Someone had beaten them to it!
The crowd locked in fierce battle paused abruptly.
"Tianming Palace has opened!"
"The Wang Ghost Sovereign wants to get there first!"
"Get in!"
Why had they all gathered here? Was it really just to fight Luo Chen to the death? The answer was plainly no!
Almost instantly, everyone made their decision.
Seizing the moment Tianming Palace opened, figures whistled as they charged inside, with Great Ghost Sovereigns such as Zimu Guixiong leading the rush.
Luo Chen, who lagged behind, was completely ignored instead.
This startling turn of events left onlookers dazzled.
Luo Chen was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"Arriving early doesn't beat arriving at the right moment, it seems!"
Glancing at the members of the Luotian Sect in the distance who wanted to follow him, he waved his hand.
"You don't need to enter. Just wait outside."
With that, he stepped leisurely into the palace.
The Luotian Sect members were worried, and Gu Caiyi, who had remained silent all this while, blurted out, "But..."
Deng Taiyue stepped in front of everyone, cutting off Gu Caiyi's words.
"Brother Luo's capabilities have already surpassed our imagination. Entering the palace together would only make us a burden to him."
As he spoke, a thick look of dread was unmistakable in his eyes.
Recalling the swift battle moments ago, where Luo Chen remained thoroughly composed under the siege of a horde of Ghost Sovereigns, everyone could see just how terrifyingly strong he was now.
Considering that Luo Chen's techniques often possessed immense areas of effect, entering would indeed easily drag him down.
Listening to Deng Taiyue was the right choice.
Yet this battle concerned the entire sect—was it truly right to leave it all to their Supreme Elder alone?
Wang Yuan said in a deep voice, "All we can do is plug any gaps. If anyone manages to snatch the Ming Water Springhead and flee outside, we will blast them to death!"
Deng Taiyue looked at him and finally nodded slowly.
...
Inside Tianming Palace.
A deep pool barely ten feet across lay right in the center of the hall.
At this moment, vigorous bubbles welled up from the pool, as though it were boiling.
Yet the grim, chilling cold spreading out from it frosted the surrounding ground white.
A figure arrived in a flash!
Upon entering the palace, without the slightest hesitation, it plunged straight into the deep pool.
Immediately afterward, whistlings followed in swift succession.
The various Ghost Sovereigns manifested their forms, staring in unison at the boiling pool.
"The Ming Water Springhead is inside!"
"The Wang Ghost Sovereign actually dared to charge straight in—has he lost his mind?"
"No, the Wang Ghost Sovereign's body is condensed from Ming Water True Essence, sharing the same origin as the Ming Water Springhead. He wants to forcefully refine the Ming Water Springhead!"
Amidst the clamor of shock, someone couldn't restrain themselves and plunged straight into the pool as well.
Yet in merely an instant, a shrill scream echoed from within.
"Ahhh!"
A wisp of green smoke curled upward.
This signified that a formidable Ghost Sovereign, rarely seen in the outside world, had fallen just like that.
The crowd was terrified, retreating far away and instinctively backing off from the pool.
At the same time!
A grating sound rang out from behind.
Perceptive as Zimu Guixiong was, she whipped her head around, just in time to see a Daoist in a feathered robe and high crown slowly pulling the palace doors shut.
The sight made her pupils shrink violently.
The warding restrictions on the doors of Tianming Palace had taken their combined efforts years of unraveling just to pry open a crack wide enough for a cultivator to slip through.
Opening it had been difficult; closing it was even harder.
Yet Luo Chen had forcefully shut the doors entirely on his own.
And the signal this action conveyed was all the more terrifying.
"Luo Chen, what are you doing?!"
As she barked the question, the others finally realized the grave danger heralded by Luo Chen's actions.
"Phew..."
Luo Chen exhaled a breath of turbid air and instinctively shook out his hands.
The doors of Tianming Palace didn't look like much, but shutting them really took quite a bit of effort.
Facing the glaring gazes of the Ghost Sovereigns, Luo Chen smiled faintly and planted the Soul Refining Banner beside him.
"Shutting the doors to beat the ghosts—isn't it obvious?"
Everyone froze, and then they watched as the soul banner expanded at extreme speed, brushing against the palace dome in an instant. The banner billowed without any wind, and human faces—some ferocious, some resentful—surfaced across its cloth.
Not only that, Luo Chen opened his mouth and spat out a small gray cauldron that whirled through the air.
Clang!
The small cauldron slammed onto the floor, causing the incomparably hard ground to sink in by three-tenths of an inch.
One must remember that this was the palace of a Soul Transformation mighty figure!
That this small cauldron could smash out such an indentation spoke volumes of its extraordinary nature.
Most importantly, it was Luo Chen's declaration of total slaughter.
Earlier outside, in that brief clash, they had all realized Luo Chen was no easy opponent.
Now that he had bolted the doors, his intent to fight to the death was unmistakable.
Huan Youji asked in confusion, "The Ming Water Springhead is what matters most! True Person Luo, why do this? Do you truly intend to let the Wang Ghost Sovereign reap the benefits while we fight?"
Faced with these words, Luo Chen merely smiled.
"Simple. I will slaughter you all, and then take the springhead."
"Arrogant!"
"Courting death!"
"The supreme treasure is right before us—there is no need for chivalry with him. Attack together!"
Amid shock and fury, someone could no longer hold back and struck out.
Facing a rusty iron sword hurtling toward him, Luo Chen's eyes lit up.
"Well come!"
With a casual pinch, the lightning-fast iron sword fell between his fingertips. With a slight exertion of force, it shattered into fragments of iron.
He then flung his hand forward, hurling them back and drawing out screams of agony.
Luo Chen wasted no more words. Pressing his advantage, he unleashed spells at will with effortless ease.
A blazing sun rose into the air!
Sparks of flame showered like rain!
A fire phoenix soared across the hall, and a flame dragon roared within.
In a brief span of time, countless fire-attribute spells were hurled out as if they cost no magic power at all.
Furthermore, every single spell carried the power of the Fire Origin, tinged with the aura of the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire.
At the slightest touch, at worst the ghost's body detonated on the spot; at best, wisps of green smoke hissed away from their form.
It should have been an encirclement of Luo Chen by the horde of Ghost Sovereigns, but once the battle truly began, it looked as though Luo Chen alone was besieging all of them.
This scene utterly stunned the four Great Ghost Sovereigns.
Furious and terrified, Zimu Guixiong let out overlapping voices—one old and one young—laden with suppressed fear:
"Kill him first!"
Before the words finished echoing, she had already whistled forward in a charge.
Huan Youji followed suit without hesitation, pointing a finger toward Luo Chen from afar.
Phantom Gloom Finger—whoever was struck would sink into boundless illusions.
The other two Great Ghost Sovereigns concealed themselves no longer, executing their respective arts to join in besieging Luo Chen.
Facing all of this, Luo Chen remained entirely fearless.
He currently rivaled Qingshuang in strength, but their combat styles differed vastly.
Qingshuang excelled in uncanny movement techniques; her formidable single-target, pinpoint lethality was virtually impossible for peers of the same tier to withstand.
His own combat style, on the other hand, had begun taking shape back during the Foundation Establishment stage:
Vast magic power, profound soul foundation, and sweeping, wide-area destructive spells.
Against an equal of Qingshuang's caliber, he might be plunged into a bitter fight.
Yet against opponents whose cultivation realm, raw power, and even their boasted soul foundation were all inferior to his, it was practically an overwhelming crush.
Moreover, fire methods were inherently the greatest counter to yin-evil ghostly creatures, second only to lightning methods.
Numbers were simply not the point!
No matter how many came, he would kill them all!
Now without the need to shield the Luotian Sect members, Luo Chen fought with unbridled fury, achieving results that were simply harrowing to behold.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Violent detonations passed through the thick hall walls, reverberating far beyond Mount Yanfu.
The terrifying tremors could be felt even by the Luotian Sect members waiting on the outside plaza, causing their complexions to pale.
Time ticked by bit by bit.
Every second seemed like years as the disturbances echoed from inside Tianming Palace.
Every moment kept hearts in throats.
Yet what they did not know was just how one-sided a slaughter the actual battlefield inside was.
"Even if a Soul Transformation mighty figure intervened in person, could it be any more terrifying than this?"
After another fruitless attack, Huan Youji thought with terror gripping her heart.
By now, barely any Tier 4 Ghost Sovereigns remained alive inside the hall.
The ghost qi that poured out after countless bodies were blasted apart choked the entire hall.
Disembodied souls launched suicidal assaults at Luo Chen, yet they could barely even get near him.
She took a deep look at Luo Chen, glanced reluctantly at the increasingly boiling pool, and then flew toward the hall doors without hesitation.
Neither the Ming Water Springhead nor Luo Chen was something she could covet any longer.
Yet she wanted to leave, but Luo Chen would not allow it.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Clatter!
A chain suddenly pierced forth from the void, shooting straight through Huan Youji's layered defenses.
Huan Youji's face fell drastically as she instinctively performed the art of dispersing into formlessness known to all powerful ghost cultivators.
Yet for some reason, an immense binding force surged through her entire being, preventing her from dispersing her body to escape at all.
"It's that cauldron!" Huan Youji was frightened out of her wits, glaring at the gray treasure cauldron.
At the same time, Luo Chen let out a low bark, and four additional arms abruptly sprouted from his body.
All six arms deployed at once, each forming incantation gestures.
Clatter, clatter!
More and more crimson chains shot out from the Hunyuan Cauldron, piercing toward the other three figures radiating powerful auras in the hall.
Zimu Guixiong fought back frantically, but there were simply too many chains, and an intangible suppressing force faintly restricted her range of movement.
Chhh!
A chain pierced through her body, pinning her firmly to a pillar.
On the other side.
A world-shaking colossal palm dropped from the clouds of ghost qi, forcefully swatting down another Great Ghost Sovereign.
"Roar!"
The Great Ghost Sovereign rolled onto the ground, transforming into a demonic beast resembling an ox yet like a deer, roaring furiously.
This was a ghost cultivator formed after the death of an ancient demonic beast.
Revealing its true form was its strongest state.
Yet what welcomed it was a spectral claw clamping down on its body.
Chhh! Chhh! Chhh! Chhh!
Four crimson chains shot through its body, piercing viciously through its four limbs.
On the other side, the last hidden Great Ghost Sovereign was scared out of its wits upon witnessing this scene.
It transformed into a black three-legged crow, attempting to fly out of Tianming Palace.
Yet Luo Chen had full command of the entire situation as clear as candlelight, giving it no chance at all. He merely cast a cold glance over.
As their eyes met, Mirror Flower Water Moon unfurled.
Though it lasted only a split second, the black crow plummeted from midair.
Chhh, chhh, chhh!
Three chains tore through the air, piercing through its body while binding its three feet.
In the blink of an eye, all four Great Ghost Sovereigns fell defeated at Luo Chen's hands!
They struggled with all their might to break free from the binding and suppressing power of the chains, yet no matter how they struggled, escape proved impossible.
The Hunyuan Cauldron was an artifact that had once nearly suppressed the true body of a Qingluan!
With just them?
"Frail things like you should have perished hundreds or thousands of years ago. Having eked out a shameful existence until now, why not become ghost thralls within my banner!"
High within the hall, beneath the dome, Luo Chen stood suspended in the void.
His central pair of hands formed incantations as the Soul Refining Banner rattled, generating a torrential suction force that pulled the vast ghost qi left by the fallen Ghost Sovereigns into itself.
Even the remnant souls drifted unawares into the Soul Refining Banner under the sweep of Luo Chen's gaze.
His other four hands formed distinct seals, controlling the Hunyuan Cauldron as it dragged the four Great Ghost Sovereigns.
"You four, get in as well!"
Luo Chen shouted sternly. Magic power surged throughout his body, and the nine chains jerked in unison, dragging the four Great Ghost Sovereigns toward the Soul Refining Banner.
"In your dreams!"
"Delusional!"
"Impossible!"
"Break for me!"
Within the hall, the four Great Ghost Sovereigns cried out simultaneously, marshaling their strength together in an effort to shatter the Hunyuan Cauldron's suppression.
Huan Youji triggered the self-detonation of her magic treasure, the red paper umbrella, unleashing a spiritual energy storm that swept toward Luo Chen.
Zimu Guixiong released two voices in succession—one raspy like an old crone, one tender like an infant—launching a fierce assault on Luo Chen's soul.
The ox-deer Ghost Sovereign forced itself to stand, dragging the four chains and shifting backward step by step away from the Soul Refining Banner.
The three-legged black crow burst into wisps of black flame, burning the crimson chains until they trembled precariously.
Facing all of this, Luo Chen's expression remained completely unchanged.
The spiritual energy storm buffeting his body was nothing more than a gentle breeze across his face.
Though dual demonic sounds pierced his ears, he stood firm as an unyielding mountain.
As for the two monster ghosts, they were merely putting up deathbed struggles.
One of Luo Chen's arms suddenly lengthened, grasping the four chains and engaging in a contest of raw strength against the ox-deer, dragging it back step by step.
At the same time, he spat out a wisp of golden flame that raced madly along the crimson chains, extinguishing the black flames blazing on the three-legged black crow in an instant.
After this flurry of techniques, the four Great Ghost Sovereigns found themselves entirely powerless against Luo Chen.
Their descent into the Soul Refining Banner appeared utterly irreversible.
Right at that moment!
Luo Chen's eyes narrowed, his gaze falling upon the deep pool.
The boiling water abruptly froze.
A sinister spectral claw reached out from within, pressing against the palace floor.
"It is not yet your time to emerge!" A ruthless glint flashed in Luo Chen's eyes as he struck a palm toward the center of the deep pool from afar.
As if sensing the strike, the pitch-black spectral claw shoved outward with a palm of its own.
As the two collided, the entity seemed caught off guard by Luo Chen's immense strength, getting forcefully smacked back down into the pool.
Yet very quickly, hands reached out from within again.
And this time, it was two hands!
"Could the Wang Ghost Sovereign have refined the Ming Water Springhead so quickly?" Luo Chen frowned, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
How could such a supreme treasure possibly be refined that fast!
Aside from absolute confidence, his decision to shut the doors and beat the ghosts had several other objectives.
First, he wanted to resolve the issue of formidable ghost cultivators lurking everywhere within the Netherworld Abyss, allowing Luotian Sect cultivators greater freedom of passage in the future.
Second, it was to emulate Monarch Qixia!
Since that woman could command the Nine Ghost Emperors to serve her, why couldn't he enslave these Tier 4 Ghost Sovereigns?
With the Hunyuan Cauldron to suppress all things, the Soul Refining Banner as a fitting soul-path magic treasure, and his bottomless soul foundation, he was more than capable of accomplishing this.
Yet none of these objectives compared to the Ming Water Springhead in importance.
Taking control of the Netherworld Abyss and restoring the spiritual domain of the Mingyuan Sect in the future would not only serve as a foundation for the Luotian Sect's prosperity, but also prepare the way for his breakthrough to the Soul Transformation stage.
That was what mattered most!
Suddenly, a colossal force surged outward, shaking the Hunyuan Cauldron violently.
It was the four Great Ghost Sovereigns, attempting to seize this chance to break free.
Luo Chen drew a deep breath, shifting his gaze back.
"You truly refuse to see reason!"
In the next moment, the previously manifested Nirvana Holy Fire blazed furiously, rolling forward along the chains to envelop the four Great Ghost Sovereigns.
At present, his Nirvana Holy Fire could not yet incinerate divine souls, but burning away magic power and physical forms was well within its capability.
Even if he could not obtain four intact Great Ghost Sovereigns now, he had to clear the battlefield to deal with the Wang Ghost Sovereign that was bound to emerge next.
Sure enough!
Once the Nirvana Holy Fire emerged, the ghostly bodies of the four Great Ghost Sovereigns began melting away at a visible pace.
Their resistance plummeted instantly.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen unleashed a torrent of magic power. Four arms moved in concert, hauling the four Great Ghost Sovereigns directly into the Soul Refining Banner like a tug-of-war.
Whoosh!
Luo Chen flashed before the Soul Refining Banner and formed an incantation gesture, shrinking the soul banner in an instant.
Roars emanated from within, and ghostly faces emerged across its surface, struggling to break free.
Now that they were inside, how could Luo Chen possibly let them escape?
His ten fingers tapped out restriction after restriction, and the Myriad Formations Gu he had acquired earlier came into play as well.
In just a few breaths, the commotion within the Soul Refining Banner grew quieter and quieter.
Until it was completely sealed!
After this, he would only need to pair it with the Soul Nourishing Banner to refine them bit by bit, and he would be able to enslave half of the Tier 4 Ghost Sovereigns in the Netherworld Abyss.
Yet Luo Chen had no time to rejoice, for the true enemy had appeared.
Boom!
A jet-black pillar of water soared into the heavens, breaking through the dome of Tianming Palace with an unstoppable momentum.
Its lingering might undiminished, it surged skyward.
It pierced through the Netherworld Abyss, reaching straight into the firmament.
In that instant, vast Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi poured down like a deluge.
Chapter 1003