Boom!
The void tore open.
A colossal rift stretched between heaven and earth, like a vast cloth sliced by a razor-sharp blade.
The waters of the Bitter Sea surged forth in torrents.
Endless floods poured from the Underworld, roaring like landslides and earthquakes.
Rumble!
The sky darkened instantly. Black clouds gathered, as though the Heavenly Dao sensed something unprecedented.
Behind the clouds came torrential rain.
Countless spears of water fell, each drop slicing through the void with horrifying arcs.
Tantai Xuan hovered in midair—one hand holding a book forged from karmic power, the other pointing toward heaven and earth.
His actions were utterly mad, yet his eyes remained perfectly clear.
Just as he had thought:
If he could not change this era, then he would destroy it.
When the mountain flowers bloomed again, he would forge a new, radiant world!
Tantai Xuan knew well that changing these corrupted people was impossible.
Perhaps it could be done—but it would take him centuries, millennia, or even tens of thousands of years.
And even then, success was not guaranteed.
He did not have that much time. Lu had not given him that much time.
So he chose the most extreme path.
Even if it meant bearing countless sins upon himself—so what?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Across the Five Phoenix Continent, powerful auras shot skyward.
One figure after another rose into the air.
Overlord carried his axe and shield, eyes blazing as he looked into the distance.
He saw the scars in the sky—the Heavenly Rift—from which endless Bitter Sea water poured.
Beyond the rift lay the Underworld. Countless ghostly soldiers stood ready.
“Tantai Xuan… have you gone mad?!”
Overlord’s pupils shrank as he shouted.
Tang Yimo, Sima Qingshan, and the other Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals also ascended.
They spoke out.
But Tantai Xuan shook his head.
He pointed at the land, eyes shining.
“Stay out of my way.”
His voice fell.
He waved his hand.
Clang! Clang!
From beyond the rift came the sound of armor. The lords of the other nine Underworld cities had long prepared their armies.
If Overlord and the others dared interfere, Tantai Xuan would fight without hesitation.
“You sealed your mountains because you could no longer bear this world, didn’t you?”
Tantai Xuan shook his head. “Every cause has its effect. All of this happened because the Tantai family failed. I alone must bear it.”
Boom!
Mountains and rivers collapsed. The earth tilted.
The Bitter Sea flood surged outward with unstoppable force, swallowing everything.
Sima Qingshan hovered in the void, expression grave.
All cultivation sects used their methods to seal their mountains, protecting themselves from the flood.
Screams of agony echoed endlessly.
The walls of a great city were shattered by the descending Bitter Sea water, collapsing instantly.
The humans within—rich and poor, cruel and cunning—wailed in despair.
Yet.
In the face of such heaven-like power,
Mortals were pitifully small.
The Bitter Sea consumed them. Their bodies corroded into ghosts, wailing as they floated and sank.
“Tantai Xuan… he’s trying to end the world!”
Sima Qingshan murmured.
He raised his hand, using spiritual energy as ink to paint a scroll.
The scroll depicted the scene before them.
Tantai Xuan drawing the Bitter Sea from the Underworld to drown this filthy era.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The flood continued to rise.
Southern Domain, Eastern Sun Domain, Western Domain, Northern Domain…
Everywhere except the cultivation sects was swallowed by the deluge.
The sight of mountains and rivers overturned sent chills down spines.
Overlord and the other Xuan Immortals watched in silence.
The Five Phoenixes had lost human fortune. Rulers without virtue rose endlessly. Chaos engulfed the land.
They had all felt and witnessed this reality.
But what could they do?
Just as Tantai Xuan could not change the era, neither could they.
With their strength, destroying an era was easy—but what then?
Leave the world a lifeless wasteland?
Moreover, the sin of world-ending was something even Xuan Immortals could not bear. They lacked Tantai Xuan’s resolve.
Perhaps this was why he had once been the Human Emperor.
“Madman…”
Atop Heavenly Mechanism Peak.
Mo Tianyu stood with hands behind his back, chest bared, sighing deeply.
“But he has always been a madman.”
On this day, the world wailed. The Bitter Sea collapsed and poured down. The power of the Underworld swept the earth, harvesting countless souls.
This was a reincarnation—from one era to another.
Tantai Xuan stood motionless in the void, holding the karmic book, gazing calmly across the land.
In the vast sea.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Within an ancient tomb.
Gu Mangran was silent for a long time before sighing, “Truly ruthless.”
Atop a blessed mountain.
Micah’s avatar watched the scene and drew a deep breath. “This man… is a true figure.”
On the island in Origin Lake.
Lu clearly saw Tantai Xuan’s decision.
That decisive resolve even surprised him.
So domineering—even bearing all the sin alone.
To Lu, only two words could describe it: ruthless enough.
But in truth, this was the only way.
When all the world was tainted, one drop of clear water—no matter how hard you tried—could never purify an ocean.
So Tantai Xuan had no choice.
As King of the Underworld, he was perfectly suited for this.
Drawing the Bitter Sea to drown the world.
But this was only the beginning. Destroying the world was easy—creating one was hard.
Lu would continue to watch.
A flicker of interest gleamed in his eyes.
…
The great flood surged relentlessly.
It engulfed the entire territory of the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty.
In the Demon Court, every demon stared in shock at the flood that washed away everything.
When the waters flowed past their borders, the Demon King’s heart clenched.
Fortunately, the Demon Court’s fortune was strong, protecting them from destruction.
But the sight left a deep impression on all demonkind.
Sima Qingshan gained insight. Using spiritual energy as ink, he painted scroll after scroll.
Each painting came alive.
One depicted the world-ending flood descending, countless beings wailing within.
He named it Scroll of World’s End.
Upon completion, it shone with seven-colored radiance, blessed by the Heavenly Dao, becoming a saint-ancestor-level weapon.
Yet Sima Qingshan paid it no mind. He put it away and stared at Tantai Xuan.
He continued painting.
In the scroll:
Tantai Xuan stood against the sky, brows cold. One hand held the book of life and death, the other pointed at the vast land.
Beneath his feet, countless vengeful souls piled up—sin incarnate, like evil spirits clawing at his legs, trying to drag him into the abyss.
Karmic power surged like rivers around him, yet countless flames burned—karmic fire scorching his body.
Countless Five Phoenix Immortals and cultivators hovered in the air.
They stared in silence.
Nie Changqing, Dragon-Slayer at his waist, was at a loss for words.
The world-ending flood covered the entire Great Xuan territory.
All within were swallowed.
A black-sailed bronze ship drifted along the Bitter Sea from the Underworld.
It floated across the vast ocean.
Tantai Xuan had placed all the infants he marked in the book onto the ship.
The vessel was enormous.
The infants, still in swaddling clothes, gazed with pure light. Torrential rain fell, yet not a drop touched the ship.
Soon, cries rose from within.
Tantai Xuan’s eyes shone.
He crossed the void to the vast sea and summoned Luo Mingyue.
Luo Mingyue carried her pipa and boarded the black-sailed ship. She sang softly.
The gentle melody enveloped the vessel, lulling the infants to sleep.
When they awoke, perhaps the world-ending flood would already be over.
The children slept.
The rift Tantai Xuan had torn open slowly healed.
The calmed Bitter Sea flowed quietly, gradually becoming clear—revealing everything beneath its surface.
Insects, birds, beasts, mountains, and forests all remained lush and green.
Only humans had vanished—transformed into ghosts and swept away by the Bitter Sea.
Tantai Xuan sat cross-legged in the sky.
The flood lasted seven days. On the seventh day, he opened his eyes.
Bearing countless sins, he sought Bai Qingniao at Nine Phoenix Academy.
He asked her to lead her nine fire phoenixes across the Five Phoenix Continent and evaporate the Bitter Sea waters.
Bai Qingniao looked complicatedly at Tantai Xuan—scorched by karmic fire and laden with sin—yet agreed.
With a command, Little Phoenix One through Nine.
The nine chicks ran, then transformed into nine fire phoenixes soaring through the sky.
Like nine blazing suns, they radiated extreme light and heat, circling the world for thirty days, evaporating the Bitter Sea waters.
When the flood was gone, the land returned to normal.
As for the infants on the black-sailed ship—
Having done all this, Tantai Xuan restrained his aura, becoming an ordinary old man.
He brought the children to a deep mountain.
Though karmic fire scorched his body and soul every day, he remained patient with the infants.
He smiled kindly, raising them.
Many cultivators and Five Phoenix Immortals watched in silence.
Years passed quickly.
The children grew up, and Tantai Xuan quietly departed.
He hid in the sky, watching these newborn humans.
Watching the hope of humanity begin to multiply.
Soon, a tribe formed in the deep mountains.
The tribe grew stronger. The children matured, bore offspring.
Gradually, some ventured out of the mountains.
They saw the outside world. More and more people grew.
During this time, Tantai Xuan began regathering human fortune.
Without the corrupted masses, gathering human fortune became much easier.
Over several years, he traveled the former Great Xuan territories.
Little by little, he collected the human fortune that Tantai Mojie had destroyed.
It formed a soaring dragon, stretching between heaven and earth.
Coiling across the Five Phoenix Continent.
The Demon Court began migrating into this land. How could they miss such fertile territory?
Demons also needed to multiply.
But the Demon King feared Tantai Xuan—a Xuan Immortal, standing at the peak of the Five Phoenixes and even the nine heavens.
So they migrated cautiously, watching for his reaction.
In the end, demons spread across the Five Phoenix Continent, multiplying as well.
Tantai Xuan ignored them.
Not because he did not care—but because he needed the demons to stimulate the newborn humans.
Soon, demons and newborn humans met.
The newborn humans were wary of these strange demons but bore no malice.
But the demons hated the cunning humans. The moment they met, battle erupted.
The humans were injured and banded together against the demons.
They chose a leader. Under the leader’s command, they resisted the demons.
In this struggle, humanity grew stronger.
Human fortune was steadily gathered by Tantai Xuan, rising into the sky.
Cultivators grew restless.
Why?
Because these newborn humans were blank slates—perfect for teaching.
Transmitting the Dao could bring fortune. What a precious opportunity for growth.
But Tantai Xuan stood in the world, forcing all sects that wished to descend and teach back into their mountains.
Out of fear of Tantai Xuan’s strength, the Five Phoenix Immortals and cultivators did not oppose him.
Tantai Xuan personally went to the northern snowfields and invited Kong Nanfei.
He wanted Confucian teachings to influence the newborn humans.
Kong Nanfei naturally agreed.
He led hundreds of Confucian scholars along a river of vast righteousness into the Five Phoenix Continent.
They taught the newborn humans benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom…
Meanwhile, Tantai Xuan went west and invited Ding Jiudeng to send his monks across the Five Phoenixes to spread Buddhist truths.
Having done all this, Tantai Xuan continued watching the development of the newborn humans.
Karmic fire had burned him for decades.
Yet he paid it no mind, even as his aura grew steadily weaker.
He watched the changes in humanity with joy.
The humans chose a common tribal leader. Under his guidance, they overcame obstacles and resisted the demons.
They excavated relics left by the world-ending flood.
With these, they established a glorious golden age.
Tribes united. Soon, a great city was built.
Decades later, under the teachings of Kong Nanfei and others, the new human civilization took shape. Though their numbers had dwindled, they were no longer tainted by six desires, evil, and sin—no longer a living hell.
Now, everything flourished.
Finally, the third-generation leader was chosen as Human Emperor.
This young emperor was full of vitality, leading humanity against the demons.
In the struggle, humanity’s spirit united as one.
Only then did Tantai Xuan descend.
On the island in Origin Lake.
Lu watched this creation-era transformation, surprise gradually filling his eyes.
The Spirit-Pressure Chessboard shimmered faintly.
Lu picked up a piece and slowly placed it—granting Tantai Xuan the authority to distribute human fortune.
Tantai Xuan seemed to sense it. By now, he had been scorched by karmic fire for decades and looked extremely aged.
His appearance startled the young Human Emperor.
But the retired old leader recognized him—the “grandfather” who had raised them as children.
The old leader had thought the old man had long since died.
Yet here he was, alive.
Tantai Xuan smiled kindly and patted the young emperor’s head. Then, from the human fortune dragon, he drew a strand and infused it into him.
“Remember: as Human Emperor, with fortune upon you, your cultivation lies in leading your people to better lives. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it…”
Tantai Xuan said.
The young emperor pondered deeply. When he wanted to ask more,
Tantai Xuan had already departed.
He did not give the emperor all the dragon qi.
He granted only ten percent—enough.
After the lesson of Tantai Mojie, Tantai Xuan knew the emperor could not hold all the fortune.
Yet without a holder, human fortune would slowly dissipate over time.
Tantai Xuan thought for days.
He could find no solution.
So he set out to sea and ascended the island in Origin Lake.
When he stepped onto the island, his heart was uneasy.
He did not know how Young Master Lu would view his actions.
Lu looked at Tantai Xuan with complex emotions. He had not expected such resolve—such vast change for humanity within a century.
Destroying a dark era, ushering in a dawn of hope.
Lu personally poured Tantai Xuan a cup of wine.
“This is Heavenly Immortal Wine. It can dispel the karmic fire and sin upon you.”
Lu said.
But to Lu’s surprise, Tantai Xuan refused.
“This karmic fire is my due… I ended an era. The Heavenly Dao punishes me. That is fair. My heart is at peace.”
Tantai Xuan smiled lightly.
But he had not forgotten his purpose.
He asked Lu if there was a way to prevent the dissipation of human fortune.
Lu smiled. Having observed the world, he had known Tantai Xuan’s purpose all along.
Seated in his thousand-blade chair, clad in snow-white robes, Lu flicked his sleeve.
Seven small, cracked cauldrons appeared before Tantai Xuan.
Each cauldron radiated rich fortune and the aura of dire beasts, causing Tantai Xuan’s expression to shift.
“These are the seven small cauldrons Tantai Mojie used to seal dire beasts. I melted them down and forged four. Use them to suppress human fortune so it does not scatter.”
With that,
Lu flicked his finger.
A flame shot forth. The seven cauldrons melted and reformed into four bronze cauldrons.
Each shone with auspicious light.
One bore the image of a soaring divine dragon, roaring through the nine heavens.
Another showed a spreading Vermilion Bird, crying brightly in flames.
The other two bore White Tiger and Black Tortoise.
Four cauldrons, four divine beasts.
Tantai Xuan’s eyes shone. After thanking Lu, he departed with the four cauldrons.
He headed north and placed one in Buzhou Peak.
Westward, he buried one in the boundless desert.
Southward, he buried one in the Southern Domain’s primordial forest.
Eastward, he buried one at the bottom of the Eastern Sea.
The four cauldrons suppressed human fortune, ensuring it would no longer dissipate.
The Five Phoenix Immortals ascended and saw human fortune anchored by the four cauldrons—no longer scattering!
Tantai Xuan hovered in the nine heavens, back bent, sin like a mountain pressing down, karmic fire burning like a volcano.
He smiled.
He lifted the order forbidding cultivation sects from contacting the newborn humans.
He watched sect after sect eagerly emerge from their mountains, contacting the new humans, transmitting cultivation methods and the Dao, gaining human fortune.
A prosperous, flourishing human golden age returned.
Tantai Xuan smiled, turned, and tore open the void.
The Hell Hound’s head emerged. Tantai Xuan stepped onto it, sat cross-legged, back to all living beings, bearing countless bones and souls of the dead, and returned to the Underworld.
Thus, a golden age returned. The Human Emperor endured.
