White Jade pavilions.
Lu studied Dao intents; even he curious.
Five Phoenixes system: his creation—Qi Core, Body Storage, Heavenly Lock.
Post-Heavenly Lock?
Unplanned; highest Nie: second-extreme Heavenly Lock—far from ninth.
Unlike Golden Core (fifth turn shatter to Infant), Heavenly Lock: ninth-extreme mandatory.
Harder breakthrough.
Lu pondered next realm.
Primordial Infant exists, but no abandon self-system.
Fingers tapped armrest.
Brows furrowed; short-term blank.
Creation hard; no rush.
Nine Prisons accelerate, but time needed.
Nine Prisons: ruthless—not child's play, unlike trial tower (three lives/floor).
Here: death real—no revive.
Practice cruel; Tianyuan invasion: countless Infant, Golden Core dead.
Cruelty breeds true strong.
Five Phoenixes pressure low vs. Tianyuan—gap vast.
Nine Prisons: test.
...
Meng Haoran entered First Prison.
First unexplored secret.
Plunging soul-drag abyss.
Pain indescribable—soul, not body.
Cleared; dizzy, scanned.
Others gone—Mo Tianyu, Nie ahead vanished.
"Isolated? Scattered?"
Pondered; self-reliant.
Eerie dim.
No hell in Five Phoenixes; Lu modeled hell.
Cold winds drilled.
Inhaled; stepped.
Crack.
Low: crushed bone.
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Skull stared empty sockets.
Paled; muttered eerie.
Over skull; forward.
Rustle.
Back: bones stack, blue ghostfire.
Shocked.
Spear down.
Hao Ran qi + spear.
Pierced skull explode.
"Qi Core strength!"
Inhaled.
More rose; graves hands clawed earth.
Terrifying scene.
Unknown others.
His start: bad.
Boom!
Pounced.
Solemn; no fear.
Retreat; spear horizontal, recite poems—sonorous, white qi Hao Ran.
Skulls melted sun-snow; wails.
Long.
Qi dispersed; pale sway retreat.
More dense.
Suddenly parted.
Hooves cracked.
Skeleton horse: twisted armor leader, spear, blue flames.
"Kill..."
Charged; speed horrified.
Body Storage!
Meng spear burst qi clash.
Coughed blood; steps back.
Leader steady; recharge.
"No; two storages!"
Meng one; loss.
Fled.
Hooves; army pursued.
Injuries; sad—first secret despair.
Master: stimulating fun?
Roar.
Turn; spear chest—stare, close Hao Ran roar.
Effective repel.
Sudden: qi whip.
Leader head shatter; blue crystal rolled.
Snatched; fled.
Qi repelled; escaped weird.
Post hill: vine stone "Mass Grave".
Black: start Mass Grave—luck explode.
Out: no pursue; calm—illusion?
"What?"
Inhaled lean stone; crystal warm.
Qi surge—absorbable?
Stored; unknown.
Left.
Glance: train Hao Ran spot.
Explore first.
Left Mass Grave chaotic path.
Long: village.
Stunned: village in secret?
Entered: eerie gone—shelter.
"Young, refugee?"
Village mouth: old woman sat mild.
"Granny, where?"
"Dead Spirit Village; safe. 'Great Emperor Spirit' protects; outer evil souls (heaven demons) dare not."
Kind.
Stunned: Emperor Spirit? Heaven demons?
Kong ancient tales.
Ancient remnants?
"Blue spirit crystal?"
Took leader drop.
"Good; open Rebirth Pool—heal fast."
Pointed village laugh: "Enter."
"Safe rest warriors vs. evil."
"First free; later crystals."
Excited: warriors?
Smiled thank.
Entered.
Stunned: lively not desolate.
Blurred souls; rustic civilization—stir.
Master here: poem.
Buzz...
Street: female soul passed.
Splashed scold: "Blind?!"
Embarrassed.
Explored: no malice unlike skulls.
Dead: souls under Emperor; village life.
"Nine Prisons...?"
Mutter.
"Ancient collapse; souls gather villages relive?"
Inhaled.
Small complete: forge, herb, inn, tavern.
Center Rebirth Pool clear.
Center stone: familiar names.
Mo, Nie, Kong, Jing...
"What?"
Mutter.
His: "Meng Haoran, progress: 101."
Meaning?
Doubt: old beside.
"City entry progress."
Squint laugh.
City?
Gate = city? Reach = pass.
Connected.
"Injured? Pool? One blue."
No refuse; gave.
Guided pool.
Entered: vast force inflate.
Wounds healed.
Opened: wilderness.
Village gone.
Waist: crystal gone.
Real.
Condensed; understood.
Post-disappear.
Pool old changed.
Thousand Blades float stack chair; white drift.
Lu sat; tossed crystal.
"Luck; first blue..."
Smiled.
Test begin.
City hard.
Words; old again.
Village normal.
Meng back Mass Grave.
Only path city.
First hurdle.
Inhaled rub stone.
Step in.
Skulls rose pounce...
...
Wolong.
Unknown inside.
Dare not enter.
Tantai scanned gates, distant stele.
Overlord comprehending.
"King..."
Xuanwu hesitant.
"Tear... who?"
Silent.
Great Xuan no Overlord level.
Waste.
"King try?"
Proposed.
Glanced; moved.
Hot-blooded bid.
No user.
Why not?
Hesitant: bitter path; insulated fate.
Break curse?
Thought: dynasty dragon qi—luck ok.
"Try?"
Stepped gates.
Qi absorb; weak talent.
Dragon qi resist pressure; else wolf.
Roar!
Gold flash; dragon back.
Strong eyes bright; North Xuan famed.
Tang glanced wrinkled twitch.
Robes hunt; pressure forward.
Vs. Overlord.
Dragon qi: no fifth like Overlord Liu.
Sweat gasp.
"Can't!"
No calm; roar.
Tear hand; expect.
Crush.
Others crush: pressure off elegant stele.
Imitate.
Force.
Harder...
Teeth grit; milk strength!
Red face.
Despair: uncrushable.
Beiluo island.
Lu expected Tantai comprehend.
Appreciated philosophy.
But uncrushable...
Stunned.
Fate front; tofu Tear uncrush...
Insulated legend...
Something.
