The scene seemed to freeze in time.
The God of Earth Element had charged forward aggressively, even resorting to the Beast Ancestor Statue to shatter the array—the fastest and most decisive method.
He had been certain of success, confident he could easily breach the defensive formation built with the lives of human array masters and crush the one comprehending the Saint-Slaying Array.
Yet he never expected the aura of the Saint-Slaying Array to suddenly converge and vanish.
His heart sank.
As an elemental god long accustomed to clashing with human Saint-Slaying Arrays, he knew exactly what this meant: the human array master had very likely succeeded in comprehending it.
Shock gripped him. So quickly?
Besides the fallen Xiaoyao Zi, was there truly another human capable of deciphering a Saint-Slaying Array in such a short time?
Killing intent surged within him.
When Zhulong prepared to meet the Beast Ancestor Statue head-on, he didn't even bother stopping her.
She was courting death—unless the Black-White Empress intervened...
But if the Empress acted, the gods-and-demons Emperor would not stand idly by.
However, just as the statue was about to collide with Zhulong, spatial principles rippled. Someone stepped in front of her and caught the Beast Ancestor Statue bare-handed...
What the hell?!
The God of Earth Element's eyes narrowed further.
How was this possible?
This was the Earth Origin Beast Ancestor Statue—containing the might of a Saint, in human terms. A mere touch should reduce one to dust.
Yet this white-robed youth had caught it with his bare hands.
And somehow, it left the God of Earth Element feeling an inexplicable emptiness inside.
As if the hard-earned connection he had forged with the statue had been severed in an instant.
Like the statue... had found a more alluring master and switched allegiance without hesitation...
That moment left him hollow and nearly driven mad by the loss.
"Congratulations, Host, on acquiring an adorable little Beast Ancestor Statue."
The system prompt that popped up made Lu feel a surge of strangeness.
Adorable, my ass...
This worked too?
The God of Earth Element's standing in the statue's eyes must have been pathetically low—dumped in a second?
Originally, Lu had intended to use the lingering will of the Saint who had played chess with him—the remnant power from the Saint-Slaying Array—to block the statue.
He hadn't anticipated this... accident.
It truly was an accident. Lu hadn't even entertained the thought of claiming the statue at first.
After all, it was controlled by an elemental god; he had no confidence he could seize it easily.
But the moment he made contact, the system prompt brought him unexpected delight.
Lu narrowed his eyes.
His white robes fluttered as the rubbings of the Saint-Slaying Array floated behind him.
Faintly, a Saintly silhouette seemed to manifest at his back.
The instant the God of Earth Element felt that jolt in his heart, he sensed something wrong and tried to reclaim the Earth Origin Beast Ancestor Statue.
But he found the statue he had hurled out was no longer responsive.
Lu's hand, which had caught it, suddenly tightened and pulled.
The God of Earth Element's face darkened instantly.
This guy... was trying to steal the Earth Origin Beast Ancestor Statue!
Such audacity!
Such arrogance!
Yet when he got a clear look at Lu's face, his heart clenched. This human looked vaguely familiar.
Wasn't this the one who had snatched the Gold Origin and Wood Origin Beast Ancestor Statues?!
"It's you?!"
The God of Earth Element growled.
Recognizing Lu, his wariness spiked.
This young man had taken two statues right under the noses of the Gods of Gold and Fire Elements—he was no ordinary foe.
Suddenly, the God of Earth Element felt his hold on the Earth Origin Statue growing unsteady.
He regretted exposing it.
But without it, breaking the array built by those human array masters would have been nearly impossible.
He felt trapped in a dead end of his own making.
In the end, it was all the humans' fault!
"Get lost!"
A furious roar erupted.
The God of Earth Element unleashed his peak Quasi-Saint aura. Surrounding mountains exploded, rocks thundering and tumbling down.
Lu pressed the hand shielding Zhulong a bit harder.
Zhulong, Ning Zhao, Ni Yu, Yi Yue, and the others were pushed far back.
The few remaining array masters, like Xuan Yue, ceased maintaining the formation.
They collapsed to the ground, divine souls and vitality depleted, yet their eyes burned with fanaticism as they gazed at Lu, who had effortlessly stopped the Beast Ancestor Statue.
"He comprehended it..."
"He actually comprehended it!"
Tears of joy streamed down Xuan Yue's face. She looked around at the seated array masters, their faces still etched with hope, feeling a mix of exhilaration, sorrow, and pride.
These masters had died worthily. Their sacrifices would echo through human history!
"It's the young master!"
Ni Yu beamed with excitement, her black pot on her back, nearly jumping for joy.
Ning Zhao and Yi Yue breathed sighs of relief.
Seeing the young master emerge brought an inexplicable sense of security—as always, he was their unbreakable pillar.
Everyone retreated to the lake heart island.
Zhulong panted heavily, gazing at Lu's back as he faced the God of Earth Element, feeling profoundly reassured.
Her adoptive father was truly her steadfast mountain.
Far more reliable than the Black-White Empress.
The Black-White Empress, watching the confrontation with interest, unexpectedly caught this thought from Zhulong.
It left her speechless.
So all the inheritance she had painstakingly bestowed had gone to waste?
In what way was she inferior to that cheap adoptive father?!
Too lazy to bicker with the girl, the Empress turned her curiosity to Lu. This kid... had actually comprehended the Saint-Slaying Array in such a short time.
Saint-Slaying Arrays were no easy feat—even with the Time Array's acceleration on the Five Phoenix.
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The Dao of Saints was profound and unfathomable. Each Saint rivaled chaos-tier gods and demons, supreme beings of the Primordial Starry Sky qualified to guard the depths of chaos!
Comprehending a Saint-Slaying Array was beyond most.
Yet Lu had done it so swiftly.
This largely proved he possessed the potential of a Saint.
Moreover, this comprehension would elevate his soul to the third level, becoming capital for his ascension to Sainthood.
"But you're not a Saint yet. Deploying the Saint-Slaying Array requires time... How will you deal with this God of Earth Element?"
The Black-White Empress folded her arms across her chest, accentuating her ample curves.
In pure personal strength, she was certain Lu was no match for the elemental god.
Though he wielded Quasi-Saint combat power, Quasi-Saints varied in tiers.
With the Five Phoenix Bow, Lu could at best contend with veterans like Old He. Against a peak Quasi-Saint... he fell far short.
Boom!
The atmosphere grew heavy.
In the void, figures hovered silently, hardly daring to breathe.
Luoyang, blood-soaked and gripping his Flame-Tipped Spear, burned with rage and killing intent.
Seeing Lu emerge, he exhaled slowly.
Yet he held little hope—Lu's strength was still vastly inferior to an elemental god's.
After all, Lu himself wasn't even a true Quasi-Saint.
How could he compete without reaching that realm?
Dantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, and other Five Phoenix powerhouses watched with worry.
Meanwhile, the God of Earth Element was the one truly suffering in silence.
He gradually felt the Earth Origin Beast Ancestor Statue slipping from his control...
Bit by bit, claimed by Lu.
Lu remained calm, steadily exerting force.
The infusion of Saintly will granted him immense power, putting the God of Earth Element at a disadvantage in this tug-of-war.
It didn't last long.
The statue had already been drawn toward Lu, amplified by the Saintly will.
Finally, it broke free from the God of Earth Element's grasp.
"Let go. Forcing it won't make it sweet."
Lu said calmly.
His words ignited murderous fury in the God of Earth Element's eyes.
To hell with that—forcing it? The statue had been his to begin with!
Boom!
The instant Lu seized it...
The God of Earth Element erupted with sky-shaking killing intent.
Heaven and earth seemed to overturn, vast seas flowing backward. Countless clumps of earth exploded, forming a terrifying storm of debris behind him—like a meat grinder.
"Die!"
So what if the statue was taken?
Kill Lu, and he could reclaim it. Moreover, this youth had likely comprehended the Saint-Slaying Array—he had to die regardless.
As the world darkened...
Lu grew solemn. Indeed... an elemental god's strength was formidable.
But...
He wasn't entirely without means.
Whoosh...
Behind Lu, the white-bearded, white-robed elderly Saintly figure emerged.
This was the Saintly will, continuously empowering Lu, causing his strength to surge relentlessly.
Metal, Wood, Fire...
His three indestructible demon bodies fully erupted.
Three colors swirled around him.
His power climbed steadily.
Facing the God of Earth Element's earth origin domain, Lu charged in fearlessly.
Saintly will plus three indestructible demon bodies.
Lu's combat prowess reached its absolute peak to date.
"Your actions... I've noted them all, Lu Ping'an."
"You killed my Five Phoenix people, struck my precious little girl... We'll settle the score, one by one."
Within the earth origin domain, debris storms raged.
The God of Earth Element transformed into a rock giant, letting out a cold laugh.
"Settle the score?"
"You think you're worthy? Today, you die—whether for the Beast Ancestor Statue or the Saint-Slaying Array!"
The colossal rock giant blotted out the sky. Before it, Lu seemed an ant.
Its massive rocky palm slammed down with world-ending force.
Boom!
Lu shot forward like a bullet, colliding with the palm.
Terrifying explosions swept through the domain, booming like tolling bells.
Outside...
Observers could only see the rock storm; the domain obscured the details.
Strength too low made it impossible to pierce.
The Black-White Empress had no such issue—she saw clearly.
In the domain, the God of Earth Element and Lu clashed relentlessly.
One enormously massive.
The other minuscule.
Yet they fought evenly, blow for blow.
The Empress watched in a daze...
"Yes, this feels more like him... radiating destructive aura. That pristine white-robed act earlier wasn't it at all."
"Plus the Saintly will empowerment..."
"Now it's getting interesting."
She hadn't expected Lu to gain Saintly will empowerment.
With it, he might actually hold his own against an elemental god.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions erupted endlessly—spatial storms, energy tides, destructive auras scattering.
Outside, people saw only two blurs of light colliding, details elusive.
...
Lu felt his body burning—an unprecedented ascension of power.
The Saintly will's strength was overwhelming; only his fully unleashed indestructible demon bodies could contain it.
He drew the Five Phoenix Bow, channeling inexhaustible power into it.
Darting at blinding speed, he loosed arrow after arrow, blasting massive wounds on the rock giant.
Saintly will infused them, causing the God of Earth Element genuine pain.
His enormous size became a liability.
So he shrank to Lu's scale.
This made Lu's arrows far harder to land.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They traded blows in the domain.
The Saintly will shielded Lu from the domain's restrictions even as his power soared.
Bang!
Lu became a streak of extreme suppression, blasting through giant boulders in the domain.
But he swiftly dove back, harnessing Saintly will and indestructible demon bodies to unleash devastating assaults.
"Saintly will..."
The God of Earth Element flew backward, stabilizing in the domain.
His face was grim.
He never imagined fighting Lu to a standstill.
Prolonged, victory would be elusive.
He understood Lu's power source: the Saintly will gained from comprehending the Saint-Slaying Array...
Merely that will's empowerment granted terrifying combat strength equal to his own—proof of a Saint's horror.
"But so what? The will will eventually deplete... Without it, you're an ant I can crush at will."
Lu hovered calmly.
The God of Earth Element seemed in no rush, content to let Lu burn through the will—hard to kill him otherwise.
"No need to struggle. Even comprehending the Saint-Slaying Array changes nothing. You can't save humanity. Your race is weak—that's fact. You have Saints; we have Emperors."
"And our Emperors outnumber your Saints... Know why they haven't acted? They're waiting—for the Chaos Gate to open and our Primordial Ancestor to return. Then, humanity falls."
The God of Earth Element sneered.
His eyes shifted as he watched Lu.
Seeing Lu pause combat, seemingly listening, his smirk widened.
"Gods-and-demons Primordial Ancestor?"
Lu narrowed his eyes.
"Heh heh heh..."
"Why do you think our Emperors let Saints guard the chaos depths?"
"Why haven't we eradicated humanity? Because Emperors need you—to bind the Saints there, keeping them occupied..."
"Eradicate you, and the Saints—unburdened—would leave the depths freely."
The God of Earth Element continued.
"In truth, it's all a conspiracy against your human Saints!"
He laughed brazenly.
"You think I'll believe that?"
Lu replied calmly.
The Saintly will would indeed deplete, but while the God of Earth Element waited for it to run out, Lu was waiting too.
System prompts had long appeared before him.
"Believe it or not. Why do we now boldly exterminate you? Because... our Primordial Ancestor will soon emerge from behind the Chaos Gate—it's inevitable!"
"Destroying you will enrage your Saints. Even if they leave the depths... they'll draw the Ancestor's attention—becoming food on his plate!"
"Humanity will be erased from the Primordial Starry Sky!"
The God of Earth Element grew more animated, eyes wild with fanaticism.
Lu listened expressionlessly, treating the words as nonsense.
Trying to mess with his head?
Lu Ping'an yielded to no one in that game.
Soon enough, this God of Earth Element would learn who was truly messing with whose head...
Ignoring him, Lu quietly handled the system prompts.
Outside...
The Black-White Empress scoffed at the words.
"Idiot..."
"What does he know? The gods-and-demons Primordial Ancestor died eons ago... Not even fit to carry shoes for that one!"
"If the entity behind the Chaos Gate enters the Primordial Starry Sky, it'll be doomsday all over again..."
"No one can stop it."
She fell into thought.
"From this fool's words... the gods-and-demons Emperors have been trying to open the Chaos Gate all along?"
"Utter stupidity!"
"No wonder that faint sense of crisis... The gods-and-demons clan is hopelessly foolish!"
True or false, the words ignited uncontrollable anger in her.
Once this was over, she needed to hurry to the Chaos Gate.
Lu, meanwhile, paid no heed to the God of Earth Element's ramblings.
Primordial Ancestors, fallen Saints—all too distant.
His focus was solely on the system prompts.
"Congratulations, Host, on independently comprehending the Saint-Slaying Array."
"Rewards: Indestructible Demon Body (Earth Origin Source), Saint-Slaying Array Fusion Option."
Lu narrowed his eyes.
A spark of joy ignited within.
Here it came!
He had worried the Earth indestructible demon body might only come after reaching the thirteenth level of Qi Refinement.
Unexpectedly, solo comprehension granted it too.
Perfect timing.
Having just acquired the Earth Origin Beast Ancestor Statue—with abundant earth origin principles to absorb—he could unleash four indestructible demon bodies, boosting his strength further. It might not match an elemental god, but it offered hope.
The other reward was what truly excited him—and why he didn't fear depleting the Saintly will.
He had predicted something array-related; now it arrived.
"Saint-Slaying Array Fusion Option: Host may choose to fuse with Phoenix Feather Sword, Spiritual Pressure Chessboard, or Heaven-Stealing Tower."
"Please select fusion item."
The prompt appeared.
Lu frowned slightly.
"Interesting choice..."
"Does fusing mean I can rapidly activate and deploy the Saint-Slaying Array?" Lu wondered.
He knew well: deploying it normally required time and vast resources.
The system offered no reply.
Lu pondered, then decided.
The Phoenix Feather Sword, being a sword, aligned with killing intent—swords unleash slaughter.
Yet he chose otherwise.
"Fuse with the Spiritual Pressure Chessboard."
As the words fell, the prompt dimmed.
A powerful pull surged into his mind, tightening his bond with the chessboard.
Vaguely, he sensed that with a mere thought, he could unleash terrifying killing intent!
Saint-Slaying Array killing intent!
Lu's eyes lit up—brilliantly, like the brightest star in the night sky.
The array fused into the chessboard; he could release it by activating the board...
Bypassing setup and activation entirely!
Not quite instant, but it saved immense time compared to manual deployment...
His trump card... was ready!
A cold, ruthless smile curved Lu's lips.
At that moment, the Saintly will on him began to fluctuate and fade.
The Saintly silhouette dissolved into specks of light.
Its retreat thrilled the God of Earth Element in the domain.
Murderous glee flooded his face.
"Saintly will gone... What will you fight me with now?!"
He raised his hand.
Countless stones coalesced above his head into an enormous planet.
Terrifying gravitational force erupted from it.
Then, with fanatic zeal, he hurled the massive planet at Lu.
Without the Saintly will, Lu would be flattened into paste by this planet's devastating impact!
"Die!!!"
Lu hovered in the earth origin domain.
Expressionless.
The colossal planet bore down, pressure and gales plastering his robes to his lithe frame.
Yet Lu remained serene.
In that instant, he dismissed his indestructible demon bodies.
Gazing at the God of Earth Element, he smiled like blooming pear blossoms.
Leaning back, the thousand blades stacked into a wheelchair. Lu sat regally, hair fluttering.
The faintly glowing Spiritual Pressure Chessboard floated before him.
The God of Earth Element sneered at the gesture—death throes, mere posturing!
Without the Saintly will, what could Lu possibly do?!
Yet...
Facing the incoming killing blow...
Lu remained utterly composed, as if lounging by his White Jade Capital pavilion, listening to the breeze and playing chess with a friend.
Unhurried, he picked a profound black piece from the box—black as a void.
He rolled his sleeve and placed it.
Boom!
The planet loomed, plunging Lu's world into darkness. Void around him shattered inch by inch, turbulence raging.
But Lu's face never changed—he placed the piece leisurely.
As the planet nearly struck, mere inches from his forehead...
The piece fell.
Clack.
The black piece landed quietly on the board. Then, crimson seeped from beneath it.
A wisp of blood-red killing intent bloomed from the chessboard.
Instantly, centered on Lu, it exploded outward...
Thud!
The massive debris-formed planet was shredded to pieces by the erupting killing intent!
Countless fragments scattered like a rain of rocks.
Amid the stony downpour emerged the God of Earth Element—his face etched with utter disbelief.
