Inside the Candle Dragon Gate.
Pitch-black. Silent.
So quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Zhulong stood with her eyes closed, as still and serene as an autumn leaf.
Before her knelt an Immortal-tier god-demon, his face twisted in terror. The Red Dragon Gate had already sealed shut. He knew—he was trapped with no hope of escape.
He was imprisoned in this eerie teleportation passage.
“You…”
The Immortal-tier god-demon trembled, a chill crawling up his spine. Though Zhulong’s aura seemed no stronger than his own, her combat prowess far surpassed that of an elite god-demon from the Elemental Realm. He stood no chance against her.
Worst of all, he felt an overwhelming, soul-deep pressure radiating from her.
Zhulong kept her eyes closed. In the deathly stillness, his words rang out clearly.
She didn’t care. She raised her hand and clenched it.
Boom!
Space seemed to shatter inch by inch.
Darkness swallowed the Immortal-tier god-demon.
“You bullied my little brother,” Zhulong said calmly.
Then she dragged him out of the Candle Dragon Gate, up to the peak of Buzhou Mountain, and ended him.
That Immortal-tier god-demon died the most humiliating death imaginable—all because of a low-tier little mudfish.
Boom!
Zhulong froze. After killing him, a vast surge of destiny suddenly flooded into her. Her aura grew stronger, rising relentlessly…
She could faintly feel herself on the verge of breaking through the shackles of Ninth-Turn Golden Immortal.
Realizing this, she immediately grew serious.
She sat cross-legged on a bluestone slab and entered a meditative state.
Hummm…
The hum of the Great Dao seemed to echo. In the sea of destiny above her head, faint purple qi began to emerge, swirling as if wrapping around her in auspicious vapors.
…
Within the Land of Enlightenment.
The Celestial-tier god-demon was utterly shaken.
The statue… was shrinking!
A bone-deep dread flooded his heart.
This familiar scene made his pulse race.
How had the Golden Origin Beast Ancestor statue vanished last time?
It had shrunk—then been stolen…
Now the same thing was happening again, filling him with inexplicable fear and deep trauma.
The only small comfort was that the person below wasn’t the black-robed figure who had stolen the Golden Origin statue, but a human girl carrying a wicker basket on her back.
Clearly two different people.
Still, he couldn’t take it lightly.
More and more whistling sounds of flight filled the air as figures of god-demons emerged from the sea of flames, swarming toward the Beast Ancestor statue.
Yet the colossal statue suddenly shrank and vanished from their sight, causing many to panic and hasten even faster.
Luoyang led the human geniuses in a frantic rush.
They were racing against the god-demons.
They had to get as close as possible to the statue before the fourth wave of profound ripples spread—every inch closer meant deeper enlightenment.
After Little Red Dragon recovered, he too began moving discreetly.
After Lu Jiulian and Tantai Xuan killed four Great Dao-tier god-demons, the enemy side seemed to quiet down and stopped targeting them specifically, allowing the two to head toward the statue with relative ease.
Tension was building in the Land of Enlightenment.
…
In the void.
A cold, oppressive atmosphere hung heavy, terrifying auras intertwining.
Tonggu Daoist’s robes fluttered as he gripped his whisk, narrowing his eyes with sharp glints flashing within.
The Elemental Gods locked their auras onto him.
After all, the entire purpose of this Land of Enlightenment was to deal with him.
Though they were still waiting for the perfect moment, circumstances had changed, and they began subtly targeting him.
Tonggu Daoist’s expression grew colder; he stopped his usual banter.
His aura surged as he scanned the Elemental Gods warily, on guard against every one of them.
Though only the third wave of profound ripples had passed, the atmosphere had already become unusual.
Tonggu Daoist had to treat it seriously.
A bitter battle was coming.
He felt a headache forming—if full-scale war broke out, how would he get the human geniuses out safely?
Especially Lu Jiulian and Bai Qingniao. Their talent had even surprised him.
Losing such prodigies here would be an unbearable tragedy.
Boom!
Suddenly, the tense silence shattered.
The Celestial-tier god-demon returned in a hurry, his primordial spirit trembling with panic.
“What happened?” the Fire Elemental God asked, eyes narrowing.
“Something went wrong—the massive Beast Ancestor statue suddenly started shrinking…”
After a moment’s thought, the Celestial-tier god-demon spoke.
The scene before the Elemental Gods and Tonggu Daoist changed. An image of the statue’s location appeared.
In the image, the heaven-piercing Beast Ancestor statue that seemed to span the entire small world had vanished.
Only upon closer inspection did they see that the once star-vast statue had shrunk to just over a meter tall.
And it was still shrinking.
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Even the corner of Tonggu Daoist’s mouth twitched.
This scene… it was all too familiar.
Could that black-robed thief have been Bai Qingniao?
No—that didn’t make sense. The black-robed figure’s aura had been completely different from hers.
“The Beast Ancestor statue… is shrinking again?”
“Is this girl the same damned black-robed thief from last time?!”
The Gold Elemental God couldn’t hold back any longer and snarled coldly. Having the Golden Origin statue stolen right under his nose had been a massive blow.
Now the same thing seemed to be happening again.
“No… it’s not the same person.”
“The previous black-robed figure was a male human. This girl is female…”
The Fire Elemental God spoke.
The Gold Elemental God was unwilling to accept it.
“Regardless… this girl must be connected to that black-robed thief. Only he could make the statue shrink!”
“Capture her!”
Unable to restrain himself any longer, the Gold Elemental God erupted with terrifying aura, intending to descend into the Land of Enlightenment.
“Hmph! You plan to break the rules and ignore me?!” Tonggu Daoist’s cold voice rang out.
Yet his eyes had already begun to shine.
He knew exactly who had stolen the Golden Origin Beast Ancestor statue—Lu.
And now, seeing this familiar scene… could Lu be planning to “borrow” the Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue too?
Excitement surged in Tonggu Daoist’s heart. The benefits the Golden Origin statue had brought the human race were enormous. Adding the Fire Origin statue…
The human race would soar!
Still, looking at Bai Qingniao with her wicker basket, he couldn’t help wondering if the girl was Lu in disguise.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
After all, the only person he’d ever seen capable of shrinking a Beast Ancestor statue… was Lu.
Tonggu Daoist’s words boomed like thunder.
His aura exploded, layering the surrounding space.
As a quasi-sage of the human race, he carried the presence he was due.
The Fire Elemental God glanced at him but paid no heed.
“I suspect your human race is cheating…”
The Gold Elemental God said coldly.
“The disappearance of the Golden Origin statue last time was related to your human race. Now you want to steal the Fire Origin statue too? Your appetite is truly insatiable!”
Tonggu Daoist’s eyes widened in fury: “You mangy cur, don’t slander us! The Golden Origin statue had nothing to do with the human race! If I’m lying, may I take disciples and watch every single one die!”
“We will not take the fall for this!”
Tonggu Daoist’s face flushed red with righteous indignation.
The Fire Elemental God nearly spat blood in rage, but before he could speak—
Tonggu Daoist pointed a trembling finger at the scene in the Land of Enlightenment.
“You’re just jealous of our human race producing prodigies like Lu Jiulian and Bai Qingniao…”
“Shameless as always—that’s the god-demon way. If you want an excuse to slaughter our geniuses, at least don’t hide behind lies.”
Tonggu Daoist roared in anger.
As he spoke, he struck with lightning speed, unleashing a divine ability.
Boom!
His attack tore through the surrounding seals, ripping open the void.
The Elemental Gods moved as well.
Terrifying auras clashed.
“Tonggu…”
“This time, you stay here!”
“We’ve long found your incessant chatter annoying. Today… we will kill you!”
Killing intent surged from the Elemental Gods, shattering space and sending chaotic currents raging.
“Heh… ganging up on one?”
“But I’m used to it. The human race has always been used to it…”
“If you want war, then war it is. The human race… has no cowards!”
Boom!
Tonggu Daoist swung his whisk, sweeping across three thousand realms as if to crush eternity and shatter space.
The Elemental Gods unleashed heaven-shaking energy.
The entire void exploded under their intertwined auras!
…
Inside the Land of Enlightenment.
Both god-demon and human camps were closing in on the towering peak.
The god-demon side had nearly two hundred Immortal-tier god-demons, including nearly ten Great Dao-tier…
That was the foundation of the greatest clan dominating the Primordial Star Sky.
The human side now had only sixteen geniuses left, four of them from the Five Phoenixes.
The numbers weren’t even comparable.
Yet the human prodigy Luoyang remained unflinching. Despite the oppressive aura from the god-demons, he single-handedly broke through the pressure, leading the human camp toward the Flame God Mountain.
“Surround them!”
“Originally, a Celestial-tier god-demon scattered the human formation for individual kills, but the unexpected monster Lu Jiulian ruined that plan.”
“Now the higher-ups have ordered us to encircle and slaughter them—no matter the cost.”
God-demons spoke coldly.
Great Dao-tier god-demons led the charge, followed closely by Immortal-tier ones.
Their auras intertwined overhead, forming a prison that sealed in the human geniuses.
Luoyang’s eyes burned red as he gripped his fiery spear, continuously slamming against the barrier, trying to break free.
In truth, the moment he entered the Land of Enlightenment, he had prepared for this kind of oppression. But when it actually happened, unwillingness still gnawed at his heart.
He wanted to bring these human geniuses safely back to the ancestral land.
Having comprehended Fire Origin profound truths here, each of them had a chance to assail the Heavenly Emperor realm upon returning—adding strength to the human race’s future.
Dying here would be pure waste.
But the human race never feared battle.
Since things had come to this—then fight!
“With Brother Jiulian among us, slaying god-demons like chickens, buying us this chance—how could we shrink back?!”
“Kill them together!”
Luoyang roared, his Heavenly Emperor aura exploding, faint innate purple qi swirling around him.
“Fight!”
His spear swept out, crimson light like a blood-red setting sun!
Behind him, the eleven remaining human geniuses bellowed, their Supreme Emperor auras intertwining.
Above the sea of fire, the god-demons grew wary. Having fought humans before, they knew all too well the fearless ferocity humans displayed in battle.
They had avoided encirclement to minimize losses, but now encirclement was their only option—no retreat.
Kill these human geniuses, climb the peak, and slay the girl who had already reached the statue.
Then the human race in this Land of Enlightenment would be completely wiped out.
Their mission accomplished.
Little Red Dragon hid beneath the sea of flames.
He suppressed his aura, covering his mouth, barely daring to breathe.
He desperately wanted to charge out and fight alongside them, but as a newly advanced Golden Immortal with only low-tier god-demon combat strength—what could he do?
He would only throw his life away.
Little Red Dragon knew his limits clearly.
“I can’t die!”
“I can open Dragon Gates. At the critical moment, I can create an escape route for the human side!”
He took a deep breath.
So he had to stay hidden… and reveal his true skill when the time came.
As that scumbag Azure Dragon had said, his weakness might be his greatest advantage here—nobody paid attention to him.
Few god-demons were shameless enough to target the weakest.
Yet even as he thought this, watching the unyielding human geniuses ready to fight against overwhelming odds filled Little Red Dragon with profound sorrow.
If only he were stronger—if he had Big Sis’s power…
He would charge in and slaughter them all!
Just as grief gripped him, his eyes suddenly widened.
He thought he was hearing things.
“Sneak onto the island quietly. Don’t alert anyone.”
A warm, magnetic voice rang in his ear.
Calm, yet it struck him like thunder.
“Dad?!”
Little Red Dragon nearly lost control of his aura in excitement.
It really was Dad!
He really was everyone’s treasure!
After Big Sis, now Dad had come too.
Suppressing his aura, Lu’s voice continued in his ear, laying out a plan.
Little Red Dragon’s breathing quickened; he struggled to contain himself.
Then the voice fell silent.
Determination filled his eyes. Dad was about to do something huge… he couldn’t drag him down.
He would help Dad complete the mission!
Taking a deep breath, he slithered low and unnoticed through the sea of flames toward the mountain.
…
Five Phoenixes Continent.
Lu activated his Fire Indestructible Demon Body, his form becoming a sea of fire.
Fire Origin profound power swirled endlessly within him.
The Fire Indestructible Demon Body had reached a bottleneck—just one step from perfection.
But that final step remained.
Before him, the Spirit Pressure Chessboard glowed.
Lu rolled up his sleeves and placed a piece.
As the piece fell, flames surged.
Perfecting the Fire Indestructible Demon Body was crucial for him.
With no Fire Elemental god-demons left to “fish”…
His only hope now lay with the Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue.
Therefore…
Lu had to find a way to “borrow” it.
…
At the center of the Land of Enlightenment, atop the peak.
Bai Qingniao stared at the shrinking statue in faint astonishment.
Only after it shrank could she finally see its true form.
Her heart jolted.
“This is…”
The statue was a lifelike avian creature.
Phoenix-like, feathers vivid and flowing, divinely majestic. Crafted from unknown material, it seemed carved by divine hands. Its spread wings looked ready to soar at any moment, covered in mysterious profound patterns with crimson flames constantly circulating.
The Fire Origin Beast Ancestor had nine heads, each connected by a long, graceful neck…
Every head’s eyes gleamed, making Bai Qingniao feel as though they were staring straight at her.
“A phoenix with nine heads…”
“This is the Fire Origin Beast Ancestor?!”
Her heart pounded. Could the Nine-Headed True Phoenix be connected to her Nine Phoenix Transformation?
Suddenly, she sensed something.
Turning her head, she saw the battle unfolding between god-demons and the human camp across the sea of fire.
Her brows furrowed.
“Little Phoenix One, Little Phoenix Two… Little Phoenix Nine!”
“Prepare for battle!”
Bai Qingniao stood, her graceful figure radiating fighting spirit.
The human side was clearly at a disadvantage—they needed support.
But just as she prepared to join the fight, a figure shot out of the sea of flames—Little Red Dragon.
A newly advanced Golden Immortal with only low-tier combat strength, he was utterly unremarkable.
Yet he had somehow sneaked all the way to the foot of the peak unnoticed.
Glancing up at Bai Qingniao surrounded by nine fire phoenixes, his eyes lit up.
He remembered Dad’s instructions perfectly.
Transforming into his heavenly dragon form, he coiled before her and relayed Lu’s guidance word for word.
Bai Qingniao was left utterly bewildered.
“What? Just pat the Beast Ancestor statue and that counts as support?”
Is Young Master Lu… serious?
…
The situation was dire. Though the human geniuses fought without fear of death, the pressure was overwhelming.
Against such numbers, escape was impossible.
Even the prodigy Luoyang had prepared himself to die.
Who in life does not die?
Luoyang smiled freely. But before dying, he would drag as many god-demons down with him as possible!
The other human geniuses shared the same heroic resolve.
Death was commonplace in the war between humans and god-demons.
To them, death itself was not frightening.
What was frightening was dying without meaning.
Suddenly—
Above the sea of fire.
A foot stepped down, sending out a ring of flame ripples that swept outward like a tsunami.
Beneath the towering waves of flame, a cold voice drifted across.
“Trying to surround and slaughter human prodigies? Seems my reputation as Lu Jiulian still isn’t fearsome enough.”
The calm, faint voice rang like thunder in the god-demons’ ears.
Lu Jiulian, clad in blood-stained green lotus battle attire with his Green Lotus Sword at his waist, strode forward coldly, stepping atop the waves of fire.
Beside him, Tantai Xuan surged with karmic flames, his aura mighty, gaze burning.
Their arrival was like small boats in vast oceans.
Yet it instantly threw the god-demon side into turmoil!
“It’s the human fiend Lu Jiulian!”
“He’s here… he’s actually alive! He really killed four Great Dao-tier god-demons!”
“Damn it—how is he so fast? After killing four Great Dao-tier experts… isn’t he injured? Doesn’t he need time to recover?”
The god-demon camp grew restless.
Lu Jiulian’s infamous reputation as a fiend struck fear even into the nearly ten Great Dao-tier god-demons present.
After all, even the Fire Elemental God’s disciple, Fire Eye, had died by his hand.
Fire Eye’s strength and talent were unquestionable—yet he had fallen. What chance did they have?
Luoyang and the human geniuses preparing for death froze.
Then overwhelming joy spread across their faces.
“Brother Jiulian!”
Luoyang clenched his fists. Watching the fearful god-demons, endless emotion welled up inside him.
This was true strength…
This was the human fiend!
Wasn’t this the goal every human cultivator strove for?
His name alone intimidated god-demons before he even arrived!
Tantai Xuan’s mouth twitched, but he kept a ferocious expression.
Lu Jiulian, sword at his waist, remained composed.
He seemed to have accepted the truth.
His title as the human fiend was well-earned.
“Come on then… whatever you’ve got, bring it to me, Lu Jiulian.”
He spoke lightly.
He took one step forward.
To their own shock, many god-demons instinctively stepped back.
Luoyang and the human geniuses watched with pounding hearts and clenched fists, breathing rapidly.
So domineering!
Worthy of being the model for our generation of human cultivators!
The god-demons’ faces turned ugly—especially the Great Dao-tier ones.
So many elite god-demons… scared back by a single human Supreme Emperor?
If word got out, the Elemental Gods would beat them to death!
“Brother Jiulian! Don’t worry about us—kill these god-demons…”
“Wipe them all out—not a single one left!!!”
“Brother Jiulian is the best!”
Luoyang roared in excitement, spear pointed forward, charging without hesitation!
Lu Jiulian and Tantai Xuan nearly lost control of their auras.
Wipe them all out… my ass!
Boom boom boom!
Hearing Luoyang’s words, killing intent flared in the god-demons’ eyes.
“The human fiend Lu Jiulian is only one man—we have the numbers! Kill him! We can bury him in bodies!”
“Trading our lives for a human prodigy with quasi-sage potential is worth it!”
The god-demons no longer retreated. Perhaps Luoyang’s shout had reminded them.
Facing the human fiend, retreating meant death, standing meant death…
Better to fight!
“Kill!”
BOOM!!!!!
The sea of fire seemed ready to be torn apart!
Immortal-tier and Great Dao-tier god-demons unleashed their full auras without reservation.
Perfect—they could end the fight quickly and still have time to adjust before the fourth wave of profound ripples. The third wave had only just passed.
After slaughtering the humans, they could meditate on the profound truths in peak condition.
Facing the dense swarm of charging god-demons,
Lu Jiulian’s face darkened.
Tantai Xuan looked at him eagerly, itching for action.
“Jiulian! Time to show your signature move!”
Lu Jiulian: “…”
Staring at the sky full of god-demons,
Lu Jiulian took a deep breath and turned around.
He wasn’t running away—it was a strategic retreat.
…
Atop the peak.
Bai Qingniao looked skeptical.
But it was Young Master Lu’s plan. Even if she doubted Little Red Dragon, she should trust Young Master Lu, right?
If it had been that scumbag Azure Dragon, she absolutely wouldn’t believe it. But Little Red Dragon was an honest heavenly dragon—she knew that.
So Bai Qingniao decided to try.
She walked to the Fire Origin Beast Ancestor statue, took a deep breath,
then activated the Nine Phoenix Transformation in her mind. A flaming palm seemed to manifest.
She slapped the statue hard.
Thump!!!!
The next instant,
the statue shuddered.
Then Fire Origin profound ripples burst from it, sweeping out in an instant.
Bai Qingniao, Little Red Dragon, and others all fell into enlightenment.
…
Thump thump thump!
Just as Lu Jiulian prepared his strategic retreat, his brows suddenly furrowed.
Something stirred in his heart.
He looked toward the peak.
Crimson Fire Origin profound ripples surged like a violent tide, sweeping outward.
Lu Jiulian’s eyes brightened as memories flashed before him.
He suddenly had a guess.
Every time he killed god-demons… it had been while in enlightenment.
Perhaps…
that was the truth!
He killed while in enlightenment!
Clang!
Facing the oncoming horde of god-demons,
Lu Jiulian no longer retreated.
His heart grew calm.
He slowly drew the Green Lotus Sword from its sheath, pointing it forward, expression serene.
The sword—no!
Rather…
Time for the signature move!
Boom!
In an instant, profound ripples swept through, and the Land of Enlightenment fell silent once more.
As if night had descended.
