Lie Tianxiong Ascends to Sainthood

While Mo Yu’s heart waged an internal war—despising his own fall from grace on one hand, yet unable to stop sneaking glances at the roast meat that was gradually turning golden and glistening on the other—

“That should do it.”

Gu Changge spoke calmly and made a casual gesture with two fingers.

The two pieces of meat in the cauldron, already roasted to perfection with a crisp exterior and tender interior, their surfaces gleaming with golden divine radiance, rose into the air on their own.

An invisible force evenly sliced them into appropriately sized pieces, and each slice landed with pinpoint accuracy in one of the jade bowls, as though guided by a living will.

In an instant, the radiance grew even brighter, and an intoxicating fragrance filled the air. Every slice of meat seemed to contain the essence of a miniature world, glowing with a lustrous treasure-light.

“This meat contains the origin of the Imperial Realm. It will greatly benefit your foundations. Do not waste it.”

Gu Changge was the first to pick up his jade chopsticks. He lifted a slice of beef, placed it in his mouth, and savored it carefully before giving a slight nod.

“Thank you, Master!”

Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Fatty Wang, and the others had long since been unable to contain themselves. Upon hearing this, they immediately bowed respectfully, then eagerly picked up their jade bowls.

The moment the imperial-grade meat entered their mouths, its vast essence dissolved and spread through them. The few of them immediately brightened with excitement.

Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, and Fatty Wang each managed only a few pieces before they felt they could bear no more.

They had no choice but to sit cross-legged at once and circulate their cultivation arts, refining the immense imperial essence with all their might. Their auras visibly became denser and more profound.

Ling Xi, however, ate one piece, then another, then a third…

She ate with focused calm, yet her pace was not the slightest bit slow.

An invisible, intangible aura of profound Dao slowly spread around her, as if capable of devouring all things.

Deep within her eyes, chaotic vortexes faintly churned. With every swallow, the imperial essence—something that even an ordinary Great Sage cultivator would have to refine with the utmost caution—was like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. It was silently devoured, broken down, and transformed into the purest origin force, merging into her limbs, bones, Dao foundation, and divine soul without causing the slightest disturbance. Her efficiency was astonishing.

Her seemingly slender body appeared to be connected to an unfathomable abyss, accepting everything that came its way.

Now, she seized every bit of energy and every moment available for cultivation, striving to achieve success as soon as possible so that she could search for the world in which she had lived in her previous life.

Among everyone present, her aura was rising the most steadily and rapidly. Her foundation was also being tempered and broadened at a terrifying rate.

Lao Huang and Little White had transformed into human forms as well.

The two of them stared at the meat on their plates—meat that had very clearly come from each other’s bodies—with expressions of indescribable complexity.

In the end, Lao Huang steeled his heart, picked up a glistening piece of dragon meat, and stuffed it viciously into his mouth, chewing it with loud crunches.

It was as though he were venting his anger, though there was also a hint of appraisal in his actions. In a deep, muffled voice, he muttered, “Hmph! You know, this long bug’s meat is actually pretty tasty once it’s roasted!”

Seeing this, Little White refused to be outdone. He immediately speared a large piece of beef, its surface shining with oil and its grain clearly visible, and nearly swallowed it whole.

Then, in a deliberately critical tone, he shot back, “Tasty? It’s only so-so! It’s chewy, sure, but unfortunately it came from a stupid cow. A little tough.”

The two glared at each other while eating one another’s meat as though they were competing. The sight nearly made Fatty Wang burst out laughing. He hurriedly lowered his head and wolfed down his own food, though his shoulders continued to shake.

As for Mo Yu, he stood stiffly in place, staring at the bowl of meat radiating an irresistible temptation.

Should he eat it, or shouldn’t he?

If he ate it, it felt like some terrifying act of complicity—perhaps even tacit approval of his future fate.

But if he didn’t…

The aroma was simply too soul-stirring. The essence contained in the meat was undoubtedly an immense tonic for him. Wasting it would be shameful, especially when it was a reward from the Honored Master…

Just as he struggled fiercely within, cold sweat even beginning to bead on his forehead, Gu Changge tasted a piece of dragon meat.

His calm gaze swept over and landed on the bowl in Mo Yu’s hands before slowly moving upward to meet Mo Yu’s crimson-gold, slit-pupiled eyes.

The Honored Master’s gaze remained as still as an ancient well, yet Mo Yu seemed to read something in it…

A faint urging?

And perhaps a meaning that said, “Don’t overthink it. Eat it while it’s hot”?

Mo Yu shuddered all over. Daring not hesitate any longer, he shut his eyes, steeled his heart, picked up a slice of beef, and stuffed it into his mouth.

In the next instant, exquisite flavor and immense, gentle essence exploded in his mouth together, surging through his bloodline and sacred body!

“!!!”

All his hesitation, fear, and worries about the future were swept away by the unparalleled deliciousness and the tangible benefits, scattered into nothing.

It was delicious!

Mo Yu’s eyes snapped open. Astonishing light burst from his crimson-gold pupils, and he no longer cared about anything else as he began to feast.

As he ate, a thought flashed through his mind:

“Senior Lao Huang was right. The Master’s culinary skills truly reach the divine! This meat is so wonderfully chewy! As for everything else, I’ll worry about it later!”

On Purple Bamboo Peak, the fragrance of meat spread through the air while Dao rhythms flowed around them, creating a scene of perfect “harmony.”

Only occasionally, when Mo Yu’s mouth was slick with grease and the essence within him surged and thundered, would he subconsciously glance at Lao Huang and Little White beside him, each gnashing their teeth as they ate the other’s flesh.

Then he would suddenly shudder.

But the next wave of fresh, succulent flavor would erupt in his mouth, once again conquering him, and he would lower his head and continue eating ravenously.

The future could wait. Future matters, future qilin meat—that was all for the future!!!

Meanwhile, outside the Azure Profound Sect, the Xuanhuang Great World was undergoing a transformation the likes of which had never been seen since the creation of heaven and earth.

Ever since Gu Changge had merged with the world origin, it was as if the laws of heaven and earth had been unblocked. They had become clearer and more accommodating than ever before.

Spiritual energy surged from the depths of the earth like a tidal wave. What now flowed through the mountains and rivers was no longer ordinary spiritual energy, but chaotic energy containing traces of innate Dao aura.

Bottlenecks that had trapped countless cultivators for decades or even centuries now seemed as thin as paper, pierced with a single thrust.

One after another, realms that had once been impossibly lofty were now being reached by an increasing number of cultivators.

The Burning Heaven Palace, atop Burning Heaven Peak.

Lie Tianxiong sat cross-legged in the center of a secluded chamber, surrounded by crimson-gold flames. Those flames were no longer ordinary fire, but sacred flames containing the laws of heaven and earth.

His aura was rising at a crazed pace.

“Heaven is helping me… Heaven is truly helping me!”

Lie Tianxiong was ecstatic. He could clearly sense that the barrier to Sainthood had become incomparably loose under the nourishment of the world origin.

“Break for me!”

Lie Tianxiong’s eyes were bloodshot. The Burning Heaven Art he had accumulated for years circulated wildly within him, drawing in the surging chaotic spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It transformed into a rolling torrent that slammed viciously into the invisible barrier.

“Boom—!!!”

The sky above Burning Heaven Peak suddenly changed color despite the ten thousand miles of clear skies.

Crimson-gold tribulation clouds condensed out of thin air.

This was the tribulation of Sainthood!

Countless disciples and elders throughout the Burning Heaven Palace rushed out of their caves and dwellings, gazing up at the heart-wrenching tribulation clouds.

“The Palace Master is about to become a Saint!”

Within the secluded chamber, Lie Tianxiong rose to his full height. With a single step, he appeared directly above Burning Heaven Peak.

He threw his head back and let out a long howl that shook the Nine Heavens.

“A mere Saint Tribulation—what can it do to me?”

Before his voice had even faded, the first Burning Heaven Divine Lightning thundered down!

The lightning was as thick as a mountain, crimson-gold from top to bottom. Wherever it passed, space itself burned and twisted.

For an entire day and night, thunder roared without end above Burning Heaven Peak, while flames soared into the heavens.

When the final bolt of golden divine lightning, infused with the origin of the laws of Heaven and Earth, was shattered by Lie Tianxiong’s punch, the vast tribulation clouds slowly dispersed, sending down a sweet rain.

Lie Tianxiong stood suspended in the air. The charred blackness covering his body faded away, revealing skin as flawless as jade. Every inch of his flesh now held power capable of destroying Heaven and Earth.

His aura had become utterly different.

It was a vast pressure that transcended mortal life, resonating with the laws themselves—

The might of a Saint!

“Hahaha… hahaha…”

Feeling the boundless power surging through his body—a strength that could control the laws of Heaven and Earth with a single thought—Lie Tianxiong could not help but throw back his head and laugh.

His laughter boomed like thunder, shaking the entire mountain gate of the Burning Heaven Palace.