Lie Tianxiong Leaves the Pass

The instant the battle halberd took shape, a pure, icy killing intent of the highest order emerged—so sharp that even one’s divine soul felt pierced by it.

As the halberd’s edge suddenly awakened, it shot into the sky before swiftly retracting, all of it sinking into the mysterious dark patterns on the halberd shaft. A series of deep, joyous hums rang out.

It was no longer that remnant weapon filled with deathly silence and resentment. Instead, it had been reborn as a divine weapon of slaughter, forged upon the origin of a vicious weapon and refined anew through supreme methods!

Gu Changge sensed it for a moment and nodded slightly. “Its weapon spirit has been annihilated, and its materials are incomplete, but its foundation is decent. I merely reforged and polished it for you. For now, it can be considered a Quasi-Emperor weapon.”

As he spoke, he casually handed the completely transformed battle halberd back to the dumbfounded Xuanyangzi.

Xuanyangzi accepted it instinctively.

A Quasi-Emperor weapon!

I, Xuanyangzi, have a Quasi-Emperor weapon too?!

The enormous surprise instantly overwhelmed his reason. Clutching the black battle weapon, Xuanyangzi’s hands trembled slightly. His eyes were wide open, and the corners of his mouth stretched uncontrollably into a grin. He nearly laughed aloud on the spot.

Images had already begun surfacing uncontrollably in his mind.

Perhaps one day, he would go to the Azure Cloud Secret Realm and casually reveal his Quasi-Emperor weapon and Imperial Scripture in front of several ancestors. Just imagining the shock and astonishment on their faces was exhilarating.

“Th-Thank you, Junior Brother Changge!”

Xuanyangzi hugged the Quasi-Emperor weapon tightly and bowed deeply to Gu Changge. His smile could no longer be restrained, shining as brightly as that of a child who had just received a new toy.

The summit of Violet Bamboo Peak returned to tranquility.

“System, sign in.”

Gu Changge silently recited the words in his heart and began his daily compulsory routine: signing in.

“Ding! Sign-in successful!

Congratulations, host. You have received a cultivation reward of ten thousand years!

Congratulations, host. You have received ten units of World Origin!

Congratulations, host. You have received ten Invincibility Experience Cards!”

The system notifications rang out one after another. Gu Changge’s gaze swept past the cultivation reward before settling on the final two items.

“World Origin, and Invincibility Experience Cards? What are those?”

With a thought, he looked at the reward descriptions.

World Origin was the most central and fundamental aggregation of laws and energy within a world. It contained the mysteries of creation and annihilation.

It could be used to repair a great world on the verge of collapse or suffering damage to its origin, allowing it to regain its vitality and stabilize the heavens and earth.

It could also be used to nourish and enhance a world’s concentration of spiritual energy, the strength of its laws, and the upper limits of its inhabitants’ potential.

“Repair a world, elevate a world.”

Gu Changge nodded slightly, already forming a plan in his mind.

Although the origin of the Great Xuanhuang World was no longer leaking away, the deficiencies and hidden injuries accumulated over countless ages still remained.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth showed signs of recovery, and the laws had become more active and apparent, but the world’s foundation was still far from its former peak.

This World Origin had arrived at precisely the right time.

“I’ll find an appropriate opportunity to use one and see how effective it is. I’d also like to see just how much benefit it can bring to this world.”

He pondered silently before turning his gaze toward the Invincibility Experience Cards.

“Invincibility Experience Card: After activation, each card grants invincible combat prowess at any location, lasting for one day.”

After reading this description, Gu Changge was stunned at first. Then, the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably, ultimately forming a carefree and unrestrained smile.

“Excellent. Truly excellent!”

He murmured aloud, his delight completely undisguised.

No matter how high one’s cultivation became, accidents were always possible.

On the path of cultivation, who could guarantee that they would never encounter forces beyond their control?

But with these Invincibility Experience Cards, everything would be different.

For an entire day, he would be invincible anywhere!

This meant having an absolute trump card. It meant that whenever he faced a danger beyond his expectations and exceeding the limits of what he could handle, he would possess the ultimate means to flip the table and ignore all reason.

A sense of security—this was exactly where it came from.

“The system is being rather generous this time.”

In a pleasant mood, Gu Changge carefully stored away the newly acquired World Origin and Invincibility Experience Cards.

He gently exhaled and settled his mind.

However, the confidence brought by the Invincibility Experience Cards made his entire state of mind seem even more composed and unfathomable.

Beside him, Xuanyangzi was still immersed in the delirious joy of obtaining a Quasi-Emperor weapon. He hugged the black battle halberd as though he could not bear to part with it, occasionally letting out a foolish chuckle.

Deep within the Burning Heaven Palace, in the sect master’s secluded retreat.

The scorching aura that had filled the stone chamber for several months now resembled a volcanic crater on the verge of eruption.

Sitting cross-legged at the center of the Spirit-Gathering Formation, Lie Tianxiong’s crimson spiritual power surged around him like furious waves. Then, it suddenly contracted and poured entirely into his body.

“Buzz—!”

A deep roar sounded from within him, causing the floor of the stone chamber to tremble slightly.

His tightly shut eyes snapped open. Two beams of tangible light shot out, scorching two shallow pits into the solid stone wall.

A violent, blazing pressure belonging to the King Realm erupted without restraint, instantly filling the entire chamber. Even the air seemed to burn and wail.

“Hahahaha! The King Realm! I’ve done it! I’ve finally done it!”

“It was worth expending so many resources to activate the sect’s ultimate inheritance. So this is the King Realm? It truly is powerful.”

Lie Tianxiong rose to his full height and burst into thunderous laughter.

His laughter reverberated repeatedly through the enclosed stone chamber, shaking loose gravel from the walls.

He clenched his fists and felt the vast power surging endlessly within him—power far beyond anything he had possessed before. A lofty pride that looked down upon the world and a blazing desire for revenge burned fiercely in his chest.

“You scum from the Myriad Laws Pavilion! And you rats who attacked from the shadows and hide your heads like cowards! Just wait for me! The humiliation of the past will be repaid a hundredfold!”

He was brimming with confidence as he strode toward the tightly sealed stone door.

The pent-up frustration, fury, and restraint he had felt before entering seclusion had been completely swept away by his newfound strength. In their place was boundless self-assurance and a battle intent that could hardly wait to be unleashed.

With a rumble, the heavy stone door slowly opened.

Outside, the Second Elder, who had sensed the commotion and had been waiting respectfully, immediately bowed. His voice was steady, carrying just the right amount of excitement and awe.

“Congratulations, Palace Master! Your divine art has reached perfection, and you have emerged from seclusion! The revival of our Burning Heaven Palace is imminent. Under the Palace Master’s might, our name will surely shake Xuanzhou once more!”

Lie Tianxiong strode out with the bearing of a dragon and tiger. His gaze was as sharp as lightning as he swept it over the respectfully waiting Li Qingfeng, seemingly piercing through the palace walls to survey the entirety of the Burning Heaven Palace.

His keen divine sense spread out slightly, and he noticed that the atmosphere within the palace seemed far more orderly than before he entered seclusion.

“Second Elder, how has the palace fared during my retreat?” Lie Tianxiong asked in a deep voice.

The Second Elder raised his head, his face displaying genuine relief and satisfaction.

“Reporting to the Palace Master, thanks to your blessings, everyone in the sect is united and working toward the same goal! Following the arrangements you made before entering seclusion, we have maintained a low profile at all times.

“All the elders have performed their duties diligently, and the disciples have been cultivating industriously. Every matter has proceeded in perfect order. Everyone has been waiting for the Palace Master to emerge from seclusion and lead us in restoring our former prestige!”

“Oh?”

Lie Tianxiong raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by this answer.

“Have the First Elder, Third Elder, and Fourth Elder also been behaving themselves?”

The Second Elder’s smile remained unchanged, and his tone was sincere.

“My Lord, please rest assured. Since you entered seclusion and entrusted me with the temporary management of palace affairs, all the elders have come to understand the weight of your trust and their responsibility to the sect. They have set aside their past grievances and joined forces as one.

The First Elder, in particular, has repeatedly stated in public that everything must be placed beneath the Palace Lord’s commands and the sect’s greater interests, and that he will give his full support to your decisions.

The Burning Heaven Palace is now united as one. We await only your command!”