Chapter 262: At Last, Peace

“What... is that...”

Daoist Shouren, a cultivator at the Heaven and Earth Realm, instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes.

It was too bright.

Nine suns radiated blistering light.

The earth cracked. The void twisted. Rivers evaporated.

The suns were linked together, and in that moment, over ten million supreme-grade spirit stones were reduced to powder.

Every formation node ignited.

Countless Dao patterns burned through the void, forging one of the most terrifying scenes the world had ever known.

“What... is that...”

It wasn’t just Daoist Shouren asking that question. Countless others observing the battle—countless sects, countless cultivators—couldn’t help but echo it.

They asked the question aloud...

But in their hearts, they already knew the answer.

Death.

They watched as a sea of glowing figures hurtled toward the nine blazing suns.

Too many to count. Faces twisted with horror.

“No!”

“Don’t go!”

“Stay back!”

“Patriarch, wake up! You can’t go!”

“What kind of array is that?! That’s not the Myriad Sword Heaven-Slaying Formation from Thousand Blade Sect! What is this?!”

“It’s him! It’s Lu Ye! He laid that array in such a short time—Patriarch, don’t go!”

But those terrified cries of warning would never reach the ears of those already flying in.

Even if they did—they wouldn’t stop.

It was too tempting. Far too tempting.

This time, Lu Ye didn’t let them shatter his physical body again.

The Nine Suns Blazing World Inferno Array required some time to activate, and its power was terrifying. He feared that if he wasn’t careful, he’d be turned to ash himself.

If even he didn’t dare risk it, then the lethality of this formation needed no further explanation.

The moment the first figure charged into the formation—

The nine suns began to rotate. The immense celestial bodies formed a blazing ring, surrounding that first intruder.

And then, at the center of the ring, a blinding white light burst forth—so dazzling that almost everyone instinctively closed their eyes.

It was too bright.

Bloodshot eyes wept uncontrollably.

Some were blinded instantly.

And still—they could not stop themselves.

One after another, they dove in. Like moths to flame.

One body vanished into the light. A last flickering shadow... and then it, too, crumbled into ash.

The Human Emperor Banner lunged forward, barely able to contain itself.

The formation’s power was too terrifying—even souls might be vaporized in that inferno. It had to move fast to harvest them before they vanished.

Ding ding ding...

Countless space stones—each no larger than a grain of rice—fell to the ground. The rings, the gems, the metal fittings—all burned to dust.

Only those space stones survived.

These stones were incredibly hard, like grains of sand—each one dense and indestructible.

Some had once wondered: since space stones were so tough, could one forge a shield out of them?

The answer: no.

Every space stone was a self-contained granule. They couldn’t be cut or fused.

But someone had used them as hidden weapons—if the force was great enough, the damage was terrifying.

Lu Ye could definitely do something like that.

What a beautiful firework display it was.

With one blaze, countless powerful cultivators turned to ash.

And still, this massacre couldn’t compare to the time he had annihilated the demon race.

Back then, the nine suns were even larger than real solar stars—blazing hotter, brighter.

The entire cosmos had watched those nine burning stars light the heavens.

That had been truly magnificent.

But for now—Lu Ye was satisfied.

To craft such a formation with such limited resources—it was more than enough.

“Don’t go in! Stop!”

“Patriarch, stay back!”

“Senior Brother! Senior Sister!”

“Father!”

“Elder!”

“Stop!”

The Fourth Heaven was filled with wailing.

So many people screaming, eyes wide, tears falling as they roared in anguish.

They hated—

They hated their loved ones, their elders, their juniors, for charging after Lu Ye. Why hadn’t they stopped them?

They hated—

They hated Lu Ye, for being so ruthless, so powerful. They couldn’t imagine that a Heaven-Ascension cultivator could accomplish such destruction.

They hated—

They hated their own helplessness. That they could only watch, powerless, as one by one, their people marched to death.

But there was no need to worry.

That hatred might only last a short while.

Soon enough, perhaps, they would all be reunited inside the Human Emperor Banner.

A joyful family reunion, once again.

Assuming they were “lucky” enough.

Because if they weren’t...

Their souls would simply become food—sacrificed to the two dominant spirits inside the banner.

Guuuulp... guuulp... gurgle...

Purple energy churned inside the Human Emperor Banner, overflowing in thick waves.

Chu Ling and Jiang Die’s spirits emerged, directly devouring soul after soul—relieving the banner’s growing pressure.

There were too many.

And they were too powerful.

The banner flared with dazzling violet light. It began to evolve.

It had no choice.

It simply couldn’t contain all this power otherwise.

Guuuuulp...

Because Mount Cangmang wasn’t too far, most of the pursuing cultivators—regardless of whether they were Heaven and Earth Realm, Samsara Realm, or Domain Realm—had followed closely behind.

Though the nine suns were already dimming rapidly, before they could vanish completely, they finished the job.

All the powerhouses ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) were incinerated.

Lu Ye gathered up every last space stone on the ground, then glanced toward Chu Ling and Jiang Die—both of them slightly plumper, brows furrowed.

Then he picked up the Human Emperor Banner, still surging with violet mist.

“Master... Master, easy now. Don’t... don’t jostle me... guuuuulp...”

A childish voice rang out in Lu Ye’s mind.

Oh?

The artifact spirit could speak now?

And it called him “Master”? That sounded good. Not like that damned system, always calling him “Host” and refusing to say “Master.”

Don’t worry.

Your Master will raise you nice and fat.

Lu Ye’s figure vanished into a streak of light.

He was gone.

And the world...

...fell silent.

The land here had been seared by such intense heat, it had turned into glazed crystal. The whole region had become a massive pane of glass.

The air shimmered.

Space quivered.

The heat radiated outward in all directions, and the temperature across the entire Fourth Heaven began to rise.

Maybe the frozen lands of Northern Cold would get a little warmer now.

Once Lu Ye was truly gone, Daoist Shouren appeared at the site.

He looked down at the scorched land. Up at the empty sky.

He was filled with helplessness—but beneath it, he had to admit... a twisted hint of satisfaction had welled up in his heart.

He didn’t adjust his state of mind right away.

It was fine.

Just a little moment of indulgence.

Everyone was dead now.

But he’d saved six sects.

That had to count for something.

Now what?