Tonggu didn’t relax. From the moment he entered the Fire Elemental Realm, his mind tensed.

  The god-demons’ attitude had already revealed everything. This comprehension trip was undoubtedly a nine-deaths-and-one-life endeavor.

  Yet Fire Origin mysteries were the easiest to comprehend. For human geniuses, it was the easiest path to Heavenly Emperor realm.

  So even knowing the tiger awaited in the mountains, he had to go.

  “Let’s go. Just be careful.”

  Tonggu said.

  Then he led the way, turning into streaks of light and heading toward the comprehension ground.

  Ancient stars flew past them rapidly—each one a blazing fireball radiating extreme heat.

  The moment they entered this realm, the temperature rose noticeably.

  Tonggu left the human geniuses behind and flew upward to negotiate with the Elemental Gods and powerhouses from various races.

  The rules for each mystery comprehension ground were different.

  The previous Gold Origin comprehension had been seated on stars. In Lu’s hands, it became a pyramid.

  Same principle.

  This Fire Origin comprehension wasn’t seated on stars either.

  Tonggu returned with a grim expression—almost gloomy.

  He was now absolutely certain: the god-demons’ goal was to slaughter human geniuses.

  He even considered retreating—taking the geniuses and leaving this dangerous place.

  No wonder the god-demons generously offered so many slots.

  They wanted more human geniuses to die.

  Around them, countless eyes turned toward the human side.

  This time’s comprehension rules had already shown the god-demons’ attitude.

  Many powerhouses’ expressions turned playful. Humanity… was probably going to bleed heavily this time.

  So many geniuses dying at once would wound humanity deeply.

  Perhaps this was the Elemental Gods avenging the humiliation of losing the Gold Origin statue last time.

  Though the black-robed figure who caused trouble then didn’t seem aligned with humanity.

  But he was still human.

  Boom boom boom!

  Terrifying divine soul auras surged in the void, making Tonggu’s expression change slightly.

  These auras belonged to heaven-god rank god-demons.

  Tonggu had no doubt—if he tried to take the geniuses and leave now, those god-demons would mercilessly attack.

  His body trembled slightly—from rage.

  Humanity had always been oppressed in the ancient starry void. But this situation filled Tonggu with both helplessness and fury.

  Tonggu didn’t choose to leave with the geniuses. It was no longer a matter of whether he could leave.

  Now there was only one path: let the geniuses enter the comprehension ground.

  And he had to think about how to get them out safely afterward.

  “You must be careful. The god-demons will definitely set traps to kill you inside…”

  “Protect yourselves. Comprehension is secondary—survival is paramount.”

  Tonggu sighed and warned seriously.

  He hadn’t expected the god-demons to be so ruthless.

  But a ruthless light flashed in Tonggu’s eyes. If anything happened to these human geniuses, he wouldn’t let it go. At the very least… he would turn the Fire Elemental Realm upside down and drown it in god-demon blood!

  “This time’s comprehension ground isn’t the star-seated model.”

  “The Fire Elemental God placed the Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue in the center of a small world. Treat that small world as a secret realm. The statue will release waves of mystery ripples. Gathering the sea of mysteries remains the same.”

  “But the closer you are to the statue’s area, the easier it is to gather the sea of mysteries.”

  Tonggu said.

  “However… in this small world… it’s essentially a battlefield. The god-demons can attack you at any time. Remember—survival comes first!”

  “In that small world, heaven-god rank god-demons and quasi-saints are forbidden from intervening. So… everything depends on you.”

  Tonggu’s words made the human geniuses’ expressions change.

  This format was extremely unfavorable to humanity. The previous star-seated model, though unfair, was at least safe.

  This time, it was like throwing humanity into the midst of countless god-demons.

  In the ancient starry void, humans and god-demons were irreconcilable enemies—let alone in a comprehension ground.

  Moreover, gathering a sea of mysteries too prominently could make one a target.

  In other words—the more talented someone was at Fire Origin mysteries, the more likely they were to be hunted.

  Everyone sighed. The situation was worse than imagined.

  “Let’s go.”

  Seeing the god-demons entering the comprehension ground, Tonggu spoke.

  “Be careful. The moment you enter, you might face a terrifying siege.”

  His words made everyone’s faces change.

  But they had no choice. After bidding Tonggu farewell,

  the twenty ancestral land geniuses and the four from the Five Phoenix turned into streaks of light and charged toward the comprehension ground.

  Hum hum hum…

  This time, heaven-god rank god-demons’ powerful divine souls swept over, verifying the participants’ qualifications to prevent another infiltrator like last time in the Gold Origin ground.

  Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, Bai Qingniao, and Little Red Dragon were scanned but allowed through.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Tonggu hovered in the void.

  In the distance, the five Elemental Gods watched coldly.

  “Scan complete. All humans who entered are qualified. Those unqualified have been excluded. This time, no random intruders will slip in.”

  “The black-robed figure who stole the Gold Origin statue last time didn’t appear.”

  The Gold Elemental God said coldly.

  The Gold Origin statue had been stolen right in front of him.

  It was a complete slap to his face.

  So this time, they changed the format to a small world.

  Anyone entering would be screened.

  The five Elemental Gods exchanged glances, then looked at Tonggu in the distance with cold killing intent.

  Humanity’s rise was too fast—it threatened the god-demons’ dominance in the ancient starry void.

  So this time, if the twenty-four human geniuses plus Tonggu were all killed,

  it would be a devastating blow to humanity.

  Even if it sparked war between humans and god-demons in the starry void—they didn’t care.

  Humanity… needed harsher suppression!

  In the void, powerhouses schemed against each other.

  …

  Lu sat in the Thousand-Blade Chair. The scene before him showed everything Lu Jiulian saw.

  Frowning, Lu felt the difficulty of this comprehension ground.

  “These god-demons learned their lesson. They overhauled the comprehension ground and changed the rules—like guarding against thieves.”

  Fortunately, unlike last time, Lu didn’t sneak in personally.

  If he tried the same trick again, it would be much harder.

  The god-demons would be instantly alert.

  In Lu Jiulian’s perspective, the scene before Lu kept changing.

  Soon, they entered the teleportation passage.

  The transmission felt like stars flowing and constellations shifting.

  After a long while,

  the twenty ancestral land geniuses and Dantai Xuan’s group appeared in a world of flames.

  Fire seas roiled everywhere. Surging flames twisted like fire dragons.

  But the moment they stabilized,

  Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, and the others’ expressions changed.

  Boom!

  Above their heads appeared a massive flaming claw.

  The giant claw was entirely formed of flames, interwoven with terrifying mystery power.

  “Damn it!”

  Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, Bai Qingniao, and the others’ faces changed.

  The ancestral land geniuses were furious.

  This was the heaven-god rank god-demon responsible for scanning them!

  The terrifying claw carried deathly intent.

  If they didn’t dodge, they’d be crushed to death!

  “Scatter! Run!”

  The geniuses instantly decided.

  The next moment, auras surged. They turned into streaks of light and scattered in all directions as the claw descended!

  Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, and the other Five Phoenix participants also dispersed.

  The tightly united human side was forcibly split apart!

  …

  In the void, Tonggu saw this and rage erupted.

  “You want war?!”

  Tonggu’s killing intent surged. He stood surrounded by terrifying spatial mystery fluctuations.

  But the Fire Elemental God saw Tonggu’s fury and smiled.

  “What’s the rush? No one’s dead—just scattered.”

  The Fire Elemental God laughed.

  If the human geniuses stayed united, they’d be hard to deal with—even if god-demons acted, there would be casualties.

  Those qualified for mystery comprehension were geniuses to the god-demons too.

  So the god-demons couldn’t afford heavy losses either.

  But if humanity scattered and couldn’t reunite, the stronger individual god-demons could pick them off one by one.

  As long as they killed before the humans regrouped.

  How could Tonggu not understand their plan?

  He was furious—but powerless.

  This was humanity’s reality. The rules were set by them—so they could only obey.

  Tonggu’s eyes reddened.

  Humanity really needed to grow stronger. One day, they had to make and enforce their own rules!

  Of course, right now, Tonggu was worried about those who had entered the small world.

  …

  The heaven-god rank claw was terrifying. Even the geniuses and Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouses couldn’t muster any resistance.

  After all, heaven-god rank equaled quasi-saint.

  The only consolation was that the claw was casual—not deliberately locking space to kill them.

  Still, it intentionally scattered everyone.

  The four from the Five Phoenix were also separated.

  Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, Bai Qingniao, and Little Red Dragon were all split apart.

  This small world was strange. Space twisted continuously.

  Each twist teleported people unpredictably. Regrouping was nearly impossible.

  But one thing was certain: everyone’s goal was the statue’s location. Heading toward the Beast Ancestor statue was always right.

  Lu Jiulian landed. The slender Azure Lotus Sword hung at his waist. His brows furrowed.

  “Chaos.”

  “They scattered us… to pick us off one by one?”

  Lu Jiulian exhaled slowly. He was now ninth-turn Golden Immortal, but in this small world comprehension ground, that strength meant little.

  Almost everyone here was immortal-rank—some even great-path rank.

  The pressure was immense…

  “These god-demons planned well. Scatter us, then kill one by one. Easier than fighting us together.”

  “And with that heaven-god rank god-demon secretly controlling, god-demons in the comprehension ground will be guided to find isolated human geniuses.”

  “For now, the only way is to regroup quickly. Strength in numbers.”

  Lu Jiulian’s eyes flickered. Then he tightened his grip on the Azure Lotus Sword and strode forward.

  This was a world of flames. Fire seas surged. In the center stood a massive mountain. Atop it loomed the enormous Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue.

  Lu Jiulian glanced once and determined the direction, rushing toward the Fire Origin statue.

  But deep down, Lu Jiulian felt something strange.

  It seemed… someone was following him.

  Boom!

  As he flew far, the fire sea exploded.

  An immortal-rank god-demon had been lying in ambush beneath the flames, waiting to strike when he wasn’t paying attention.

  Lu Jiulian’s brows furrowed.

  Now at Extreme Emperor combat power—after all, he was ninth-turn Golden Immortal—he wasn’t afraid.

  The immortal-rank god-demons qualified to enter the comprehension ground were no weaklings. They had powerful divine abilities.

  And the opponent didn’t underestimate Lu Jiulian.

  Humans and god-demons had restrained each other for countless years. Neither side underestimated the other.

  Humanity… had no weaklings!

  Boom!

  “Die!”

  This was a massive creature. Countless flames surged, forming an interwoven net of fire.

  The Azure Lotus Sword unsheathed. Sword light slashed out.

  In his hand, a seven-colored furious lotus rapidly condensed and was thrown along with the sword light.

  A heaven-shaking explosion erupted in the fire sea!

  The immortal-rank god-demon withstood the seven-colored lotus explosion and charged forward, clashing with Lu Jiulian above the fire sea.

  Flames roiled. Fire seas surged.

  The two fought fiercely.

  Lu Jiulian had broken through with perfect foundation, so his combat power was solid.

  The immortal-rank god-demon grew more shocked the longer they fought.

  He hadn’t underestimated Lu Jiulian—yet he was still stunned by Lu Jiulian’s strength.

  Perhaps the battle fluctuations attracted more immortal-rank god-demons.

  Lu Jiulian’s expression grew colder.

  He couldn’t die.

  He, Lu Jiulian, had family too. If he died here, how heartbroken would they be?

  So Lu Jiulian prepared for a fight to the death.

  Dong dong dong…

  Suddenly, deafening sounds like evening drums and morning bells echoed.

  From the center of the small world.

  Then the fire sea rippled. Vast Fire Origin mystery waves surged from the Beast Ancestor statue.

  “It’s the first wave of Fire Origin mystery ripples!”

  The mystery waves swept past.

  The god-demons—and Lu Jiulian’s mind—calmed. They began comprehending the Fire Origin mysteries…

  The tense battle instantly… quieted.

  Not just Lu Jiulian—almost everywhere fell into the same situation.

  Lu Jiulian began comprehending Fire Origin mysteries.

  He didn’t understand why Lu sent him to comprehend fire mysteries—he wasn’t skilled in fire-attribute combat.

  But he trusted Young Master Lu.

  He closed his eyes.

  Above Lu Jiulian’s head, a sea of mysteries slowly formed. Not just him—the surrounding god-demons did the same.

  The atmosphere became strangely calm.

  Watching remotely, Lu was surprised—then laughed.

  He thought Lu Jiulian was at a disadvantage and was about to intervene.

  But unexpectedly… the Beast Ancestor statue’s mystery waves forced the god-demons and Lu Jiulian into a temporary truce.

  “You may truce with Jiulian, but you haven’t truced with me, Lu Ping’an…”

  Lu sat in the Thousand-Blade Chair, eyes gleaming.

  He rolled up his sleeve and placed a piece.

  A crisp sound echoed on the chessboard.

  Hum…

  The phantom image beside Lu Jiulian faintly overlapped with Lu Jiulian.

  Lu Jiulian continued comprehending.

  But Lu controlled Lu Jiulian’s body. Gripping the Azure Lotus Sword, he tiptoed toward a god-demon comprehending with a flushed face.

  Puff!

  White blade in, red blade out…

  The Azure Lotus Sword trembled slightly, carrying Lu’s divine soul fluctuation as it erupted.

  The immortal-rank god-demon’s soul was instantly obliterated. Only the body remained.

  Even the Fire Origin mystery sea the god-demon had painstakingly comprehended was completely sucked away by an unseen force.

  Pulling out the Azure Lotus Sword, Lu controlled Lu Jiulian’s body and systematically killed the other god-demons who had surrounded him.

  Though Lu hadn’t comprehended Fire Origin mysteries, by devouring these god-demons’ mystery seas, he formed his own Fire Origin mystery sea.

  Above White Jade Capital pavilion.

  Above Lu’s head, a sea of mysteries gradually took shape.

  Lu’s expression turned strange. His eyes gleamed. He never expected to smuggle Fire Origin mysteries out through such a covert method.

  Lu felt he had found a low-key way to grow rich.

  Looks like he needed Lu Jiulian to attract more god-demons. But wouldn’t that be too cruel…

  Lu hesitated.

  In the comprehension ground.

  When the first wave of mystery ripples dissipated.

  Lu Jiulian opened his eyes. Above his head, the Fire Origin mystery sea reached eight thousand li in diameter.

  But Lu Jiulian didn’t focus on that. He frowned. His aura turned sharp and cold.

  After all, before comprehending, he had been in a dangerous battle.

  God-demons were still surrounding him to kill him!

  But soon, seeing the surroundings, Lu Jiulian froze.

  He looked at the bloodstained Azure Lotus Sword in his hand, utterly confused.

  Around him, the god-demons who had surrounded him were now cold, lifeless corpses.

  Their souls shattered. The Fire Origin mystery vortices above their heads had vanished.

  What happened?

  Looking at the bloodied Azure Lotus Sword, Lu Jiulian fell silent for a long time.

  Did he do this?

  One sword killing four immortal-rank god-demons.

  Why… did he feel no satisfaction at all?

  His heart felt extremely empty.

  And faintly… he had the feeling of taking the blame.