The night was lonely as snow.

  Moonlight fell gently, carrying a light breeze.

  Ancient Emperor Hao sat cross-legged in the void, gazing softly at the young woman who had rejoined the night market crowd.

  He shook his head and slowly exhaled.

  He didn’t disturb her, even though he knew she was her reincarnation.

  What good would awakening her past-life memories do?

  What he planned next was far too dangerous. Better to let her live safely in the Five Phoenix than follow him.

  With Lu Ping’an here, the Five Phoenix was safer than the Nine Heavens ever could be.

  As long as she was here, Ancient Emperor Hao could rest easy.

  “If one day I grow weary of battle, I’ll retire to the Five Phoenix, find you—whoever many times you’ve reincarnated—and live out our remaining years in peace.”

  Ancient Emperor Hao murmured, silently making his decision.

  With his strength, he could always find Shui Ling no matter how many times she reincarnated.

  Because he remembered her mark—the imprint etched deep in her soul, unchanging.

  Below, the lanterns flickered dimly.

  The imperial capital’s night market was bustling with life.

  Ancient Emperor Hao’s gaze was gentle. His time in the Five Phoenix had taught him many things he hadn’t understood before.

  Once he stood above the clouds—how could he have known the affairs of ordinary mortals?

  He couldn’t even think from their perspective, from the viewpoint of mortals or weak cultivators.

  The sound of breaking air suddenly rang out.

  Figures rose into the sky.

  This was the imperial capital of Great Xuan Dynasty.

  The most prosperous place in the entire Five Phoenix Continent—a mortal imperial city with thousands of years of history.

  Ancient Emperor Hao hadn’t concealed his aura. Or rather, at his level, simply floating released a terrifying presence.

  Lu Jiulian, the Overlord, Tang Yimo, and other Five Phoenix Golden Immortals surrounded him with grave expressions.

  They were on high alert. They recognized Ancient Emperor Hao.

  So they were even more cautious—no one dared relax.

  This was an unparalleled demon who had sacrificed billions of lives in the Nine Heavens.

  A mountain of corpses and sea of blood meant nothing before him.

  “You can’t stop me.”

  “There’s no need to stop me.”

  Ancient Emperor Hao calmly looked at the Five Phoenix Golden Immortals.

  “Unless Lu Ping’an himself comes, no one in the Five Phoenix can stop me.”

  His words were confident.

  But they were also true.

  The Overlord, Tang Yimo, and the others fell silent, unsure how to respond.

  They believed that even if they fought with everything, they couldn’t stop Ancient Emperor Hao.

  That was his strength. That was his confidence.

  Seeing their grave expressions, Ancient Emperor Hao smiled.

  “Give my regards to Young Master Lu…”

  Ancient Emperor Hao said.

  “I should go.”

  He shifted from sitting to standing. The moment he rose, the heavens and earth seemed to tremble.

  His terrifying aura made every cultivator in the world feel a chill.

  The Overlord, Tang Yimo, and others erupted with aura, fortune like vast oceans.

  But Ancient Emperor Hao didn’t fight. He stepped forward and turned into a streak of light, instantly leaving the Five Phoenix Continent.

  He walked through the starry void, step by step, steady and firm.

  His gaze swept across the stars. He saw life-bearing planets. He saw the vibrant life stars of the Tianling Clan.

  He saw the Holy Clan, who had abandoned the Nine Heavens and fled to the Five Phoenix. Their members were cultivating diligently, striving to enter the Five Phoenix Continent.

  Everything brimmed with vitality and life force Ancient Emperor Hao could hardly imagine.

  His eyes brightened slightly. In this moment, many thoughts came to him.

  He thought of the wrongs he had committed.

  “Perhaps… I’m not qualified to rebuild another Nine Heavens…”

  Ancient Emperor Hao murmured.

  He stepped into the abyss. The corrosive power of the Void Abyss had no effect on him.

  A Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouse had a strong enough foundation.

  Ancient Emperor Hao returned to the Nine Heavens.

  Ruined. Dead silent. Still…

  No trace of life. The entire world reeked of decay and rot.

  The quiet was unsettling.

  Ancient Emperor Hao slowly exhaled.

  After experiencing the prosperity of the Five Phoenix, returning to this dead silence filled him with deeper guilt.

  Then he turned and stepped back into the abyss.

  Standing within the abyss, he spread his arms and slowly pulled, as though trying to close the vast rift.

  Fully connecting the Five Phoenix and the Nine Heavens.

  Boom!

  The vitality of the Five Phoenix surged wildly into the Nine Heavens. Vaguely, Ancient Emperor Hao seemed to see a phoenix spreading its wings.

  The dead Nine Heavens began to be assimilated, eventually merging completely with the Five Phoenix.

  Ancient Emperor Hao felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

  Perhaps integrating the Nine Heavens into the Five Phoenix was better than him rebuilding a world alone.

  He had to admit—Lu Ping’an truly had a way.

  Rumble rumble.

  When the abyss connected the Nine Heavens and Five Phoenix, many cultivators sensed it and looked over in astonishment.

  Space tore open. Spatial energy surged.

  Lu appeared in white robes, seated calmly in the Thousand-Blade Chair, slightly surprised as he looked at Ancient Emperor Hao sitting in the Nine Heavens.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Ancient Emperor Hao nodded toward Lu.

  Then he turned and walked away step by step.

  He left the Nine Heavens and stepped into the boundless starry void, sticking to his choice—wandering the stars, slaying god-demons.

  Perhaps countless years later, Ancient Emperor Hao would return, find her—whoever many times she had reincarnated—and live a quiet life together.

  Boom!

  Ancient Emperor Hao’s figure vanished into the starry void.

  Many were stunned.

  Some sighed. Some felt sorrow.

  Gu Mangran was now a Golden Immortal powerhouse. Watching Ancient Emperor Hao’s departing back, he felt a pang of sadness.

  Back then, he had been obsessed with Ancient Emperor Hao’s unparalleled talent.

  Unfortunately, their paths diverged.

  He chose the Five Phoenix and broke with Ancient Emperor Hao.

  Now, times had changed.

  He was genuinely happy for Ancient Emperor Hao’s transformation.

  But this somewhat desolate ending left Gu Mangran feeling stifled.

  Wandering the starry void, slaying god-demons.

  This was redeeming his sins with his own life.

  Because this path could be one of no return.

  Even someone as strong as Ancient Emperor Hao, now a Heavenly Emperor, could still fall if surrounded by great-path rank god-demons—or if he encountered heaven-god rank god-demons.

  The fusion of the Nine Heavens and Five Phoenix was gradual.

  It required time.

  Lu didn’t refuse the addition of the vast Nine Heavens territory.

  Spiritual energy poured in. The silly-flying Five Phoenix immortal source flew into the Nine Heavens, slowly transforming it.

  The once lifeless Nine Heavens began to revive.

  From the birth of the first life, it gradually evolved toward a prosperous world.

  Lu expanded the time array to cover the Nine Heavens, accelerating its transformation.

  The Five Phoenix’s territory grew larger. Ancient Emperor Hao’s act of merging the Nine Heavens with the Five Phoenix completed the Five Phoenix’s immortal-martial transformation.

  Now, the Five Phoenix Great World was truly an immortal-martial great world!

  …

  Origin Lake, Lakeheart Island.

  Ancient Emperor Hao’s departure didn’t surprise Lu much. Perhaps from the beginning, he had planned this.

  His time living as a mortal had only solidified his resolve.

  “Tonggu still hasn’t returned from bringing ancestral land prodigies to the Five Phoenix for Gold Origin mysteries special training?”

  That old daoist really seemed unreliable.

  Lu thought for a moment and decided not to wait any longer.

  He opened the Gold Origin Star and lifted the pyramid’s barrier.

  After thinking, Lu entrusted the Gold Origin Star to Nie Changqing and Jing Yue to manage. Their talent in Gold Origin mysteries made them suitable.

  News that the Gold Origin Star was now open for mystery comprehension spread instantly.

  The Five Phoenix Great World stirred.

  Countless powerhouses swarmed.

  Unfortunately, Lu restricted entry—only Profound Immortal realm and above could climb the Gold Origin pyramid.

  Just like the Fortune Tower’s level restrictions.

  This restriction caused an uproar among countless cultivators.

  Many True Immortals, stimulated, cultivated diligently and rapidly broke through to Profound Immortal in a short time.

  The Overlord, Tang Yimo, and others eagerly climbed the Gold Origin pyramid.

  As top Golden Immortals, they wouldn’t miss this chance. After all, Lu had said that breaking through to Great Luo Immortal required mastering mysteries.

  So comprehending mysteries was essential.

  After all, which cultivator didn’t dream of becoming a Great Luo Immortal?

  Even if it was still far away, comprehending mysteries early would make the future easier.

  However.

  To everyone’s shock,

  the Overlord and Tang Yimo’s performances were disappointing.

  Even with Seven Meridians open, Tang Yimo barely reached four thousand stairs before giving up.

  His talent in Gold Origin mysteries wasn’t even as good as Chai Feng’s.

  The Overlord did even worse…

  His talent in Gold Origin mysteries could only be described as dull.

  This stunned the world. After all, the Overlord and Tang Yimo were famous Golden Immortals in the Five Phoenix—yet they performed so poorly.

  Many suddenly understood.

  No wonder Lu chose Jing Yue and Nie Changqing to compete with Chai Feng. If it had been the Overlord or Tang Yimo, they would have been utterly crushed.

  Mystery comprehension depended on talent.

  As expected, Young Master Lu’s judgment was sharp.

  This poured cold water on cultivators who thought they were no worse than Jing Yue and Nie Changqing.

  Lu watched with interest.

  Five Phoenix cultivators flocked to try the Gold Origin pyramid.

  They started full of confidence, but soon wilted like eggplants after frost—their results were too embarrassing.

  Those with poor talent were ejected after barely ten stairs.

  Dantai Xuan, Sima Qingshan, Kong Nanfei, Bai Qingniao, and other Five Phoenix Golden Immortals also tried, but their talent was worse than Tang Yimo’s. The only consolation was that they did better than the Overlord.

  Of course, not all Five Phoenix cultivators had poor talent in Gold Origin mysteries.

  A few were quite gifted.

  For example, Du Longyang and Ye Shoudao—newly advanced Golden Immortals—reached five thousand stairs and mastered one percent of Gold Origin mysteries.

  Though weaker in overall strength than the Overlord or Tang Yimo, their talent in Gold Origin mysteries was unexpectedly excellent.

  Jing Yue and Nie Changqing continued climbing the pyramid during this time.

  Nie Changqing had reached seven thousand nine hundred ninety-eight stairs and was about to attempt eight thousand.

  But the closer to the statue at the top, the more terrifying the pressure became. It felt as though the statue was watching him, multiplying the weight.

  Every step became incredibly difficult.

  Jing Yue refused to fall behind. After breaking through to Golden Immortal, he surged forward, closely following Nie Changqing.

  Chai Feng occasionally came to comprehend mysteries, but most of the time he focused on training disciples.

  Cultivating thirty emperor-realm cultivators was easier said than done.

  After all, emperor-realm wasn’t common.

  Time passed steadily.

  The newly formed immortal-martial Five Phoenix was undergoing a massive leap in overall strength.

  Lu saw it clearly. Chai Feng, from the ancestral land, saw it too.

  …

  Space rippled.

  Lu sneaked back to South Chu City and bought another pack of pastries.

  After all, he was bored.

  With the Five Phoenix steadily improving, spending his days playing chess and teasing Peach Blossom left him restless. Better to buy some pastries and enjoy the taste.

  He finished the entire pack.

  Lu sighed wistfully. “After Ancient Emperor Hao left, the pastries feel like they’re missing something.”

  After finishing, he idled on the island for a while.

  Then something occurred to him. He raised his hand and took out the Five Phoenix Bow.

  Before, Lu had gathered the Five Phoenix Bow’s power and killed Qiang Huo with one arrow—a prodigy among great-path rank god-demons.

  “At that time, drawing Gold Origin mysteries from the adorable little statue caused the arrow’s power to undergo a qualitative change.”

  Lu narrowed his eyes.

  Without the statue’s power, the Five Phoenix Bow wouldn’t have unleashed such might.

  Lu reached out and gently stroked the bow. Cracks covered its surface.

  Clearly, the bow’s material could no longer withstand arrows of increasing power.

  “Looks like when Tonggu returns, I’ll need to ask about higher-grade materials… If the Five Phoenix Bow wants to withstand the fusion of multiple mysteries, its material must be upgraded.”

  Lu sighed.

  His mind moved.

  He sent Lu Jiulian into the ancient starry void to mine rare ores from ancient stars.

  But even so, Lu knew that if he unleashed another arrow infused with mysteries—even just one type from the adorable little statue—the Five Phoenix Bow would still crack.

  Ordinary ancient star ores wouldn’t suffice.

  Finding rare materials capable of withstanding mystery energy collisions was essential.

  …

  Space rippled like water.

  Tonggu emerged as though stepping out from the other side of a mirror.

  “You all have quite a talent for Gold Origin mysteries. Now that humanity possesses a Beast Ancestor statue—what a blessing. I hope you can master at least thirty percent of the mysteries during this session!”

  Tonggu looked at the thirty human geniuses before him and spoke seriously.

  Ten of them were headed to the Five Phoenix to comprehend Gold Origin mysteries.

  The remaining twenty had a different destination.

  The Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue’s mystery comprehension ground was about to open.

  These twenty were going to comprehend Fire Origin mysteries.

  But Tonggu’s eyes remained grave. This time, the god-demons had given humanity thirty slots…

  Normally, humanity only received nine mystery comprehension slots. This time, they were given thirty.

  Such a sudden increase didn’t bring Tonggu much joy.

  “Something unusual is happening…”

  “Be cautious. But… this is also an opportunity for humanity!”

  Tonggu drew a deep breath.

  With a sweep of his sleeve, the universe within enveloped all thirty geniuses.

  Then he strode boldly toward the Five Phoenix’s coordinates in the ancient starry void.

  Tonggu moved domineeringly. As a quasi-saint, unless heaven-god rank god-demons acted, he feared nothing.

  After his shameless display on the return trip, god-demons didn’t dare monitor or probe him.

  They feared Tonggu would find any excuse to kill them.

  Tonggu enjoyed the peace and traveled unhindered.

  Soon, he reached the Nine Heavens’ coordinates.

  After erasing his trail, he sneaked into the Nine Heavens like a thief.

  Tonggu entered and didn’t sense Ancient Emperor Hao’s presence. He paused.

  “That child… ultimately chose the path of nine deaths and one life?”

  Tonggu sighed.

  His emotions were complex.

  After all, that path was unimaginably perilous.

  Before entering the Five Phoenix, Tonggu waved his sleeve. The ten geniuses assigned to comprehend Gold Origin mysteries appeared in the Five Phoenix starry void.

  Tonggu led them into the Five Phoenix.

  Chai Feng sensed the aura and rushed over excitedly, ignoring his disciples.

  At that moment, Lu finished repairing the cracks in the Five Phoenix Bow, stored it, sat in the Thousand-Blade Chair, and warmly welcomed them.

  “Little brother!”

  “Big brother!”

  Lu and Tonggu’s eyes welled up as though they hadn’t seen each other in years.

  The geniuses behind Tonggu exchanged glances.

  Senior Tonggu was actually arm-in-arm with a young junior? Calling each other brothers?

  Chai Feng wasn’t surprised. He quietly informed the geniuses that Lu was a starry saint’s disciple.

  Of course, Chai Feng did this out of kindness.

  After all, if these ancestral land geniuses acted arrogantly and offended Young Master Lu, it would end badly. Lu was the ruthless one who killed Qiang Huo, a great-path rank god-demon prodigy.

  During this time, Chai Feng had heard much about Lu.

  The most frequent rumor—Young Master Lu’s pettiness.

  After Lu and Tonggu exchanged pleasantries,

  Lu led Tonggu and the ancestral land geniuses to the Gold Origin Star.

  Jing Yue and Nie Changqing flew over quickly.

  “Young Master…”

  They bowed.

  Lu nodded and introduced Tonggu to them, also informing them of Jing Yue and Nie Changqing’s pyramid records.

  Tonggu’s eyes lit up. He loved human geniuses most.

  He didn’t blame Lu for opening the pyramid early.

  The Beast Ancestor statue belonged to Lu—he had full control.

  Lu arranged for Jing Yue and Nie Changqing to guide the ten ancestral land geniuses in comprehending the pyramid.

  Then he returned to Lakeheart Island with Tonggu.

  “Little brother, I have good news…”

  “The Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue’s mystery comprehension ground in the Fire Elemental Realm is about to open. This time, humanity has thirty slots.”

  “I thought I’d leave some for the Five Phoenix. Would you like to go, little brother?”

  “But something’s off. The god-demons giving so many slots is suspicious. We must be careful.”

  Tonggu sat face-to-face with Lu. Ning Zhao brewed hot wine and filled their cups.

  Lu took a sip and paused at Tonggu’s words.

  The next moment… his eyes lit up.

  Gathering all five Beast Ancestor statues and combining five types of mysteries—this concerned Lu Ping’an’s lifelong happiness.

  Now, it seemed the second statue had been located!