod.

  - Heavenly Void Palace: the grand bell tolled itself.

  - Absolute Blade Sect: every blade in the armory wept rust.

  - Qian Palace: the female emperor cracked her teacup.

  No one spoke the name White Jade.

  They didn’t need to.

  The message was carved in glass and blood:

  *Touch Five Phoenix, bleed in two.*

  *Wolong Ridge*

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Clock Nan stared at his trembling knife hand.

  “Next time,” he muttered, “we send Infant-realm.”

  Feng Yilou laughed until he cried. “With what army?”

  Xiao Yue’er turned east, hair whipping like surrender flags.

  *Xiliang – Victory Night*

  Bonfires taller than houses.

  Ten thousand riders beat shields until dawn.

  Xu Chu, ribs wrapped in iron, lifted a wine bowl the size of a helmet.

  “To the king who punched a Nascent Soul into origami!”

  Overlord, bandaged like a mummy, raised a cracked cup.

  “To the axe that kept its promise.”

  Luo Mingyue strummed her guqin; every note tasted like sunrise.

  *Lake-Heart Island*

  Lu flicked the finished Covered-Heaven Sword.

  Grey chaos qi curled around the edge, purring.

  He tapped the Tongtian Mirror shards.

  New feed booted:

  - Desert, night, bonfire, drunk riders,

  - one axe planted like a flag,

  - one king laughing through broken teeth.

  Lu leaned back.

  “Kid just promoted himself from chess piece to chess player.”

  Little Yinglong sneezed a victory rainbow.

  Ni Yu hugged the broken mirror.

  “Senior Sister, can we get his autograph?”

  Ning Zhao sheathed her sword, smiling like spring.

  “Only if you finish today’s squats.”

  *Tian Yuan – Midnight Council*

  Four shadows met above the clouds.

  “White Jade didn’t show,” one hissed.

  “Means they’re truly gone,” another lied.

  “Or sleeping,” the third whispered.

  The fourth said nothing; just stared west where glass still glowed under starlight.

  *Three Days Later*

  Caravans found the desert.

  They harvested shards of Cangsheng Sword—each sliver worth a city.

  Pilgrims left flowers at the axe.

  Children drew stick-figure kings punching the moon.

  *One Month Later*

  Overlord walked again.

  Scars like lightning maps.

  Axe on shoulder, shield on back.

  He stopped at every village, taught one move:

  *“Stack the hurt. Return it louder.”*

  Farmers, blacksmiths, grandmothers—everyone learned the stance.

  *One Year Later*

  Tian Yuan envoys arrived at Xiliang gates.

  Gifts: spirit mines, apology wine, zero Infants.

  Overlord accepted the wine, returned the cups—cracked.

  Message received.

  *Five Phoenix – New Dawn*

  Lu watched the world from his thousand-blade chair.

  Chessboard empty.

  He placed one black piece in the center.

  The board hummed.

  Somewhere, a whale woke up, yawned, and went back to sleep.

  No song needed.

  The continent was already singing.