Lu remained unaware of the discussions deep in the Primordial Starry Sky—he had no way of knowing.

  But the changes in the beast ancestor statues benefited him greatly. The emergence of their inheritances ignited the motivation of every cultivator in the Five Phoenixes starry sky.

  To qualify for the beast ancestor inheritances, one needed to reach the Heavenly Emperor realm—the Daluo Immortal level—to enter the secret realms.

  These realms hovered in the Five Phoenixes starry sky: five mysterious spaces. Everyone who entered raved about them.

  Even without claiming an inheritance, simply being immersed in the realms enhanced mystery comprehension far better than the comprehension stars.

  Yet the true allure was the beast ancestor inheritances themselves—Saint-level legacies. Who wouldn't covet them?

  As long as no one claimed them, hope remained, driving everyone to strive harder.

  The Five Phoenixes entered an even more fervent era of cultivation, despite the absence of god-demon threats.

  The pace surpassed even the days when gods and demons loomed.

  Golden Immortals and human Emperors pushed their boundaries like madmen.

  The seventh, eighth, and ninth floors of the Destiny Tower were packed daily.

  Golden Immortals and Emperors challenged brutal god-demon trials relentlessly, seeking breakthroughs through combat.

  Nine-turn Golden Immortals and Extreme Emperors were even more frenzied.

  They stood one step from entering the secret realms, from competing for the inheritances.

  The stronger one was, the more desperately they cultivated.

  On the lake island, Lu found the frenzy somewhat amusing.

  Overall, he was pleased with the secret realms' appearance.

  No matter how he looked at it, he stood to lose little.

  His only concern was the vision he'd witnessed.

  The five beast ancestors combined couldn't suppress the gate in the purple chaos. Whatever emerged had annihilated an entire prosperous era.

  Lu drew a deep breath. What lay beyond that gate?

  Had it already appeared in the Five Phoenixes?

  He remembered the knocking from behind the gate in the purple qi.

  The Five Phoenixes might already be targeted.

  The beast ancestors' fate could become theirs...

  "I need to grow stronger. The Five Phoenixes at this level... isn't enough!"

  Lu's eyes gleamed with gravity.

  Against whatever lay beyond, even Saints weren't sufficient. Even if the two human Saints guarding chaos returned, Lu saw slim hope.

  Survival demanded self-reliance.

  If five beast ancestors weren't enough, the Five Phoenixes would nurture far more—ten, twenty...

  Sheer numbers would forge a glorious future, a spark of hope.

  He recalled the Black-White Queen's words: chaos held terrifying threats that erupted at each era's end, dooming it.

  As a survivor of countless eras, her words rang true to Lu.

  The Five Phoenixes faced more than one calamity.

  But the path to enduring them was the same: grow stronger.

  Strength was the only truth.

  "Peak Immortal-Martial isn't enough... So what comes next? Beyond Immortal-Martial—Hyper Fantasy?"

  Leaning in his Thousand-Bladed Chair, Lu listened to the salty sea breeze. Purple bamboos rustled like surging waves.

  He tapped his armrest lightly.

  Ning Zhao, Ni Yu, and Yi Yue appeared at his summons.

  "You three can't stay cooped up on the island forever. Your cultivations have hit bottlenecks—go seek your breakthroughs. Especially you, Yi Yue. You've lingered at nine-turn Golden Immortal too long. Reach Daluo Immortal soon to qualify for the beast ancestor realms."

  Yi Yue gritted her teeth and nodded.

  Lu sent Ning Zhao and Ni Yu off to pursue their fortunes.

  Ning Zhao went, but Ni Yu was too lazy.

  "Young Master, even if I go, I have no chance. I'm no fighter—just an alchemist. A beast ancestor inheritance would never choose me."

  Carrying her black pot, Ni Yu knew her limits.

  Lu smiled, not pressing her.

  So only Ni Yu remained on the island.

  Of course, he didn't neglect her. He gifted her a personally written alchemy manual: Thirty Thousand Years of Fire Control, Fifty Thousand Years of Pill Refining.

  Ni Yu covered her mouth, holding back tears of gratitude.

  The lake island soon grew quiet.

  Hum...

  The five Indestructible Demon Body avatars materialized on the pavilion.

  Sitting cross-legged, profound mystery auras surged. Having fully mastered their mysteries, their power was immense.

  Lu now qualified as a peak Quasi-Saint—not just in combat, but in mystery comprehension too.

  Even Tonggu Daoist had only recently perfected his space mystery.

  Withdrawing his thoughts, Lu set aside the entity beyond the gate and the anomalies.

  He began pursuing his earlier idea.

  "Five elements unity... Before, all five bodies resided in me, but true fusion eluded me. A millennium of research yielded nothing."

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  "But the statues' phenomenon gave me inspiration."

  Lu's mind stirred.

  His main body raised a hand.

  Five mystery energies converged.

  Metal, wood, water, fire, earth swirled in his palm like a vortex, gradually merging.

  Finally... forming a purple vortex.

  "Purple qi?"

  Lu's eyes narrowed in surprise.

  The five mysteries fused into purple qi?

  "No... this isn't quite innate purple qi."

  He squinted.

  Boom!

  The vortex dissipated, but Lu didn't mind. He'd achieved a trace—with time and practice, full fusion of the five bodies would follow.

  "Not innate purple qi, but similar to the purple energy shrouding the gate... What was it called? In Tonggu Daoist's Saint notes... chaos force."

  "Yes, chaos."

  Lu's eyes lit up.

  Five mysteries uniting birthed chaos energy.

  Fusing the five bodies would create a Chaos Indestructible Demon Body?!

  This power felt extraordinarily potent.

  At least, Lu sensed its explosive destructive potential—once activated.

  "True fusion might grant the strength to cross realms and fight Saints."

  Lu murmured.

  Fusing five perfected-mystery bodies—he believed he could do it.

  With that, his next cultivation plan crystallized.

  "Fuse the five bodies, and fully refine the Primordial Immortal Domain's origin force to bolster the Five Phoenixes' immortal source."

  Simple in outline, but it would demand eons—at least ten thousand years.

  As for increasing Five Phoenixes experts, Lu no longer interfered.

  Everything was in place: opportunities, conditions. Growth now depended on individual talent and effort.

  Short of direct spiritual infusions, explosive increases were unlikely.

  So he set the thought aside—pointless.

  His greater hope lay in those entering the secret realms claiming inheritances.

  A beast ancestor inheritance meant Saint potential—and massive spiritual energy cuts for Lu, easily pushing him to the fourteenth Qi Refining layer.

  But inheritances were matters of fate.

  Lu didn't meddle.

  ...

  On the Five Phoenixes Continent.

  These millennia marked a golden age of prodigies.

  Atop Tianji Peak.

  Lü Mudui and Mo Tianyu sat facing each other.

  Both had reached nine-turn Golden Immortal—as old White Jade Capital veterans, this was unsurprising.

  "Destiny has shifted dramatically again... Purple qi coalescing into dragons—another prodigy omen."

  Lü Mudui tapped his bamboo staff, sighing.

  "In these five thousand years, such phenomena have appeared dozens of times..."

  "Once rare every millennium, now every century. I can't figure out what's changed."

  "You worry too much. Likely the era's influence... The Five Phoenixes thrive in cultivation now. Below Golden Immortal, all are ants. These prodigies are born of the times."

  Mo Tianyu lounged, belly exposed, sipping tea and smacking his lips.

  "But so many at once is strange. I divined it—their soul levels are unusually high, second layer from birth."

  Lü Mudui's eyes sharpened. "You noticed too?"

  "Hard to miss with so many..."

  "What do you think?"

  Mo Tianyu smiled mysteriously, hiding nothing. "I suspect they're not native to the Five Phoenixes. Maybe from the Primordial Starry Sky, or a star specialized in soul nurturing."

  "Remember the White Jade Palace? Saint inheritance focused on soul refinement—even Saints value it highly. It proves soul levels matter immensely..."

  "These prodigies might be experiments!"

  His bold guess stunned Lü Mudui, who felt an eye watching from above.

  "I'm heading to the underworld to talk with Dantai Xuan. As Underworld Emperor controlling reincarnation, he might know these souls' origins."

  "What good would knowing do?"

  Lü Mudui shook his head.

  "You idiot. If I know, I can reincarnate there. Return with a second—or third-layer soul, break my bottleneck."

  Mo Tianyu looked at him like a fool.

  "Our talents—you and I both know. Normal cultivation might never reach Daluo Immortal."

  "We could stay nine-turn Golden Immortals forever."

  "I have goals. I want strength—immense strength to reverse fates with my divinations..."

  "So I must go."

  "Betting all your cultivation on reincarnation... Fail, and you lose everything."

  Mo Tianyu smiled carefree, waving it off.

  His figure faded into Tianji Peak's mist.

  Lü Mudui sighed, gripping his staff, gazing east.

  He couldn't match Mo Tianyu's resolve.

  Perhaps he lacked the same burning drive.

  ...

  In the underworld.

  Dantai Xuan emerged from seclusion, still unable to break into Quasi-Saint.

  But he wasn't rushed.

  In the tenth undead city, reviewing the registrar's list, he frowned.

  As Underworld Emperor overseeing reincarnation, he'd sensed the secret.

  "Azure Planet... All these prodigies' souls from Azure?"

  Flipping the Book of Life and Death, he murmured.

  "Second-layer souls from birth—like innate saints. Once rare every ten thousand years, now streaming from Azure."

  "What's special about this 'Azure' star?"

  Dantai Xuan drew a deep breath, curious.

  But curiosity aside, he didn't probe deeply.

  Perhaps unique destiny.

  Suddenly, he looked toward the underworld entrance.

  His hellhound, now nine-turn Golden Immortal, battled someone.

  First intruder in years.

  Glancing over, Dantai Xuan saw Mo Tianyu teasing the beast, belly bared.

  "Him again."

  An undead city lord said.

  "During Your Majesty's seclusion, he kept coming..."

  "Why?"

  Dantai Xuan was curious.

  Mo Tianyu—an old acquaintance from the low-martial days.

  "He kept yelling about checking if a deceased entered reincarnation."

  Dantai Xuan paused, then shook his head complexly, sighing.

  He understood Mo Tianyu's purpose.

  "A-Kuang, let him in."

  The hellhound, lounging at the entrance with hell flames, ignored Mo Tianyu lazily.

  A paw blocked easy entry; force it, and a claw followed.

  They'd grown familiar through clashes over years.

  At the command, the hellhound withdrew its paw, delighting Mo Tianyu.

  "My sincerity finally moved you?"

  Overjoyed, he hugged the mountain-like snout and kissed it.

  Then, under the beast's disgusted gaze, he swaggered in, belly out, striding boldly.

  A grim registrar led him to Dantai Xuan.

  "Years apart, still no manners... Done with poison divinations? Here to plague the underworld?"

  Mo Tianyu waved dismissively, grinning.

  "Haven't done poison divinations in ages."

  "Old Dan, I came for advice."

  "These years, many prodigies born in the Five Phoenixes—second-layer souls from birth. Don't you find it odd?"

  Dantai Xuan raised a brow, surprised by the topic.

  His reaction confirmed to Mo Tianyu: he knew.

  "Maybe coincidence."

  "Impossible. Tell me, Old Dan. I'll gamble... Otherwise, you know—I'll stay stuck at nine-turn Golden Immortal forever."

  "Your poison divination could reach Daluo."

  Dantai Xuan added—he still believed in him.

  Stinging, but Mo Tianyu wasn't content. "Daluo isn't enough. I need more..."

  "Why stronger?"

  "The underworld opened after Kong Xiu's fall, so he never entered reincarnation. Can't find him."

  "Even Saints couldn't recover him—dissipated to nothing."

  Mo Tianyu fell silent long.

  He'd heard this from other lords, but smiled optimistically.

  "No matter. I'll still gamble."

  "If my divination works... with enough strength..."

  "Tell me where to reincarnate for a second-layer soul. Return, aim for Quasi-Saint—stronger divinations."

  Dantai Xuan regarded the insistent man.

  He'd nearly forgotten Kong Xiu, yet in thriving Five Phoenixes, someone clung to that long-gone name.

  "Azure—the star is called Azure, in a corner of the Five Phoenixes starry sky."

  "Gambling everything risks ending with nothing."

  Dantai Xuan warned.

  "No cultivation possible on Azure—barren even compared to early low-martial Five Phoenixes."

  But Mo Tianyu was resolved. He thanked him, then bolted out in a streak of light.

  Dantai Xuan watched calmly.

  No more dissuasion—Mo Tianyu's path was his own.

  Yet it inspired Dantai Xuan.

  Thoughtful, he left the city, stepping into the Sea of Suffering, sinking deep, sitting amid endless karma to cultivate. Purifying the sea might mark his Quasi-Saint ascension.

  ...

  Azure Planet—unremarkable.

  Mo Tianyu searched the starry sky long, divining hundreds of times without success.

  He doubted Dantai Xuan's truth.

  But another failed divination left him staring at his three copper coins, dazed.

  "Could the hexagram be wrong?"

  He muttered.

  His divinations were accurate.

  No reverse hexagram!

  "Maybe... try the opposite?"

  He hesitated—distrusting his art.

  "Fine, just try..."

  Shaking his head, he gritted his teeth, tossed the coins. They buzzed, stacking into a hexagram.

  Pointing one direction: "This way... auspicious?"

  Smacking his lips, he sped the opposite way.

  Three days later, in vast emptiness, he spotted a deep blue star.

  No spiritual energy—ordinary low-life planet.

  "No spiritual fluctuations... This is Azure!"

  He'd found it.

  Yet strangely, little joy filled him.

  His primordial spirit swept over, covering the planet.

  On Azure, in his vegetable garden, Tonggu Daoist paused mid-pour of manure water.

  "Hm? A cultivator's primordial spirit scanning Azure?"

  "Some rude brat?"

  He smirked coldly.

  The manure seemed a supreme weapon.

  Old He flashed beside the garden.

  "Sensed it? Azure exposed?"

  "Exposure was inevitable. So many second-layer soul prodigies reborn in Five Phoenixes—Dantai Xuan's no fool..."

  "But it's not him coming... Interesting."

  Tonggu Daoist weighed his ladle, squinting.

  Suddenly, surprise flashed in both their eyes.

  Outside, Mo Tianyu spread his arms, robes billowing. Next instant, he dissolved his body in the void, cultivation scattering.

  Only pure soul remained, clutching three copper coins, plunging into Azure.

  "This one's bold—gambling everything for a second-layer soul on Azure."

  With their vision, they saw his intent instantly.

  "Pity. A desperate bet—fail, and he's nothing..."

  "What drives such resolve?"

  Tonggu Daoist shook his head, smiling.

  No interference.

  Otherwise, a splash of manure would annihilate the soul.

  But he'd make an exception—just this once.

  If every Five Phoenixes cultivator followed, Azure's order would collapse, its rules shatter.

  Splash.

  Manure watered the fertile vegetables.

  Humming a tune, Tonggu Daoist unconsciously watched this daring gambler who'd risked it all.