Starlit Path of the Mystic Forge

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..."

"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." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel⟡fire.net

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."