Martial Saint!

The voice rolled like heavenly thunder, reverberating throughout the cave.

Yet that white-robed man's visage was shifting; white hair danced wildly like lightning, and his qi shook the void in all directions.

The grandmasters' gazes were filled with disbelief.

"What? Senior Han is actually Lu Chenzhou?"

"The Mountain Lord is also here in the cave?"

"So, back at Black Mountain, when someone sacrificed himself to the demons to save us, it was Chief Lu... not the Absolute Peak?"

"He reached the Immaculate Heart at the Fifth Realm; is he truly not the reincarnation of a Great Power? This is even more outrageous than a Great Grandmaster entering the Dao."

Among the crowd.

Hong Tianxiang's expression was complicated.

"So it was Fellow Daoist Lu..."

Many years apart, and seeing him is like beholding a god.

Unreachable, incomparably distant!

Xuan Kong gave a bitter smile:

"I thought it was the Shaolin Abbot about to ascend to Absolute Peak."

The other peerless geniuses lowered their brows and sighed, only feeling that the Buddha's radiance around Lu Chenzhou was too dazzling to behold.

High above the heavens.

Lu Chenzhou and the Heavenly Demon faced each other alone.

One man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot cross.

The Demon Domain roared; he neither avoided nor dodged, and with a thought, the [Nation of the Divine Realm] of seven kilometers in diameter unfolded its domain, the Five Elements surging and clashing, wind and thunder agitated and restless.

This was his kingdom.

Savage black saber light slashed through Lu Chenzhou's body, but struck only a phantom, which dispersed like foam.

In the Peacock's stunned gaze, Lu Chenzhou teleported behind it, White Tiger True Gang wrapped in Gold Element Power stabbing forth!

The Heavenly Demon's form was pierced through, black demon blood spilling, transforming into hosts of Heart Demons, encircling Lu Chenzhou.

"Perish!"

A radiance of spiritual light erupted around Lu Chenzhou.

The Heart Demons melted like ice before spring.

"Paltry tricks."

With his Immaculate Heart Realm, no matter how many Heart Demons arrived, none could penetrate; this was a qualitative change, not something simple numbers could surmount—just as a grandmaster sweeps aside mortal armies.

"Damn it!"

The Demon Domain was unleashed, yet his foe remained undefeated. The Heavenly Demon, like an enraged bull, burned its demonic body, aura soaring as its curved saber swept up a sky-filling barrage of blade light.

Ring of clashing metal.

Long spear met with blade light.

Within the Divine Realm Nation, Lu Chenzhou flickered and flashed like a ghost, phantoms of him filling the void.

Thousands upon thousands of Lu Chenzhou attacked with spear in unison.

Buzz–buzz!

The Nation of the Divine Realm began to shift, with endless murderous aura soaring to the heavens, sands of war descending, military formations and war chariots crisscrossing the field.

Law Realm · Dusk of All Gods.

Lu Chenzhou switched from defense to attack!

A phantom of an immense spear reaching from heaven to earth appeared, slicing through the night sky like a shooting star, illuminating all beneath heaven.

The great spear swept across.

The stars fell in their droves.

Beneath the annihilating force of the spear formation, the Demon Domain was instantly riddled with holes; at the center, the Heavenly Demon revealed its true six-winged peacock form, wings like blades bracing against the massive spear.

"Heavenly Demon Disintegration!"

The Heavenly Demon self-detonated, transforming into demonic qi fleeing in all directions, for not even a shred of courage remained to clash head-on with this stroke.

Shifting between reality and illusion, it narrowly avoided suppression by the Dusk of All Gods, but chains stretched out through the void, binding all demon qi—this was the rule of the cave.

The Heavenly Demon wore a hideous expression.

"Witch! Are you not going to act?"

Heaven and earth fell silent, none replied.

A starlight hand, dozens of yards wide, overlaid with a True Gang great hand, formed a double onslaught, seizing the Heavenly Demon!

Now, truly, the Heavenly Demon had no tricks left.

"Heavenly Demon Finger!"

Vast demonic qi collapsed in upon itself, its form shrank as it poured all its might into shaping an ancient, titan demon finger layered with the marks of time and age, years' essence surging from within.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The cave shook violently.

Even the rule chains were momentarily torn taut.

"I am the Heavenly Demon!"

The demon finger pierced the starlight hand, then, looming above Lu Chenzhou's head, pressed down with ruthless finality.

The finger was like the heavens themselves, eclipsing all directions, inescapable.

"You force me to waste the source of the Heavenly Demon, to summon the three demon powers. Today, no matter what, I will kill you to make amends."

This giant demon finger was the hand of [Wrath]. The Three Demons are not gods, but their might, in some respects, surpasses them.

Even separated by endless dimensions and time, every grandmaster present felt as if they stood before an abyss, unable to breathe.

"The Heavenly Demon is too terrifying."

"Feels even more fearsome than ordinary gods."

"Can Mountain Lord Lu withstand this strike?"

Lu may be strong, but he is only Fifth Realm.

This Heavenly Demon has already surpassed mortal understanding.

The finger pressed down, tearing apart Lu Chenzhou's seamless spear defense, pausing three inches from his body.

Crack—

Before he or the others could breathe a sigh of relief, cracks appeared on the Immortal Armor, the pitch-black finger turning into a stream of demonic qi, burrowing inside, then drilling directly into his mind-sea.

"Heavenly Demon Parasite! Hahaha, what a marvelous body. Now it belongs to me. The Immaculate Heart Realm is mighty, but to a Heavenly Demon, it's not without flaw."

Spiritual starry sky.

The Heavenly Demon's form appeared, tearing a gap into the surrounding golden light barriers of the starry sky using the power of the Three Demons.

Beneath the World Tree, the white-robed Lu Chenzhou stood immovable.

"Worthy of the title Heavenly Demon."

"Struggle no more. The Heavenly Demon is a master at manipulating the mind. Invaded by me, your death is certain."

The Heavenly Demon snapped its fingers.

"Be destroyed!"

A wave swept forth, and instantly Lu Chenzhou's spiritual world was shattered, countless golden fragments dimming away.

The World Tree collapsed.

"Hahaha, there is no truly perfect, flawless heart in the world, only hearts not yet tested. Even a Great Power can be invaded by the Three Demons—what are you?"

The Heavenly Demon laughed wildly at the heavens.

It was saved; with Lu Chenzhou's body, it would leave this damned cave and invade the Human World.

After the Divine War, the Three Demons slumbered.

Most Heavenly Demons perished into silent annihilation.

No other Heavenly Demons to contend with in the Human World—it would ascend to Nine Realms and go seek vengeance on that wretched Blue Mountain!

It moved to seize Lu Chenzhou's flesh.

Yet nothing happened; he did not budge.

"What is going on?"

By all rights, destruction of the spiritual world

is tantamount to death.

"He's not dead?"

In the next moment, a mutation occurred.

From void, golden radiance suddenly burst forth.

Immediately after, a golden sapling sprouted.

In the blink of an eye, it became a towering tree that pierced the heavens.

Its branches became galaxies, its leaves became stars; endless foliage wove the veins of a universe.

Beneath the tree, white-robed Lu Chenzhou smiled and spoke:

"The 10,001st time."

His heart realm grew ever more stable.

So long as the [spiritual singularity] could not be destroyed, he could instantly be reborn through the Dao of Withering and Flourishing.

This is the Nirvana Heart Refining Technique.

What does not kill me only makes me stronger.

"Impossible!"

The Heavenly Demon was completely rattled.

Not even the Sixth Realm—should its mind world be invaded, even that would mean certain death; at Seventh Realm, even they can succumb to soul collapse. Is this fellow truly a Great Power?

"Heavenly Demon Destruction!"

"Heavenly Demon Shattering Nirvana!"

"Heavenly Demon Star Shattering!"

In the span of a single breath, it destroyed the spiritual world three times.

Yet now it was dumbfounded.

Before it, the white-robed figure resurrected thrice over.

"Undying mind? Never imagined, the Heart Sect Great Powers number not three but four. I underestimated."

As far as the Heavenly Demon knew,

only heart cultivation Great Powers possessed the undying mind.

That is, I think, therefore I am.

Lu Chenzhou mused inwardly.

"Undying mind?"

He was not one, surely.

He merely used the Dao of Withering and Flourishing to take a shortcut.

His mind could, indeed, be destroyed.

But this downgraded Heavenly Demon could not accomplish it.

"It's I... it is I, a miserable being who failed to recognize Mount Tai before me. If you let me go, I can tell you the whereabouts of several Great Power cave mansions," the Heavenly Demon suddenly pleaded.

Lu Chenzhou fell silent.

"If you are unwilling to let me go, I can swear a Heavenly Demon oath and pledge loyalty, serve at your side..."

The Heavenly Demon continued.

A Heavenly Demon avatar is forged by the Three Demons borrowing the flesh of living beings and possesses independent will; naturally, it fears death.

"I never thought even a Heavenly Demon could fear death."

Lu Chenzhou chuckled.

With a wave of his hand, a starlit palm spanning the sky descended, seized the Heavenly Demon and squeezed relentlessly.

"I am an incarnation of the Three Demons, you—"

Phfff.

The giant hand collapsed, the Heavenly Demon perished. A vast spiritual force surged through the stars, billowing outward.

Lu Chenzhou's expression changed slightly.

His spiritual power surged madly.

In the blink of an eye, it reached ninety thousand—the limit!

Any higher, and he would be a Heavenly King.

But since the Sixth Shackles were yet unbroken, this flood of power soon quieted, precipitating in the starry sky to form a prismatic, many-colored crystal.

"What is this?"

He took it up and examined it.

Through the crystal, he saw a spiritual ocean vast beyond compare, Dao essence and law intertwining.

On the Martial Arts Tree, glowing words surfaced.

[Invisible: Third Rank (1%)]

"Heavenly Demon's Law of the Invisible?"

In that moment of inspiration, Lu Chenzhou saw the inscriptions for [Invisible] and [Shadow] both flickering, resonating together.

At a thought, he fused them into one.

A new Dao manifested.

[Void: Third Rank (1%)]

"The body of the Heavenly Demon can descend into the Three Thousand Worlds at will, relying on this Void Dao, perhaps?"

Void—supreme above the void and shadow.

Few have ever comprehended it since ancient times.

Those who possess the Void Dao can traverse dimensions across most universes, able to break the void like the Eight Realm.

"How intriguing."

The flesh undying.

The spirit undying.

Void—formless.

Now, he was little different from the Heavenly Demon.

Survivability: maxed out!

However, to roam the Three Thousand Worlds required him to reach Fourth Rank in the Void Dao and truly begin merging with the Dao; he still had to comprehend it on his own.

For him, the difficulty of enlightenment lies in creating something from nothing; once inscribed on the Martial Arts Tree, he could grind his way there.

With the Heavenly Demon's death and Dao-dissolution,

the Demon Domain faded like morning mist.

Lin Xia cried out in excitement:

"We won, Senior Brother has won!"

Wang Xian laughed and said:

"Of those throughout the ages able to repel a Heavenly Demon, they are as numerous as river carp, but those able to slay one—few can claim this."

Applause thundered without end.

The exhilaration of surviving hovered over them all.

"Damn Evil God, actually set us up."

"Indeed. If not for Chief Lu, we'd all have perished here in this cave. Truly hateful! Once we get out, let's break through the Fifth Realm and kill a Great Demon King to vent our anger!"

The cave quieted.

After a tally,

in just that chaotic melee, three grandmasters had perished, all struck down in the aftershocks of the Heavenly Demon's outburst.

More than ten were wounded.

The rest survived unharmed.

His quest was fulfilled to perfection.

Lu Chenzhou gazed at the treasures covering the sky.

He had already pieced together the cause and effect—the Evil God had long ago seized control of the cave, using treasures as bait.

Laying a trap for them all.

Their plot succeeded, nearly completely.

Fortunately, the Northern Guardian King had foreseen this.

Lu Chenzhou became the spoiler.

Upon inspection, the treasures bore no ill effects.

Lu Chenzhou called out in a ringing voice:

"I have use for this Spiritual Light Jade Dew, so I shall claim it without ceremony... the rest may be collected by Grandmaster Yu; after we exit the cave, you may divide them as you please."

No one voiced any objection.

High above, a vortex was condensing in the air.

On the far side of the vortex, the mist-shrouded Great Marsh could be faintly glimpsed.

"The exit!"

One by one, figures leapt in.

Lu Chenzhou followed right after.

All entered the vortex.

Soon after, the vortex closed.

"Hehe..."

Within the cave, it seemed someone was laughing.