The Great Cosmos resonated three times.

This vast Cosmos, evolved from the Great Heaven and Earth of Ancient Times, was struck by three great sorrows in rapid succession.

A great bell boomed, and violent tremors surged from one end of the galaxy to the other, all the way to the Cosmic Edge Wilderness.

"Heavens..."

In the GN-Z11 Galaxy, a Little Saint of the White Tiger Race sat cross-legged directly above the galaxy, staring blankly at the nearby Cosmic Edge Wilderness. Through that ultimate Boundary, he saw one towering figure after another!

There was a Demon Buddha wielding a Heaven-Reaching pillar, a creature with a wingspan of a million miles that was like a fish and a roc, a Giant Bull carrying a temple on its back, and a Three-Eyed Celestial God!

The Cosmos tolled its great bell three times, cried out in sorrow three times, and wailed in anguish three times!

BANG!!

A towering figure lightly knocked on the ultimate Boundary. Once, twice, three times...

"We shall return."

The Little Saint of the White Tiger Race heard the voice coming from beyond the Cosmic Edge Wilderness, from outside the Cosmos itself. The figures outside were numerous. It was just like the ’thump’ that had previously echoed through the Cosmos, summoning countless supreme beings.

The three consecutive sorrows of the Great Cosmos and the three mighty tolls of the great bell, all in an extremely short time, had also attracted one towering figure after another!

The towering figure knocking on the Boundary declared.

The voice pierced through the Boundary, stabbing into the ears of the White Tiger Race’s Little Saint and kicking up a cosmic storm in the GN-Z11 Galaxy!

"We shall return."

"The bloody war has raged beyond the border for thirty thousand years."

"The victor has yet to be decided."

The Little Saint of the White Tiger Race swallowed hard. Peering through the hazy and indistinct ultimate Boundary,

he saw a being beyond the Cosmic Edge Wilderness—what looked like the Three-Eyed Celestial God holding a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade—as it proclaimed:

"This war will continue. This is a Dao War. It is Undying and unceasing, and it will not be extinguished. We will fight until the next cataclysm arrives ahead of schedule, and even then, we will continue."

"A debt of blood must be paid in blood!"

As its voice fell, the Three-Eyed Celestial God slammed its face—THUD—against the Boundary, forcibly pressing the membrane of the Boundary into the shape of its own face!

A colossal face, one hundred thousand miles high, was imprinted upon the Cosmic Edge Wilderness as it roared in fury:

"The armor is ready, the blade is sharp!"

"We’ll fight until Reincarnation itself is extinguished! We’ll fight until All Realms wither and decay!"

"A debt of blood must be paid in blood..."

"For... Profound Origin Fusheng!"

The shockwaves vibrated, passing through the Cosmic Edge Wilderness, blowing apart the entire GN-Z11 Galaxy and tearing the Demon Race’s Little Saint, who was approaching the Grand Grade Level, to shreds!

......

「Ancestor Star.」

High above Dragon Tiger Mountain, Lu Xuan carried the head of the Upper Palace Master, slowly walking toward the Ancient Tower and the Divine Palace.

He did not let his guard down. The hazy Small Pagoda still hovered above his head, as streams of silky Profound Yellow Qi descended, flowing over his skin to become Everywhere.

"Come out."

Lu Xuan said coolly.

After a long silence, an extremely bewitching woman walked out of the Ancient Tower. Then, an old man emerged from the Divine Palace.

Celestial phenomena drifted around both of them, suffused with Immortal patterns. Faint Immortal Music played behind them, unceasing.

"Greetings... Greetings, Saint Lu!"

The two Immortals bowed in unison. Even now, their hearts were still chilled with fear!

It had all happened too fast. In the span of a single cup of tea, three Immortals who stood as their peers had been slain by the youth before them, their blood spilled upon this very ground!

The Tower Master of the Death Tower felt a pang of regret. ’I never should have listened to the Upper Palace Master and come to hunt this person... Was this a hunt?’

’It was more like they were the ones being hunted!’

Under the watchful eyes of the few Ancient Immortals from the Celestial Master’s Mansion, the Daoists from the distant Dragon Tiger Mountain, and the representatives from the major powers,

the youth with the Profound Yellow Pagoda above his head nodded and asked coldly:

"Your names."

The Cyan Lamp and the Gloomy Lamp floated on either side of him. The head in his left hand was still dripping blood, its remnant soul wailing from within.

"Ming Xiangjun," the bewitching Tower Master of the Death Tower replied with a bow.

"Qing Lianzi," the Lord of the Earth Palace also bowed, his long white beard fluttering in the wind, his expression grave.

The Old Celestial Master then strode forward, treading on clouds to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu Xuan, and asked softly:

"There is one other Immortal in the world, but he is likely in slumber. He is one of the hidden pillars of the Zhuge Family."

"Then we’ll leave him be for now." Lu Xuan nodded, then said, "The Death Tower and Earth Palace you two command... if I’m not mistaken, their legacies originate from the North Pole Celestial Court and the East Pole Celestial Court of Ancient Times, correct?"

Ming Xiangjun and Qing Lianzi exchanged a glance, their expressions shifting slightly before immediately returning to normal. The former spoke cautiously:

"It is as Saint Lu says. The Death Tower I command is inherited from the North Pole Celestial Court... Over the years, although the Death Tower’s primary method has been killing, its purpose is to uphold justice and order, to restrict Cultivators from bringing chaos to the world."

The old man beside her also spoke up hastily:

"The Earth Palace is inherited from the East Pole Celestial Court. Since ancient days, its purpose has been to relieve suffering, provide Cultivation, rule over all beings, and command the Underworld. It is still the same today, unlike the Upper Palace and the Life Tower, which commit atrocities!"

"Perhaps."

Lu Xuan neither disbelieved nor believed them. He lifted his gaze and said:

"I originally intended to visit the world’s Immortals one by one, but since the five of you swarmed Dragon Tiger Mountain together, you’ve saved me a great deal of trouble..."

Ming Xiangjun hurriedly explained:

"It was the Upper Palace Master who contacted us. He said that you would plunge the world into turmoil and become an obstacle to the future return of the Immortals and Buddhas..."

"Is that so?"

Lu Xuan’s face was devoid of expression.

"Then he was half right... Now, I will ask, and you will answer."

As his voice fell, the Cyan Lamp and Gloomy Lamp beside him flared violently, their candlelight illuminating the faces of the two Immortals until they were translucent!

Ming Xiangjun and Qing Lianzi’s expressions changed, but they immediately bowed, assuming a posture of respectful listening.

Lu Xuan raised the Jade Void Glazed Lamp in his right hand and asked calmly:

"Evil Cult. Are the Death Tower and Earth Palace involved with the Evil Cult in any way?"

"No!" the two Immortals said in unison. After exchanging a look, Ming Xiangjun’s tone softened as she added:

"However, I am not certain whether some of the Grand Grades and True Immortals within the Death Tower have ties to the Evil Cult. I have explicitly forbidden this, and I’ve forbidden the ’Great Sacrifice’... Oh, and the one backing the Evil Cult is the Upper Palace."

"Mm," Lu Xuan grunted, moving on to the next question. "I wish to summon the living Immortals to make a pact, but since the one from the Zhuge Family is in slumber, we will not disturb him."

After a pause, his expression turned solemn as he continued to ask:

"The Celestial Master exists in this world because of Dragon Tiger Mountain, but Dragon Tiger Mountain cannot be moved. You two, with your Death Tower and Earth Palace, can travel freely... Can you two take turns guarding the Starry Great Wall? Stand watch there to guard against sudden attacks from the Outer Demon Race?"

Qing Lianzi, Ming Xiangjun, and even the Old Celestial Master were all slightly stunned.

A moment later, the first two exchanged another glance, hesitated for a moment, then nodded in unison:

"We can!"

The circumstances were stronger than they were. They knew that although this person before them was asking politely and seeking their opinion, it didn’t mean they had the right to refuse...

"Good."

Only then did a hint of a smile appear on Lu Xuan’s face.

"The Immortals and Buddhas are coming, and they should not stand above all living beings. When they return this time, they will certainly re-establish the Celestial Court, Foshan, and the like. I intend to use the Current World’s Great Heaven and Earth as a foundation to do certain things, and I will need the three of you to cooperate. But before that..."

His gaze suddenly sharpened. With a slap of his palm, the remnant soul within the Upper Palace Master’s head was pulled out.

Lu Xuan tossed the head aside. Pinching the bewildered-looking remnant soul, his eyes suddenly blazed like two Great Sun Golden Lamps as he asked:

"The Evil Cult—was it your creation?"

"Answer truthfully."

He spoke with the Celestial Decree, issuing a Decree of heaven and earth. The Upper Palace Master, now just a wisp of a remnant soul, had no way to resist and could only answer truthfully.

"It was..." he said with great difficulty, like a candle flickering in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment.

Qing Lianzi and Ming Xiangjun’s expressions tensed.

"Then what of Qianlong City eight years ago? Do you know of it?"

"...I do!"

"Who was responsible?"

Under the pressure of heaven and earth, the remnant soul unconsciously spoke the truth:

"It was a True Immortal performing a Great Sacrifice, with my sect assisting. That is all!"

"Who was that True Immortal?"

"I don’t know. I didn’t go see. It was merely an ant, not worthy of my attention!"

Lu Xuan clutched the remnant soul, his gaze flickering. He suddenly fell silent, leaving Qing Lianzi, Ming Xiangjun, and even the Old Celestial Master rather perplexed.

Far in the distance, the crowd gazed at the four towering figures above Dragon Tiger Mountain, all of them whispering amongst themselves.

"Guan Tong, I’ve told you before, your destiny runs contrary to the heavens. Most of what you say turns out to be the opposite..."

Zhuge Suan swallowed, exhaled, and said:

"Now the dust should have completely settled. Saint Lu has slain three Immortals. The order of heaven and earth is about to undergo a massive change..."

The stunned Guan Tong snapped back to his senses. Ignoring Zhuge Suan’s comment about his ’heaven-defying fate,’ he hurriedly asked:

"Are the ones left the masters of the Death Tower and Earth Palace? Saint Lu hasn’t continued the slaughter. He’s talking to them... What are they talking about?"

"How would I know?" Zhuge Suan gave him a speechless look. "But no matter what they’re discussing, it’s bound to affect the order of heaven and earth. Everything is about to change. Everyone, get ready..."

"Why do you say that?" a True Immortal couldn’t help but ask. Zhuge Suan just glanced at him, smiled, and offered no explanation.

Instead, it was Ao Chengzhong who chuckled and said, somewhat lost in thought:

"Saint Lu cannot stand filth and will not allow darkness to exist in the world... If nothing unexpected happens, the various corporations are all going to crumble. As for anything else, I can’t be sure."

Aside from Longque Technology, the representatives from the other four corporations all had their expressions change drastically.

Chen Ye, Wang Zhiyao, Li Xiaosang, and the others listened to the bigwigs’ discussion in a daze. The ones talking were all legendary True Immortals, supreme Existences they could normally only look up to from afar.

And now, these major figures were all discussing Lu Xuan with tones of respect and awe...

A sense of unreality washed over them. They all felt as if they were trapped in a dream, not yet awake.

While the crowd was engrossed in discussion, back in the distance, high above Dragon Tiger Mountain...

"One last question."

Lu Xuan held the remnant soul, his voice trembling with the Dao:

"Cultists. Is there a list of names?"

"...No," the remnant soul was forced to answer honestly. "There are too many. I don’t pay attention to them. They’re just a swarm of ants."

"Is that so?"

A smile suddenly spread across Lu Xuan’s face as he said softly:

"The very ants you speak of slaughtered my city and killed my parents..."

The three Immortals’ faces changed. Then it dawned on them. ’Were they Saint Lu’s parents in this life?’

Lu Xuan slowly closed his eyes.

"I actually don’t enjoy killing, but there is one principle I understand, and that is..." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"A debt of blood must be paid in blood."

"Some people’s sins are so heavy they don’t even deserve a chance at redemption."

"I’ll do it myself."

As his voice fell, the Celestial Venerable Cyan Lamp in his hand trembled slightly, and a solemn Dharma Aspect materialized above his head.

The Dharma Aspect looked incredibly majestic, cloaked in seventy-two colors of Infinite Light. It seemed to be seated at an infinitely high place, looking down upon all that was and all that was not!

Primordial Dharma Aspect.

The next instant, as the flame of the Jade Void Glazed Lamp flared, countless Profound Mysteries of the star-like threads of Cause and Effect appeared in Lu Xuan’s eyes. He focused his gaze on the remnant soul, thoroughly investigating its Cause and Effect.

He traced them back along the lines of Cause and Effect, looking, and looking again.

He saw.

Through the web of Cause and Effect, Lu Xuan saw every single Cultist on the entire Ancestor Star. There were tens of millions of them, and over ninety-nine percent were stained with blood, having participated in one or more Great Sacrifices!

Lu Xuan’s lips trembled slightly. ’That’s tens of millions of people...’

’Even though they are all Cultists, all sinners with heavy debts of blood, still...’

He closed his eyes, the tragic scenes of Qianlong City and East Sea City flashing through his mind. His resolve hardened. He issued a Decree to heaven and earth, his voice like a great bell.

"Execute."

As the word fell, the remnant soul let out a bloodcurdling scream. And amid that scream, the killing intent of heaven and earth surged along the threads of Cause and Effect, rushing toward one Cultist after another!

At this moment, at this very instant.

A long time passed.

Lu Xuan felt a weight descend upon him. A monstrous wave of Karmic Force pressed down, only to disintegrate the moment it touched the Profound Yellow Qi.

But his heart felt lighter. He could see that a heavy thread of Cause and Effect that had been entwined around his body had just been undone.

"The blood debt is paid. The Cause and Effect is resolved."

Lu Xuan muttered to himself, his state of mind becoming clear and bright. Under the astonished and uncertain gazes of the three Immortals, a profound and mysterious aura emerged from him. His Grand Grade status trembled as his comprehension of Dao Generating One and the Primordial Body surged!

An unknown amount of time passed.

The youth, with the Profound Yellow Pagoda above his head, glanced at Qing Lianzi and Ming Xiangjun.

Then, he channeled energy within his body, spoke with the Celestial Decree, and unleashed his voice like thunder, shaking the entire Ancestor Star.

"My name is Lu Xuan."

He announced to the world.