“The Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue’s comprehension ground?”

  Lu looked at Tonggu, his eyes gleaming.

  He had been worrying about how to obtain the other Beast Ancestor statues, but unexpectedly, Tonggu’s trip brought him such crucial news.

  In an instant, Lu’s attitude toward Tonggu became much warmer.

  He had Ning Zhao remove the warmed ordinary plum wine and instead brought out his treasured top-grade Heavenly Immortal Wine.

  “Come, come, big brother—have a drink.”

  Lu poured the Heavenly Immortal Wine. The system-rewarded liquor had a unique, mellow fragrance.

  Tonggu’s eyes immediately reddened.

  This kid was cunning. All that earlier enthusiasm had been superficial. Such fine wine—and he hadn’t taken it out before. If Tonggu hadn’t brought news of the Fire Origin statue, this kid probably would have kept it hidden forever.

  Tonggu took a sip and shook his head with a laugh, looking at Lu.

  “You little brat…”

  “The Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue’s comprehension ground is in the Fire Elemental Realm. The danger goes without saying. And this time, it’s not soul-entry—it requires the physical body.”

  “That’s why I think this isn’t as simple as it seems. So many slots—it’s obviously bait. The god-demons are likely setting a trap to kill me.”

  Tonggu said.

  As a quasi-saint, his sense of crisis was sharp. To reach such strength under god-demons’ threat, he was no ordinary person.

  “But I won’t avoid it. Comprehending Fire Origin mysteries… is that important? Most cultivators in the world rely on the four basic elements, and fire is the foremost…”

  “Fire Origin mysteries are the easiest to comprehend and the easiest to master. If we succeed, humanity gains several more Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouses.”

  Tonggu said.

  Then he sighed, his gaze distant.

  “So even if it’s a sea of fire, we have to dive in…”

  “We can’t miss this chance.”

  “It’s easy for humanity to produce Extreme Emperors, but Heavenly Emperors… far too difficult.”

  Lu nodded slightly.

  He hesitated to speak.

  Tonggu seemed to understand what Lu wanted to ask.

  “Little brother, you’d better not go. Last time, your master protected you. As a starry saint, his abilities are vast—he could help you escape even under siege from multiple Elemental Gods. But this time… it won’t be so simple.”

  “The loss of the Gold Origin statue is an intolerable humiliation for the god-demons. They’ve definitely marked you…”

  “Besides, last time you released your aura in the Gold Origin comprehension ground. With the Elemental Gods’ divine soul power, they can easily identify you.”

  “So if you appear in the Fire Elemental Realm, escape will be nearly impossible. And with your master traveling the starry void, he can’t protect you. So don’t go.”

  Tonggu shook his head.

  He was advising Lu, knowing how tempted he was.

  But if Lu went to the Fire Elemental Realm, Tonggu truly had no confidence in keeping him safe.

  After all, Lu was tied to a Beast Ancestor statue. The moment he showed himself, the Elemental Gods would attack with fury.

  Lu narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

  Tonggu was right.

  And this time, the system hadn’t issued any rewards or missions. If Lu went rashly, even if he survived, borrowing the Fire Origin statue would be incredibly difficult.

  Lu couldn’t afford to fall. Behind him was the entire Five Phoenix. If something happened to him, the Five Phoenix could collapse. After so much hard work to reach this point, it couldn’t be allowed to shatter—that was a price Lu couldn’t bear.

  So Lu had to ensure his own safety.

  He exhaled slowly. Perhaps this was the trouble of being in a high position.

  “Little brother, though you can’t go, I still have a few slots left. You can send some outstanding Five Phoenix cultivators with strong fire affinity.”

  “Don’t worry—with me there, they’ll return the same way they went. I won’t let them lose limbs.”

  Tonggu said seriously.

  Lu nodded slightly. Hidden light flickered in his eyes. Deep down, he still had a bold idea.

  This time…

  Stealing the Fire Origin statue right under the Elemental Gods’ noses would be far harder than last time.

  Without system help, he needed to think about how to escape after obtaining it.

  This time, the only quasi-saint leading humanity was Tonggu. Against Elemental Gods of similar strength, if Lu was trapped… escape would be nearly impossible.

  “Looks like I need a method that’s completely undetectable.”

  “At least, make them unable to sense my presence and stay vigilant.”

  Lu pondered. Gradually, a vague plan formed in his mind.

  Tonggu didn’t disturb him.

  After thinking for a day and night, Lu had a strategy.

  His mind moved. He summoned Lu Jiulian.

  Since they were going to comprehend Fire Origin mysteries, Lu needed to select a few Five Phoenix cultivators with strong fire affinity.

  Lu Jiulian had to come.

  Besides Lu Jiulian, Lu also called Dantai Xuan. Now at ninth-turn Golden Immortal, Dantai Xuan’s karma surged like vast oceans.

  And karma could burn, transforming into seas of karmic fire.

  That counted as fire affinity too.

  Little Red Dragon was summoned. Fire affinity—Lu immediately thought of the straightforward Little Red Dragon.

  Now at Profound Immortal realm, Little Red Dragon could already take human form.

  A burly, dark-skinned man with thick brows and honest eyes.

  Besides Little Red Dragon, Lu also called Bai Qingniao.

  Bai Qingniao cultivated the 《Nine Phoenix Transformation》, a mysterious technique of unknown grade. But Lu had no doubt of its power.

  Bai Qingniao’s talent in Gold Origin mysteries was average—even poor. But her nine little chicks could all transform into fire phoenixes—innately fire-aligned. Lu could understand her mediocre Gold Origin talent.

  So he had high hopes for her talent in Fire Origin mysteries.

  Lu didn’t select too many people. As Tonggu said, this trip might be extremely dangerous.

  So he chose only Lu Jiulian, Dantai Xuan, Little Red Dragon, and Bai Qingniao.

  If an emergency arose, fewer people would make escape easier.

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  Tonggu nodded at Lu’s selections.

  “This trip, I originally planned to participate in the Fire Origin mystery comprehension with twenty ancestral land geniuses… but I made a detour to the Five Phoenix. To avoid exposure, I need to leave before the god-demons notice my trail.”

  Tonggu said.

  The situation sounded urgent. Lu didn’t waste time.

  The Netherworld cracked open.

  Dantai Xuan emerged from the passage between the Netherworld and the mortal world, arriving on the Five Phoenix Continent.

  With one step, the ninth-turn Golden Immortal appeared on Lakeheart Island.

  Lu Jiulian and Little Red Dragon received Lu’s summons and rushed over.

  Bai Qingniao stood gracefully, sitting sideways on Little Phoenix’s back. A basket on her back held densely packed little chicks.

  “Young Master Lu.”

  Bai Qingniao landed before the pavilion.

  Little Phoenix transformed into a chick and hid in Bai Qingniao’s collar, poking out its head and warily eyeing Tonggu.

  This old daoist’s gaze toward him was very unfriendly!

  “This is Senior Tonggu, a quasi-saint powerhouse from Primordial Immortal Domain in the human ancestral land.”

  Lu introduced Tonggu and explained the opening of the Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue comprehension ground.

  With the precedent of the Gold Origin statue, they weren’t completely clueless about mystery comprehension.

  Mystery comprehension directly determined whether one could achieve Great Luo Immortal—so it was vital.

  “Now that everyone’s here, let’s go.”

  Tonggu smiled.

  He didn’t waste time. He already faintly sensed god-demons searching for his trail.

  After disappearing so long in the starry void, the god-demons were bound to grow suspicious.

  “Little brother Lu, when we return victorious, don’t hide the good wine anymore!”

  Tonggu laughed heartily.

  Lu nodded solemnly.

  The next moment, Tonggu swept his sleeve. The universe within his sleeve enveloped Lu Jiulian, Bai Qingniao, Dantai Xuan, and Little Red Dragon.

  Tonggu nodded to Lu, stepped forward, and vanished.

  He tore through space, appearing in the Nine Heavens.

  One more step—and he left the Nine Heavens, entering the ancient starry void.

  In the distance, several immortal-rank god-demons stealthily spread their divine sense.

  Tonggu glared and scared them off. The immortal-rank god-demons fled in panic.

  Tonggu hummed a tune and continued on his way.

  …

  After Tonggu left.

  Lu calmed down, brows slightly furrowed.

  He summoned Ning Zhao, Ni Yu, and Yi Yue.

  “I’m going into seclusion. The three of you stand guard.”

  Lu said.

  Though surprised that Young Master was secluding himself again, the three women said nothing.

  After all, Lu’s seclusion was routine.

  Ning Zhao nodded.

  The three women left the pavilion.

  They positioned themselves in three directions around the island. Their powerful divine souls intertwined, completely sealing Lakeheart Island. No one could approach without permission.

  On the pavilion, Lu set up arrays to isolate his aura.

  His expression was serious.

  Was the Beast Ancestor statue important?

  Extremely. Lu could feel that since the Gold Origin statue arrived in the Five Phoenix, it had subtly influenced the world.

  One Gold Origin Star, one Gold Origin pyramid—endlessly producing cultivators who comprehended mysteries.

  Mystery comprehension was one of the key factors in breaking through to Great Luo Immortal.

  The Beast Ancestor statue was so important to all of humanity—let alone the Five Phoenix.

  Its presence elevated the world’s level.

  Most importantly, Lu had no starry saint master. Everything was just Tonggu’s assumption.

  Lu had simply gone along with it.

  Speak human to humans, speak ghost to ghosts—that was professional courtesy.

  Lu took out the Spirit Pressure Chessboard.

  He slowly exhaled, sat upright in his white robes.

  The Spirit Pressure Chessboard grew profound, gradually transforming into a starry sky.

  …

  On the Gold Origin Star stood the Gold Origin pyramid.

  Now, almost every notable powerhouse in the Five Phoenix had tried it.

  A few with talent rivaling Jing Yue and Nie Changqing had emerged.

  Among them, the most surprising was Jiang Li.

  His performance on the pyramid was outstanding. Though slightly below Jing Yue and Nie Changqing, he seemed to have discovered another use for Gold Origin mysteries.

  He could gather others’ Gold Origin mysteries for himself.

  Jiang Li even developed a tactic from this.

  He could cultivate an army that comprehended Gold Origin mysteries. Even if each member only comprehended one percent, when gathered through Jiang Li, the power multiplied.

  It might even explode to ten percent.

  But this was only theoretical.

  After all, building such an army was extremely difficult. Having everyone comprehend one percent was even harder.

  Unless all these ancestral land geniuses served Jiang Li.

  Jiang Li discussed this idea with Gu Mangran.

  Gu Mangran thought it was feasible.

  But the pity was that Jiang Li was only at peak Profound Immortal. Did he have the qualification—or the boldness—to lead such a powerful force?

  The geniuses from the ancestral land were all Great Emperors or Extreme Emperors.

  In this world, strength ultimately reigned supreme.

  Though Jiang Li shone on the Gold Origin pyramid, his strength was still unimpressive.

  “Let’s ask Young Master Lu. If we can keep these ancestral land geniuses in the Five Phoenix, we might really form a powerful Gold Origin army in a short time.”

  “Tricking people into staying in the Five Phoenix—Young Master Lu is the best at it. If that fails, we’ll do it ourselves. Back then, I had no attachment to the Five Phoenix either, but in the end, I was tricked into staying.”

  Gu Mangran laughed.

  The two headed to Lakeheart Island but were stopped by Ning Zhao and the other maids.

  “Young Master is in seclusion. If there’s anything, wait until he comes out.”

  Ning Zhao said.

  Gu Mangran and Jiang Li exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other’s eyes. Young Master Lu was in seclusion again?

  But their matter wasn’t urgent.

  They asked the reason.

  Ning Zhao hesitated, then told them that Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, Bai Qingniao, and Little Red Dragon had left the Five Phoenix with Tonggu to comprehend Fire Origin mysteries.

  When Jiang Li heard this, his face turned pale instantly.

  Gu Mangran patted his shoulder comfortingly.

  “Don’t worry too much. Bai Qingniao’s strength far surpasses yours now… she likely already has ninth-turn Golden Immortal power. She’s no longer a little girl—she can take care of herself.”

  Gu Mangran consoled him.

  Jiang Li quickly calmed down, his expression complex.

  Indeed, Bai Qingniao had already learned to spread her wings and soar.

  “I hope she returns safely…”

  Jiang Li’s eyes flickered with complicated emotions.

  “If anything happens to Qingniao, I’ll form a Gold Origin army. Even if I exhaust every ounce of strength, I’ll flatten the god-demons!”

  “I’ll make them tremble in fear!”

  …

  On Lakeheart Island, silence reigned.

  Lu naturally sensed Jiang Li and Gu Mangran’s arrival.

  But right now, he had no mind to deal with them.

  Though Lu couldn’t participate in the Fire Origin mystery comprehension this time, that didn’t mean he was helpless.

  Lu Jiulian was Lu’s clone. Though he now had his own consciousness,

  Lu could still connect with Lu Jiulian’s divine soul.

  In short, Lu Jiulian was Lu’s remote viewpoint. Lu could easily see everything happening in the Fire Origin comprehension ground.

  In other words, Lu had planted an eye in the enemy camp.

  Even…

  Lu could comprehend Fire Origin mysteries through Lu Jiulian.

  Leaning back in the Thousand-Blade Chair, Lu propped his chin.

  His Indestructible Fire Body wasn’t yet perfected. If he could comprehend Fire Origin mysteries and use them, he might push the Indestructible Fire Body to perfection.

  Even if not, comprehending Fire Origin mysteries would allow him to infuse some corpse worms with it, creating fake Fire Origin corpse worms to lure fire elemental god-demons.

  If that worked, Lu would profit greatly.

  As for borrowing the Fire Origin statue from the Elemental Gods…

  Lu felt it was better to plan long-term. First mark it for future convenience.

  After all, with so many Elemental Gods, asking to borrow would obviously be refused.

  With this thought.

  Lu grew serious.

  He rolled up his sleeve and placed a piece, focusing on the chessboard.

  If this trip to the Fire Origin comprehension ground was a chess game, Lu’s position was very poor.

  So he needed to find a way to turn the tables from a disadvantaged position.

  From outside the board, change the situation entirely.

  Pop!

  A piece fell.

  Around Lu, Eight Trigrams array words surged powerfully. The scene before him began to change.

  A remote viewpoint centered on Lu Jiulian appeared.

  The image manifested above the pavilion, as though Lu himself were traveling with the group.

  Even Tonggu didn’t notice anything unusual.

  Though invisibly, one more person seemed to have joined the human team.

  Tonggu flew swiftly through the void, tearing space, traveling through spatial turbulence while erasing his trail.

  Soon, he reached the comprehension ground.

  Boom boom boom!

  Terrifying auras from the Elemental Gods erupted.

  Especially the Fire Elemental God—his eyes blazed with killing intent.

  “Tonggu, you really dare come?!”

  “You killed my prized disciple! You dare show your face?!”

  The Fire Elemental God’s surroundings warped. Spatial turbulence seemed incinerated.

  “Old Fire, we’re old acquaintances. Why fall out over a mere disciple?”

  “We’ve known each other for so many years. When you and your disciple were acquainted, I was already friends with you. To be blunt—when we were close, your prized disciple was still just a wisp of qi in the chaos, not even born yet.”

  Tonggu grinned and waved his hand.

  “Don’t be so petty. Have a bigger heart, broader mind—that’s how you live long!”

  Tonggu’s words nearly made the Fire Elemental God explode.

  If not for the other Elemental Gods holding him back, a quasi-saint-level battle might have erupted early.

  The Fire Elemental God endured and snorted coldly. He turned with his new disciple and flew toward the comprehension ground.

  The other Elemental Gods followed.

  Around them, powerhouses from various races streaked past like meteors.

  “Something’s definitely wrong… this trip is truly dangerous.”

  The more Tonggu saw the Fire Elemental God’s reaction, the deeper his frown grew. A bad premonition rose in his heart.

  But he soon sighed.

  No choice. Humanity was weak. Even if it was a sea of fire, they had to dive in.

  He swept his sleeve, releasing the universe within.

  Twenty ancestral land geniuses appeared, along with Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, Little Red Dragon, and Bai Qingniao.

  Tonggu’s gaze fell on the four from the Five Phoenix.

  “This trip might be a deadly sea of fire. There’s risk of death. If you’re afraid, tell me. I’ll send you back.”

  Tonggu said.

  He didn’t ask the twenty ancestral land geniuses. When they left the ancestral land, they had already prepared to die.

  Over the years, countless human geniuses had perished while comprehending mysteries.

  Dantai Xuan glared.

  “My race and theirs are irreconcilable. In my life as Netherworld Emperor, when have I ever feared anything?”

  Dantai Xuan knew about humanity and the starry void’s god-demons.

  He had spoken with Chai Feng and heard too many stories of human powerhouses dying in the starry void, their blood dyeing foreign lands—for humanity’s prosperity.

  Humanity’s rise from weakness to resisting god-demons was built on the blood of martyrs.

  What peaceful times? Only because others bore the burden.

  He, Dantai Xuan, rose from nothing. As a governor, he earned his position through bloodshed. He hated invaders most. Now that foreign enemies were at the gates, how could he flee like a coward?

  Lu Jiulian naturally wouldn’t leave.

  Little Red Dragon was straightforward. Father sent him to cause trouble. The trouble hadn’t even started—how could he run?

  Bai Qingniao shook her head. She wouldn’t retreat either. She was no longer the little girl who trembled at killing.

  She was a person of the Five Phoenix. There was no reason to back down.

  Moreover, Bai Qingniao’s eyes trembled slightly. She stared deep into the comprehension ground.

  She vaguely felt a powerful pull, making her body shiver uncontrollably.

  Perhaps her mysterious technique had some unique connection to the Beast Ancestor statue deep within the comprehension ground?