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."
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."