This Lad Must Not Be Made an Enemy!

When Luo Chen wiped out the three Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single stroke, silence fell over both banks of the Qinhua River and the surrounding green hills. Countless spectating cultivators stood struck dumb. Only from the Li family's grounds, after a brief lull of disbelief, did a thunderous cheer erupt. "Senior Luo is mighty!" "Senior Luo is incredible—unmatched in his realm!" "To kill three Foundation Establishment cultivators without even using a dharma artifact—what peerless grace!" "Our association leader is the greatest!" That last roar clearly came from Yuan Dongsheng. Luo Chen let out a soft chuckle. Manipulating the vines of the Thornbone Flower, he swept up his spoils one by one. A supreme-grade flying sword, a pair of supreme-grade dharma artifact gauntlets, a half-spent talisman treasure, and a storage bag. Apart from those, nothing remained. The storage bags belonging to Hu Changnu and Hu Changle had been obliterated in the detonation of the Blazing Sun Art. Items such as dharma robes and defensive artifacts were invariably the first things destroyed under attacks of that magnitude. It was little wonder treasures imbued with defensive attributes commanded exorbitant prices year in and year out. Glancing over these trophies, Luo Chen lacked even the inclination to open the remaining storage bag. Just three paupers, nothing more! He turned his gaze downriver along the Qinhua River. Before long, an eerie wisp of light flew back against the blaze of the midday sun. Looking at Li Jinhuang, Luo Chen frowned. "Where is your body?" Li Jinhuang smiled placidly. "Killing Dan Yuanzi had to cost something." True enough. After all, Dan Yuanzi had been a living mid Foundation Establishment expert! "Here. This is your remuneration for stepping in today." To Luo Chen's surprise, a storage bag wafting with the fragrance of pills flew before him, accompanied by a treasured sword. "You already gave me more than enough before." "Dan Yuanzi was a second-rank alchemist of no small skill. His storage bag is certain to be of use to you," Li Jinhuang said with a smile. He then turned his gaze toward the Li family juniors cheering ecstatically in the distance. "Besides, for saving the Li family, no amount of compensation could ever be excessive. As for this Chilong Sword, give it to Yingzhang once he achieves Foundation Establishment. If he fails... keep it for yourself!" *Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...* Even as he spoke, wisps of green smoke slowly drifted upward. Under the scorching sun, Li Jinhuang's ghostly form was dissolving steadily, like thawing snow. He possessed a Foundation Establishment divine soul, to be sure. Yet without converting to ghost path cultivation techniques, a soul born this way was barely at the level of a low-grade yin soul ghost soldier. What was more, he had just unleashed the third-rank secret technique, the Life-Severing Finger. His condition was deteriorating by the second; he had no means of defying the mighty heavenly laws of the cultivation world. Tucking the storage bag into his robes, Luo Chen looked at Li Jinhuang's serene face. "Do you have any last words?" "Alas..." With a long sigh, Li Jinhuang shook his head. "Everything that needed to be said has already been said." His gaze drifted toward the verdant wilderness in the mountains. In this moment, just before his soul scattered, his spiritual perception had reached its absolute zenith. Under his scrutiny, powerful divine souls blazed through the surrounding landscape, as dazzling and piercing as stars in the pitch-black night. Without looking back, he said, "Fellow Daoist Luo, I must trouble you with what comes next." Watching the ghostly form melt away, Luo Chen parted his lips, but in the end, only a single farewell came out: "Fellow Daoist, may you have a smooth journey!" Li Jinhuang did not turn around; he merely waved a hand. Wisps of green smoke curled into the empty sky, and the ghost soul returned to the azure heights. Whether he would find peace on the road to the Yellow Springs, none could tell. Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen turned his gaze toward the direction Li Jinhuang had looked before his passing. A figure was already flying urgently toward him, as though terrified someone else might beat him to the prize. "Brother Li!" "Alas... Why did you leave in such a hurry? Your old friend didn't even have time to see you off!" The newcomer rode upon a white cloud, his beard and hair snowy white, clearly advanced in years. Standing atop the cloud, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, looking thoroughly heartbroken. Yet Luo Chen merely watched him with cold detachment. Feeling that chilling gaze, the old man produced an awkward smile and promptly put away his display of grief. "You must be Little Brother Luo!" "I am Wei Tuo from Mount Xuchen. What a coincidence—my mountain's name shares the character *Chen* with yours! It must be fate! Besides, Brother Li and I were close friends for many years. A friend of a friend is a friend, so you may call me Brother Wei." *Brother Wei? More like Viagra!* Luo Chen thought, his smile not reaching his eyes. "May I ask what advice Fellow Daoist Wei has for me?" Wei Tuo waved his hands hurriedly. "I wouldn't presume to offer advice." He pointed down at the expectant Li clan members below. "Brother Li's departure was... valiant! But he left behind an entire household of hungry mouths. I truly cannot bear to watch them suffer. I arrived a step too late to see him off, but I ought to do my part to clean up the aftermath." Wei Tuo smiled genially at Luo Chen. "Little Brother Luo, you still have the Luotian Association to run; I doubt you have the spare time to look after the Li family. This old man is a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator of modest ability—why not let me look after them instead?" "Heh, Fellow Daoist Wei worries too much," Luo Chen scoffed. "My Luotian Association is vast and well-established. Sparing a True Cultivator or two to oversee this place is hardly an issue." Wei Tuo's smile gradually cooled. "Surely you don't think that killing a few fledgling whelps means Tianlan is empty of capable men?" "I don't know whether Tianlan has capable men," Luo Chen said, "but after today, there will no longer be a Wei Tuo of Mount Xuchen." Luo Chen slowly raised both hands. Wei Tuo frowned. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit! A mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator dares speak with such insolence!" With a flick of his hand, a nine-ringed khakkhara flew into his grasp. Luo Chen glanced at the staff. A magic treasure? He remained completely unmoved! His hands rose into the air, and then pressed down violently! A tempestuous surge of spiritual power poured forth with explosive fury, unmasked and unrestrained! In that split second, Wei Tuo's face drained of color. "No—you're at mid Foundation Establishment!" In Wei Tuo's perception, the moment Luo Chen pressed his hands down, his concealed spiritual aura spiked madly from the third layer straight to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment! Not only that. His spiritual power was extraordinarily vast, like a boundless ocean—feeling less like the fourth layer and more like the sixth! What terrifying spiritual power! And the terror did not stem merely from the revealed cultivation level. Deep within Wei Tuo's soul, alarm bells clanged incessantly. Sensing that something was terribly wrong, he did not even attempt a probing attack. Without hesitation, he spun around and fled. Yet it was already too late! A crushing pressure like an entire mountain crashed down. A majestic spiritual pressure bore down on him, pinning him in place. The phantom image of a colossal mountain loomed over Wei Tuo's head. "Argh!" A roar tore from his throat. Channeling his surging spiritual power without reserve, he slammed the nine-ringed khakkhara upward. The illusory mountain actually trembled under the blow, and the suppressing force loosened slightly. By instinct, he tried to bolt from the area. Yet after merely a few strides, torrential waves churned in the Qinhua River, and towering walls of water battered him backward. Suppression and deceleration. Under the combined force of both effects, he could scarcely take a single step. Terror seized Wei Tuo's heart. He summoned a golden bell to hover over his head, then turned around. "Fellow Daoist Luo, I won't lay a finger on the Li family! Why must you drive me to the death?!" Luo Chen only stared at him coldly, uttering not a word. His hands had already come together at some point. Every preparatory spell was in place. How could this be stopped on a whim? Moreover, if he did not strike with thunderous finality, how could he intimidate the vultures watching from every direction? The moment Wei Tuo stepped forward hoping to pick over the scraps, his fate had been sealed. Luo Chen intended to kill the chicken to frighten the monkeys! The three Hu brothers had not been the chicken—Wei Tuo of Mount Xuchen was! "Landslide!" The true incantation left his lips. As Wei Tuo looked up in sheer horror, the illusory mountain above his head abruptly shattered. It was like a volcanic eruption! The instant the mountain fragmented, a torrent of boiling, incandescent energy erupted forth. It was the combined power of water and fire, forged into destructive fury through continuous accumulation and collision! Under this annihilating energy, everything in heaven and earth seemed to lose all meaning. Driven to the brink of madness, Wei Tuo poured everything into the nine-ringed khakkhara, unleashing dazzling radiance as he thrust it toward the deluge of destructive light. The might of a magic treasure was undeniably immense. Yet for a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, how much of its true power could he unleash? Meanwhile, the Landslide Luo Chen wielded was a genuine, peak-grade second-rank offensive spell. Rooted in his Great Perfection Fireball Art, Great Perfection Earth Mountain Art, and Great Perfection Billowing Waves Art, the three techniques had fused into one! This Landslide surpassed every rendition cast by cultivators throughout history, because no one would ever take three low-grade spells to the pinnacle of perfection. At most, one might cultivate them to high mastery. Under such circumstances, the lethality of Luo Chen's Landslide far exceeded the constraints of his cultivation realm. Mid Foundation Establishment? Even a late Foundation Establishment grand cultivator would not dare take this blow head-on! Did he truly think an imperfectly activated magic treasure could stand in the way? A mantis trying to stop a chariot—nothing more than sheer folly! Under Luo Chen's gaze, Wei Tuo drove the khakkhara with reckless desperation, yet it was powerless against the Landslide's might. *Bang!* Under the terrifying impact, the nine-ringed khakkhara was ripped from Wei Tuo's spiritual sense and blasted into the distance. His face twisted in horror, Wei Tuo flared the golden bell, trying to repel the crimson torrent sweeping toward him. Yet it was entirely in vain. *Boom...* The torrent of energy washed over everything, leaving nothing alive in its wake. Beneath that deluge, Wei Tuo was reduced to dust in the blink of an eye. After wiping him out, the torrent showed no sign of stopping and plunged straight into the Qinhua River. *BOOM!* Another deafening blast shook the heavens. Upon the surface of the ten-thousand-zhang-wide Qinhua River, a colossal crater suddenly materialized. Several hundred zhang across and a hundred zhang deep, the void was utterly hollow, churning with endless waves of superheated steam. Watching this from the green hills on both banks, countless rogue cultivators gasped in unison. Their eyes were filled with unadulterated horror, and boundless dread rippled through their shaken minds. Even the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators were frightened out of their wits. In standard battles, they exchanged flying swords and similar dharma artifacts, focusing on concentrated strikes to conserve spiritual energy. Their lethal area was usually pinpoint, spanning a few zhang at most, or a few dozen zhang in extreme cases. Who had ever seen someone like Luo Chen? He summoned colossal waves at will, and uprooted mountains with casual ease. And now, he had unleashed something even more terrifying: an ultra-large-scale area attack spanning several hundred zhang! He had blasted a massive chasm into the vast Qinhua River, exposing the riverbed below. Under an attack of this scale, who could possibly escape in time? What was more, they had all felt the oppressive, paralyzing force lingering in the air. Almost simultaneously, a single thought echoed through the minds of every Foundation Establishment True Cultivator nearby, whether early or mid-stage: *This lad must not be made an enemy!* Following that thought came a wild tempest of chaotic musings. *Who the hell said the leader of the Luotian Association was generous and kind-hearted?!* *Killing the three Hu brothers was one thing, but against Wei Tuo, he barely spoke three sentences from start to finish!* *Damn it all—he attacks to kill over the slightest disagreement, paying no heed even when his opponent begs for mercy! Ah, forget it, forget it. The Li family's assets are not meant for me.* *I am at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment. How would I fare against him? Can he still use that move again?* *This man's strength is unfathomable. He hasn't even used a dharma artifact yet. No—as the master of a major faction, he must possess a magic treasure. I'd best not provoke him.* *Time to slip away, slip away! You won't catch me lingering!* Across the green hills flanking both banks, the dead silence gave way to a deafening clamor. Yet as Luo Chen's chilly gaze swept across the heights, the uproar instantly died back down into complete silence. The Qi Refining rogue cultivators fled in panic, abandoning any fleeting thoughts of fishing in troubled waters. Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators departed directly. A handful nodded politely toward Luo Chen to make an impression before quietly slipping away. Luo Chen stood aloft in the sky, gazing down across the land. His majestic aura was utterly unassailable! *** A minute earlier, atop a nameless barren hill. A middle-aged Daoist with sallow skin was about to take a step forward, only to pull his foot back in an instant. A figure wielding a staff descended from the clouds. The middle-aged Daoist's pupils contracted. "Tiankuizi!" Chu Kui carried his long staff and sighed helplessly. "Daoist Huangsha, you didn't covet anything while Li Jinhuang was alive. Why go after it now that he's dead? Wouldn't that tarnish your reputation?" Daoist Huangsha said in a deep voice, "You and I both know that while he was alive, he enjoyed both old ties and mutual interests with Azure Pill Valley. Which late Foundation Establishment cultivator would dare make a move?" Chu Kui twitched his lips, but nodded nonetheless. The cultivation world was simply like that. While you lived, people looked out for you out of interest and friendship. But once you died, the friendship vanished. As for the interest? One could easily cooperate with someone else! It was the universal truth: the tea cools when the guest departs. Seeing this, Daoist Huangsha softened his tone. "Did Li Jinhuang pay to hire you? He will be dead any moment now, and you've already made your presence known. There's no need to block my way." "Unfortunately, no!" Chu Kui shrugged. Daoist Huangsha frowned, his gaze shifting toward the distant river. He watched Wei Tuo approach the Foundation Establishment junior. Fine then. Let that fool make his move first. He could play the oriole stalking the mantis later and claim the Li family's foundation as a matter of course. Still, glancing back at the Foundation Establishment junior, he asked, "Luo Chen hired you?" "Congratulations, you guessed right." Chu Kui planted his staff into the ground. "He isn't dead, so I still have to do my job." At that, his eyebrows twitched. "Actually, I'd strongly suggest you make a move. That way I could loosen up my muscles. Otherwise, the spirit stones I get to take home might be heavily docked. Let me tell you, that Luo Chen kid is stingy as can be—not generous in the slightest like the rumors claim." Daoist Huangsha's face darkened. His complexion was already poor, and this sullen scowl made it look even worse. Chu Kui's Daoist title of Tiankuizi was not given out of flattery; he had carved it out through battle after battle. Across this patch of land known as Tianlan Immortal City, he was hailed as the foremost among rogue cultivators! Barring the appearance of sect Foundation Establishment experts, no one could do a thing to him. Rumor even had it that the few times he lost to sect Foundation Establishment true disciples, he had held back on purpose. With Daoist Huangsha's strength, pitted against Chu Kui, his odds of winning were at best forty-sixty—forty for him, sixty for Chu Kui. And the only reason his chances were even that high was that his cultivation was one layer higher than Chu Kui's. "If you ask me, you're getting up there in years and sitting at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment," Chu Kui said. "Instead of focusing on breaking through to the Core Formation stage, you're wasting your energy on petty gains like this? It's hardly worth the effort!" Suppressing his anger, Daoist Huangsha stared into the distance and said coolly, "I am not a lone wolf like you. I have a clan and descendants. Our original spiritual land can no longer meet the family's needs, so naturally we must expand outward." Chu Kui curled his lip and muttered, "Even so, you shouldn't go snatching something someone else built up! Behaving like bandits and robbers only diminishes our stature." Feigning deafness to the mockery, Daoist Huangsha said coldly, "The cultivation world has always been the law of the jungle. If they cannot defend it, they might as well yield it." Chu Kui grew interested. "Then do you think Luo Chen can protect the Li family?" "Hmph, that Wei Tuo is no pushover—" Daoist Huangsha never finished the sentence. Because in that moment, he felt a terrifying surge of spiritual power. Even across such a distance, a chill ran down his spine! Chu Kui's heart shuddered as well, though his mouth remained stubborn. "Look at that. Do you still think he can't protect them?" Daoist Huangsha took a deep breath. "If I were to step in..." Hearing that, Chu Kui's eyes lit up. He promptly pulled his staff from the earth. "Come on then, let's go!" "Hmph!" Daoist Huangsha flicked his sleeve and strode away. He no longer held any designs on the Li family's resources. If Luo Chen could hire Chu Kui once, he could hire him a second time. If he truly provoked the other party, with Chu Kui's habit of doing whatever he was paid for, Chu Kui might well storm right up to his family's doorstep. What was more, that Luo Chen... Watching his departing silhouette, Chu Kui sighed repeatedly. He had just missed out on several hundred thousand spirit stones! Hoisting his staff, he flew toward the banks of the Qinhua River. As he passed over a green hill, his gaze suddenly froze. "Huh?"