True Emperor might swept across all the lower four heavens.
This was an apocalyptic calamity for the lower four heavens.
The Heavenly Dao will had absorbed the Dao essence of every world, forging it into chains—allowing its incarnation to step fully into Emperor realm.
Deprived of stabilizing energy, the worlds’ lands began to collapse. Mountains, rivers, lakes—all shattered into countless fragments.
This end-of-days scene weighed heavily on every powerhouse’s heart.
True Immortal and Xuan Immortal ancestors from high-martial worlds unleashed their techniques, protecting the living beings within their realms.
They had no choice—cultivating the Great Luo Immortal Scripture tied their path of fortune to the people.
If all life perished, their cultivation would suffer immense damage.
Fortunately, with True Immortal and Xuan Immortal strength, safeguarding these lives was not difficult.
But everyone’s hearts were heavy.
The Heavenly Dao was heartless—but no one had expected it to be this ruthless.
Now, all the pressure fell upon the Five Phoenixes.
Micah and Gu Mangran were drenched in blood. Though Micah was Quasi-Emperor, he knew full well: against a true Emperor, he had no chance of resisting.
The higher the realm, the vaster the gap.
Quasi-Emperor might bear the word “Emperor,” but it was still far from a true Great Emperor.
“What a pity…”
Micah’s ferocious expression gradually calmed.
Regret and loss filled his eyes.
Failure.
With the Dao incarnation fully in Emperor realm, unless an Ancient Emperor appeared, no one could stop it.
“In the end… failure.”
Micah sighed.
His heart slowly settled.
He looked toward the Five Phoenixes—toward Lu—with faint melancholy.
Such heaven-defying genius… to perish under the Heavenly Dao will…
Even though Lu had chosen to empower himself with the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao,
The current Five Phoenix Dao was still too weak—too young. It could never rival the Heavenly Dao will.
Even with its power, it could not break the shackles the Dao had set—could not step into Emperor realm.
Without Emperor strength, how could it match this Emperor incarnation?
Boom!!!
Terrifying gales howled.
The Heavenly Dao stars began descending. In the Five Phoenix Origin Space, the Dao origin star pulsed with countless strands of Dao essence.
More than a million strands had been gathered—yet only about two hundred thousand had been refined.
Eighty-some thousand remained.
If given enough time to refine them, the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao would surely grow stronger.
Boom!
Every gaze converged.
On the Five Phoenix Continent.
Now, in the void between Void Heaven, Pingyang Heaven, Blood Fiend Heaven, and Yuan Magnetic Heaven, perhaps only the Five Phoenixes remained as a true world.
No one had expected this battle to cause such devastation.
Yet judging by the Heavenly Dao will’s momentum, even the Five Phoenixes might be utterly destroyed under its terrifying assault.
The Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals felt crushing pressure.
Before Emperor might, they dared not even breathe.
Now, the only hope rested on Young Master Lu—could he withstand the Heavenly Dao will’s attack?
They watched intently.
Lu sat cross-legged on the Heavenly Dao star. His aura steadily rose.
The phoenix plume sword thrust forward.
It stabbed toward the massive light palm smashing down from the Dao incarnation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Terrifying explosions seemed to annihilate everything between heaven and earth.
The living beings on the Five Phoenix Continent felt the world plunge into darkness—as though the apocalypse had arrived.
Ding!
The phoenix plume sword clashed with the light palm.
Two forces collided. The void shattered into countless cracks.
Micah stared at the scene.
After a long moment, he shook his head with faint desolation.
“No good… the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao is still too weak…”
“It’s over.”
Emperor power—nothing short of an Emperor could resist it.
With a piercing sound, the phoenix plume sword shattered, scattering into nine streaks of red light that flew back, falling across the Five Phoenix lands.
Lu’s hair whipped wildly. Heavenly Dao power transformed into a true phoenix behind him, wings spread, crying out.
Boom!
The massive light palm slammed down, covering the Heavenly Dao star and completely engulfing Lu’s figure.
The Dao incarnation seemed to smirk.
In the nine heavens, only one will was permitted—the nine heavens’ Dao will. Any other Heavenly Dao must be extinguished.
The world fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared blankly at Lu, swallowed by the light palm.
Was it over?
Even Young Master Lu could not save the situation?
Yet in reality, Lu had been engulfed by immense power—but his situation was far easier than Micah imagined.
The Eight Trigrams Platform emerged. The Eight Trigrams runes floated, forming an array.
Boom!
The massive palm crashed down—yet was blocked by the array. Terrifying shockwaves raged outward, but failed to shatter the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
This was Lu’s trump card: the power of the Eight Trigrams runes from the Transmission Platform to resist Emperor might.
It could hold—but breaking through was far from enough. Lu needed another way.
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His gaze swept across.
He saw shattered worlds—fragments left after their Dao essence was drained.
Countless lives displaced.
To destroy the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao will had revealed extreme coldness and ruthlessness.
But seeing these world fragments, Lu’s gaze flickered.
With his mind split, he used the Eight Trigrams array to block the Dao will’s assault.
Meanwhile, he sank into the Transmission Platform to deduce.
He needed a way to break the deadlock.
Lu did not underestimate Emperor realm strength. At Qi Refining Layer 9, facing an Emperor was still taxing.
That was why he had never intended to expose the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao until he had sufficient power.
This time, its exposure had caught Lu somewhat off guard.
As though…
Someone had deliberately revealed it.
Lu had once speculated whether connecting the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao to mid- and low-martial worlds had affected the world protection barriers.
But seeing how casually the nine heavens’ Dao stripped those barriers, it likely wasn’t the cause.
If not that, then only one possibility remained…
Someone had intentionally exposed the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
Who could it be?
Lu looked up, gaze cold, as though trying to pierce through Void Heaven.
Very likely—one of the Ancient Emperors in the rift.
The possibility was high.
He withdrew his gaze. Even if he had deduced the reason for the exposure, now was not the time to dwell on it.
Some accounts could be settled later.
Right now, he needed to break the deadlock.
In the Transmission Platform, Lu’s thoughts raced. Outside, he used the Eight Trigrams array to hold back the Dao will’s assault. Inside, he deduced.
The Eight Trigrams array was defensively powerful—but Lu was only at Qi Refining Layer 9.
Prolonged defense might eventually be broken.
In Void Heaven,
Micah and the others hovered.
They had thought it was over. Under the Dao incarnation’s full-power strike, the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao would surely collapse.
Lu might even be erased.
After all, this was Emperor-level power.
Yet they were wrong…
The Dao incarnation and the Five Phoenixes had entered a stalemate.
Its relentless attacks were blocked by a mysterious force.
One day. Two days. Ten days. Half a year…
Time passed.
Under Micah’s stunned gaze, the Five Phoenixes held for half a year.
In that time, the nine heavens’ Dao incarnation attacked like a ferocious beast.
Yet it never broke through.
The scene… became somewhat bizarre.
Even more astonishing—the time array covering the Five Phoenixes began operating under Lu’s will. Though it could no longer maintain the peak one thousand to one ratio, it stabilized at one hundred to one.
Compared to the destroyed worlds, the Five Phoenixes not only survived but regained peace. Mortals resumed life. True Immortals, Xuan Immortals, and others returned to cultivation—frantically improving their strength.
They wished to grow strong enough to aid Lu.
The Dao incarnation single-mindedly sought to devour or destroy the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
Thus, under this desperate situation, the Five Phoenixes began cultivating in peace.
Of course—this peace existed only because Lu single-handedly blocked the Dao incarnation’s assaults.
…
After the thousandth deduction, Lu opened his eyes.
He sat cross-legged on the Heavenly Dao star.
For half a year, he had deduced a thousand times—seeking a way to break through. Pure defense was not the solution.
Yet all thousand attempts failed. Not once could he slay the Emperor-realm Dao incarnation.
This gave Lu a clear understanding of Emperor strength.
Emperor realm was truly powerful.
Even if not a true Ancient Emperor—merely the Heavenly Dao will’s incarnation—it still left him helpless.
He exhaled slowly.
Lu looked around—at the dead, silent worlds.
Once bustling with countless lives, the lower three heavens and Void Heaven now held only the Five Phoenixes as a living world.
This apocalyptic scene.
Yet as Lu gazed upon it, a meteor seemed to streak through his mind.
This sight reminded him of Tantai Xuan—destroying the world only to create anew.
He began deducing again. This time, inspiration struck. A clear path formed. He followed it, deducing continuously.
After a long while, Lu opened his eyes.
He had found the method.
But it was far from simple.
“Become one with the Heavenly Dao…”
Lu frowned slightly. The hardest part was merging his divine soul completely with the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
Compared to before, this carried a massive drawback: Lu would lose the chance to start over.
If the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao was destroyed, Lu himself would be severely damaged.
Before, even if the Five Phoenix Dao perished, Lu could detach and create a new world.
Thus, Lu was conflicted.
He sat silently on the Heavenly Dao star.
Vast Dao essence surged around him.
This was a difficult choice—once made, Lu would be forever fused with the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
Lu slowly closed his eyes.
In his mind, countless scenes flashed rapidly.
He recalled his arrival in the Five Phoenixes—the bits and pieces along the way.
He created secret realms, distributed spiritual energy, forged the Dragon Gate, built legacies…
From a speck of dust—a low-martial continent—to today’s top-tier high-martial world, teeming with Xuan Immortals and True Immortals.
Lu had once thought he could stand outside the world, coldly watching the flowers bloom and fall.
But now, he realized he could not.
The Five Phoenixes was not just his effort—it held people he cared about.
He suddenly smiled.
He thought of Tantai Xuan—willing to bear all sin to restore a radiant world.
That was the responsibility he once bore as Human Emperor.
Asking himself honestly: if forced to create another world, could he still pour his heart into it?
Perhaps not.
Once, Lu thought the Five Phoenixes was not unique.
But now, it seemed… in his heart, it truly was.
If it was unique, what was there to hesitate about?
On the silent Heavenly Dao star, Dao essence surged.
Lu smiled.
His heart made its decision.
…
Five Phoenix Continent.
Atop Buzhou Peak, Zhu Long’s closed eyes trembled slightly. She lifted her serene face. Lu’s voice reached her ears.
After a solemn nod, Zhu Long vanished instantly.
In an ancient tomb, Lu Changkong gazed worriedly at the sky. He saw the Dao incarnation relentlessly assaulting the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
Now, the Five Phoenixes’ stability rested entirely on Lu alone.
Suddenly, Lu Changkong’s eyes flickered. Lu’s voice reached him. He narrowed his eyes.
At the same time.
All the Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals received Lu’s transmission.
One by one, they set forth, transforming into streaks of light and soaring beyond the heavens.
They did not ask what Lu intended—they trusted him.
At the boundary between Void Heaven and Pingyang Heaven.
The Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals appeared.
Micah and Gu Mangran arrived as well. They exchanged glances.
They did not know Lu’s plan—but since Lu had transmitted to them, it was surely to break the current deadlock. They dared not delay.
In the upper realms.
The holy clan Saints watched cautiously.
Seeing the Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals take position at the end of Void Heaven—guarding the passage between Void Heaven and Pingyang Heaven—they sneered.
Did these Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals plan to resist the Emperor-realm Dao incarnation?
Mere mantis trying to stop a chariot. No number of Saints could block an Emperor.
Now, with an Emperor-level Dao incarnation present, they dared not easily enter the lower three heavens.
Who knew if they might be possessed by the Dao will and turned into energy supplements?
So no one dared venture down.
Thus, in their eyes, the Five Phoenix Immortals’ actions were pointless. They would be better off gathering strength for a mass escape.
That might offer a slim chance.
…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lu sat cross-legged on the Heavenly Dao star, calmly watching the Dao incarnation.
Its overwhelming aura and pressure were bone-chilling.
Yet Lu smiled.
Others might be unable to merge with the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao—even Zhu Long, who constantly refined it, would find it difficult.
But… Lu was different.
He was the world’s master—having grown alongside the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao. He was the most compatible with it.
His divine soul surged into the origin star. Chaos power erupted.
Lu closed his eyes.
In the vortex of his soul, the Dao monument that once anchored it vanished—replaced by the Heavenly Dao star.
“From this moment… I, Lu Ping’an… am the Heavenly Dao!”
Lu said softly.
Beyond the Five Phoenixes, the nine heavens’ Dao incarnation sensed something. It launched a furious assault.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Terrifying attacks tore open countless spatial rifts.
Yet Lu remained unmoved.
He slowly opened his eyes. Feeling his ascended soul, his expression was calm.
Before him, the Spirit-Pressure Chessboard appeared.
He rolled up his sleeve, picked up a piece, and placed it gently.
“Ten Thousand Immortals Formation—hold.”
Lu said.
His voice was cold and solemn.
But it resounded clearly in the ears of every Five Phoenix Xuan Immortal who stood ready.
With Lu’s words came the detailed formation plan—appearing in their minds.
Buzz…
The Xuan Immortals’ auras erupted. They unleashed their strongest techniques.
Overlord gripped his axe, roaring at the heavens.
Zhu Long opened her eyes—her Yin-Yang divine ability activated.
Tang Yimo opened seven meridians—his body like a giant demon.
Sima Qingshan splashed ink—unfurling his World-Ending Scroll.
In an instant.
Overwhelming auras surged.
The nine heavens’ Dao incarnation—assaulting Lu above the Five Phoenixes—suddenly turned its head and roared in fury.
It raised a fist, smashing toward the Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals.
Lu sat calmly. His hair whipped. His gaze fixed on the Spirit-Pressure Chessboard. The board’s layout was profound. Lu picked up a piece and placed it.
And on the board, the pieces remained—yet the player, Lu, vanished into thin air.
At the edge of Void Heaven.
Lu appeared behind the Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals. His black robes fluttered in the wind.
He raised his hand. Countless strands of Dao essence surged forth—the power of the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
Now, Lu was the Heavenly Dao.
He could command these essences.
The countless strands formed a massive axe. Black-robed Lu gripped the giant axe and raised it high—as though to cleave the nine heavens in two.
Even Micah, who had lived hundreds of thousands of years, was stunned by Lu’s audacity.
He instinctively wanted to refuse—but now, he had no retreat.
The Xuan Immortals erupted with energy. Their auras intertwined, forming the grand formation. A chessboard phantom appeared.
The nine heavens’ Dao incarnation descended. Its terrifying fist smashed down—yet failed to shatter the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation!
Black-robed Lu seized the moment. He raised the axe high.
One swing—like splitting the heavens!
The axe light blazed brilliantly.
As though chopping a great tree!
The nine heavens were cleaved in two. Endless void poured from the rift.
Void Heaven was completely severed from the nine heavens!
Independent—outside the nine heavens!
The Dao incarnation roared in fury—but the Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals, desperately powering the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, held it back. Even as blood soaked their robes, they refused to retreat.
Thus, the Dao incarnation could only watch helplessly as Lu split the heavens.
Vast Dao essence surged from Lu, occupying every corner of Void Heaven.
From this moment, Void Heaven no longer belonged to the nine heavens.
And Lu—the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao—became the sole ruler of Void Heaven!
The Heavenly Dao will, once separated from its domain, lost its ruling power—even its independent existence.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The connection between the Dao incarnation and the nine heavens’ Dao will was violently severed.
Deprived of the Dao will’s support, the incarnation began to collapse!
The upper-realm holy clans and Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals were all stunned.
No one had expected this.
Lu had become one with the Heavenly Dao—making such a decisive move.
One axe split the nine heavens—creating an independent realm!
A desperate reversal!
