Beiluo, Lake Heart Isle.

  Lu's brows furrowed involuntarily.

  The tribulation had ended.

  Heaven and earth regained calm; no anomalies—as if all returned to original, vibrant, beautiful, harmonious.

  But...

  This was the strangest part.

  Lu raised his head; forelocks flew; gazed vault—as if piercing sky to ninth heaven plane origin.

  "Failed?"

  "If succeeded... plane origin should change; source feedback fall."

  Crossing tribulation not vain; Martial Emperor City; world first spear king; last bolt diverted; madness—reward lost.

  Lu thoughtful.

  Key: if Kong Nanfei crossed; Heaven Lock.

  Lu impossible no sense.

  System none.

  Wuhuang low martial extreme; mid martial one line away.

  That line: Heaven Lock cultivator.

  One birth; system prompt feedback.

  Wuhuang low to mid!

  Thus; clearly Kong failed.

  Failed.

  Yet lived.

  This puzzled Lu greatly.

  "Someone protected?"

  Lu frowned.

  Kong alive; Lu relieved.

  Master died; Kong thunder-dead.

  Confucianism truly nominal.

  Sudden.

  Lu thought; gaze shifted distant; expression playful odd...

  Found reason Kong lived.

  ...

  Beiluo, West Mountain.

  Tribulation end instant; Overlord first recovered.

  Then Nie Changqing.

  Feet snow bloomed; forms ghostly shot; Kong side.

  Melted charred snow; thunder remnant palpitation.

  "Not dead."

  Near; Overlord sensed heartbeat.

  "But no Heaven Lock; no metamorphosis."

  Overlord again.

  Regret; then excited; eyes war intent.

  Still chance first Heaven Lock!

  Meng Haoran sped; charred steaming thread breath Kong; face panic.

  "Master!"

  Meng fearful cry; helpless.

  Lu Changkong arrived; frowned: "Injuries severe; qi pill near empty; organs collapse anytime..."

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Alive... miracle."

  Lu Changkong grave.

  Onlookers shocked.

  Heaven Lock... stronger harder than Golden Core; not words.

  Strong Kong; mouth river; righteous river vs heaven might; nearly dead.

  Others; death certain.

  "Heaven Lock... dangerous!"

  Cultivator grave.

  Some arrogant Heaven Lock planners; fear spread; waver.

  Else... Golden Core fine.

  Ning Zhao Nie Overlord no waver.

  Kong strong; time master power consolidate; success.

  Pity...

  Kong rushed.

  Prove self.

  "Failed; but Kong shock unforgettable; fearless thunder courage; we learn advocate."

  Side Lü Dongxuan.

  Onlookers thoughtful.

  Ni Yu sack Qi Gathering Pill; to Meng.

  Feed Kong.

  Maybe no save; but qi aid self-heal.

  All cultivators self-heal; Body Storage.

  Qi not extinguish; heal.

  Limbs no.

  Meng fed; carried Kong lake heart.

  Knew only Lu save.

  Lu Changkong watched Meng Kong vanish; sighed.

  Unexpected.

  "Heaven Lock... truly hard?"

  Lu Changkong dazed.

  Recalled third bolt.

  Swap; block?

  No.

  Not...

  Not just Lu Changkong; Ning Zhao Nie Overlord pondered.

  Swap; no block.

  Even beaten-habituated Overlord; no.

  Third destroy organs; five storages collapse!

  "But now no; but attribute qi derived; block!"

  Overlord eyes firm.

  Must first Heaven Lock!

  Overlord inhaled; gaze trial tower.

  Wanted enter; train; break shackles.

  But...

  Lu bet; important matters.

  Overlord head up; around.

  Tantai gone.

  Worried Overlord leave first; harm; left early.

  Overlord mouth twitch.

  Eyed Beiluo lake; tower; bold stride; hulking down west mountain.

  ...

  Beiluo outer.

  Driver whipped steeds; carriage sped; wheels snow grooves.

  Tantai carriage; uneasy.

  "Faster..."

  To driver.

  "Yes."

  Driver nod; hard whip.

  Sides Xuanwu Guards horse protect; out Beiluo; rapid Yuan Chi.

  Carriage; Tantai grave.

  Thought overestimated cultivators; but Kong mortal; mouth river; righteous vs heaven; underestimated.

  Firm Daxuan Academy belief.

  Rumble!

  Sudden.

  Hooves exploded.

  Tantai face change.

  Steeds neigh; Xuanwu qi blood; drew blades.

  Carriage stopped.

  Tantai hand; lifted curtain; saw outer; tall black-mane block; hulking sat.

  "Overlord!"

  Tantai pupils shrank.

  Left early; Overlord chased!

  What?

  Tantai crisis strong.

  Panic; must calm.

  Tantai curtain; slow out; stood carriage; bamboo scroll; calm eyed blocking Overlord.

  "Xiliang King... block king carriage; kill here?"

  Tantai deep eyed.

  "Forget; just Ping'an witness; bet."

  Tantai.

  Invoked Lu; deter.

  Overlord black-mane; Xuanwu blades aimed.

  Unconcerned.

  Xuanwu mere Qi Core; solve easy.

  Kill Tantai; no block.

  "No worry; kill; openly destroy Daxuan then you."

  "Ambush; Xiang Shaoyun disdains."

  Overlord.

  Tantai relieved.

  No doubt truth.

  Believed Overlord; no kill; safe.

  "Then Xiliang block carriage why?"

  Tantai squinted.

  Overlord spurred; black-mane neigh; Xuanwu tense.

  Legend Overlord; how not.

  Overlord pocket half emperor dragon seal; threw Tantai.

  Tantai caught subconscious.

  "Hold; yours; but not long; seize your four zhang five dragon qi bit by bit!"

  Overlord laughed.

  Next; yanked reins; steed neigh; snow raised; black-mane Overlord black ray; distant shot.

  Xuanwu no relax.

  Tantai carriage; eyed seal; slow exhale.

  "Seize king dragon qi bit by bit?"

  "Today spare... lifetime worst decision."

  "Next; kill Tantai Xuan; not easy!"

  Tantai clenched seal; oath.

  "Go; Yuan Chi!"

  Tantai back carriage; voice joy anger unknown.

  ...

  Overlord black-mane; spurred gallop; imperial capital.

  Hair wind shook.

  "One year."

  Overlord eyes gleam.

  "You Lu Ping'an... favor Daxuan Academy? Else no bet."

  Overlord clear.

  Lu favor; one year bet; pressure Tantai.

  "Academy cultivators; vs battle-hardened army... you favor academy; I disbelieve!"

  "But academy; Tantai life build!"

  Black-mane Overlord; black lightning; snow plain end vanish.

  ...

  Beiluo.

  Lake heart isle.

  Purple bamboo; Master grave front.

  Mo Tianyu pale; nostrils blood; supine snow; head faint.

  Sky goose snow; face cool.

  Mo dazed; unknown.

  Hard hand; grabbed proud mad hair; clump fell.

  Mo paler...

  Body what?!

  Why sudden nosebleed?

  Nosebleed ok; why hair loss?

  Gaze snow three coins.

  This divination?

  Only change.

  Mo pale flush.

  Divination... wrong again?!

  Now; Beiluo lake.

  Meng Haoran pole; dying Kong isle.

  "Young Master Lu!"

  Meng cry voice.

  Baiyujing second.

  Lu leaned Thousand Blade; white snow; white cloak; forelocks snow light.

  Saw Master grave supine Mo; odd.

  "One 'great ominous'; pulled Kong from death..."

  Lu never cared Mo divinations; but heaven recover; plane origin; Mo "divination" awakened power.

  Last moment aided Kong; shared tribulation pressure.

  Twofold; great ominous; dead ominous... alive great auspicious.

  Lu speechless.

  Mo excellent.

  But "fate defy" divination; cost.

  Mo felt.

  Mo path... crooked?

  Lu unclear.

  No excellent cultivator; but divination path extraordinary.

  Misfortune blessing.

  Lu smiled.

  Hand; slender fingers snowflake.

  Next.

  Thousand Blade faint arc.

  Form vanished.

  Reappear Baiyujing below; finger flick.

  Qi strand Kong body.

  Led; Kong chaotic qi order; meridians flow; heal.

  But time.

  "Qi self-heal; fine."

  "Mind surge coma."

  "Wake; find me."

  Lu to panicked Meng.

  Then wheelchair snow slow; purple bamboo.

  Mo sat snow; pale...

  Stared three coins; lost.

  Sudden snow crush "creak".

  Mo head up; Thousand Blade Lu.

  Lu eyed; hand beckon.

  Three coins hand.

  Cracked near shatter.

  But clenched; release; restored; even different; faint qi fluctuation.

  Three coins... spirit tools!

  Mo stunned.

  Lu threw back.

  "Hold..."

  "Like divine?"

  "From now..."

  "Divine boldly."