It Really Is You, Luo Chen!

Mountains collapsed as broken rocks pierced the sky. Countless boulders, shrieking and howling like meteors, crashed down upon everyone within the canyon. Qin Yuanjiang stared at the scene in shock. What had been a certain-death situation seemed to now have a glimmer of hope? "Defend!" He shouted sharply, instantly taking out defensive magical implements to withstand the countless hurtling stones. His two junior brothers behind him did the same. Yet amidst the barrage of falling rocks, their strength made it an agonizing struggle to hold out. Just as they were on the verge of perishing, a burly figure leapt into the canyon. Positioning himself before the trio, he held up a battered small shield with one hand. The shield expanded with the wind, growing to ten feet in the blink of an eye and sheltering the three behind it. "You are...?" Qin Yuanjiang looked in astonishment at the man's back. The man didn't answer. Instead, he cursed irritably, "That bastard Luo Chen is getting stronger and stronger!" Hearing this, Qin Yuanjiang jolted in fright. He looked up, only now realizing with a start that the figure high above the canyon looked intimately familiar. Wasn't that none other than Luo Chen, Master of the Luotian Association, whom he had met not long ago? *He saved me?* As he stood frozen in shock, cries of surprise came from his two junior brothers behind him. "Look at those Yan Alliance bastards!" "Good riddance! The more gruesome their deaths, the better!" Within the canyon, seven or eight figures had deployed their respective defensive magical implements, struggling against attacks raining down from all directions. Under the barrage of flying boulders, impacts struck them continuously. Bang! Bang! Bang! The rapid, dense crashes signaled collision after collision. Before long, three cultivators of lower cultivation fell beneath the bombardment of shattered rock. In the sky, Luo Chen watched the scene below, a hint of self-satisfaction in his eyes. This move was not the full Landslide. Rather, it was a pseudo-Earth element spell he had developed based on the mechanics of Landslide, augmented by his Earth Peak Technique. It could be considered an improved, scaled-down version. Its raw power was weaker, but given favorable terrain, it could achieve startlingly unexpected results. Just now, by using his spiritual power as leverage, he had forcibly brought down two cliff faces, thereby producing a literal landslide. "Still, this is as far as it goes." It was only a weakened version, after all, and could not achieve total victory in a single stroke. Four enemies remained, having stabilized their footing after weathering the initial assault. The leading high-tier cultivator raised his head, glaring at Luo Chen with a furious roar: "Danchenzi, you take things too far!" "Hm? You know me?" Though Luo Chen frowned, his hands did not slow in the slightest. The Thousand Heavy Peaks, primed for so long, crashed down immediately. Not only that. Down on the canyon floor, Chu Kui put away the battered small shield and said, "Take care of yourselves!" Without looking back, staff in hand, he flew into the sky and charged straight for the four enemies. Judging by his posture, they intended to take on all four with just two! "Senior Brother, what do we do?" "Should we flee first and go bring reinforcements?" Listening to his two junior brothers, Qin Yuanjiang wasted no words. Guiding his longsword, he intercepted one of the middle Foundation Establishment enemies. Seeing him commit to fighting side by side with the newcomers, the two junior brothers gritted their teeth and summoned their flying swords as well. The three joined forces to battle a single middle Foundation Establishment cultivator. As a result, on the main battlefield, the fight became two against three. "Luo Chen, stall one of the middle Foundation Establishment cultivators! Leave the other two to me!" Chu Kui barked. Without waiting for Luo Chen's agreement, he swung his staff with a thunderous roar. That strike came with blistering speed! Even though the target was on high alert, the blow still smashed squarely into his defensive magical implement. Only upon contact did he realize that in addition to being fast, it was immensely heavy. Boom! With just a single strike, he was smashed right into the mountainside. Chu Kui briefly caught his breath and looked toward the old man with grizzled hair and beard. "Gunlong Ridge's Zheng Tianfang?" Looking at the burly man, Zheng Tianfang's pupils shrank, and his body instinctively retreated. "Chu Kui, you and I have no old grudges and no recent grievances! Why must you press me to death?" Chu Kui sneered. "We may have no enmity, but I need to borrow the head on your shoulders to aid my Golden Core Great Dao!" After those brief words, Chu Kui surged forward to kill. Knowing Chu Kui's terrifying strength, Zheng Tianfang manipulated his flying sword to harass him while rapidly fleeing. High above the canyon, Luo Chen suppressed a middle Foundation Establishment cultivator with the Thousand Heavy Peaks while constantly assaulting him with his sword pill. Beyond that, he even had the spare capacity to observe the other two battlegrounds. When he heard the name "Gunlong Ridge's Zheng Tianfang," his mind stirred slightly. No wonder the man knew him! The Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge—they were old acquaintances. He knew the Zheng family possessed three Foundation Establishment cultivators: besides Zheng Kejian, who frequently appeared in public, the clan had one middle Foundation Establishment and one early Foundation Establishment cultivator. He hadn't expected that the middle Foundation Establishment one had actually advanced to late Foundation Establishment. However, beneath the hands of ninth-layer Foundation Establishment Chu Kui, he was in full retreat, completely helpless. Luo Chen's gaze fell upon Chu Kui's long staff, a tinge of envy showing in his eyes. After fighting side by side for days, he had learned just how formidable that magic treasure was. A high-quality low-grade magic treasure combining metal and earth affinities! Not only did it possess an extraordinarily powerful ultimate move, but even its basic attacks were no weaker than those of his Profound Fire Sword. On top of that, Chu Kui had refined it to a remarkably high degree. Under ordinary use, its might was peerless. Even if Luo Chen himself had to face it, he would need to give it his full, undivided focus. *Master one trick, and rule the world!* *Chu Kui has brought this treasure's potential almost to its absolute limit. No wonder a brush wounds, and a solid strike kills.* Turning back, Luo Chen looked at the enemy struggling desperately against him and shook his head. "The commotion here is too great. Better finish this quickly!" With a thought, the Profound Fire Sword abruptly emerged. "How can you drive three magical implements at once?!" Amidst the enemy's terrified gaze, the Profound Fire Sword shot forth and cleaved straight down. *Chhh!* The body was split in two. "We won!" Turning his head, Luo Chen looked at Qin Yuanjiang and the other two in surprise. Just three first-layer Foundation Establishment cultivators had managed to kill a fourth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator through coordinated teamwork. Was this the caliber of an inner sect disciple of a major sect? Facing Luo Chen's surprised look, Qin Yuanjiang, panting after surviving the ordeal, straightened his posture. His expression was slightly strained, but he finally spoke up: "Uncle... Luo, thank you for saving us." Hearing this, the corners of Luo Chen's mouth curled upward. "Rest for now. Other enemies might arrive soon." Qin Yuanjiang gave an affirmative sound and promptly swallowed an elixir pill to restore spiritual power. The other two junior brothers, however, stared at Luo Chen with complicated expressions. Ignoring them, Luo Chen walked across the battlefield, gathering the spoils of war. When he stopped before the mangled corpse of a cultivator, he suddenly remarked, "Aren't you going to collect the remains of your fellow sect brothers?" Qin Yuanjiang and the two others froze, then sprang into action. Watching them, Luo Chen shook his head inwardly. Still green fledglings! Hopefully after this battle, they would mature a bit! By the time he finished collecting the spoils, Chu Kui had already hurried back. "Taken care of!" "That old rascal's cultivation wasn't that high, but he had quite a few tricks. Took me a bit of effort." "Luo Chen, how are things on your end?" Luo Chen replied, "Everything's wrapped up. Let's go!" Seeing that he was about to leave, Qin Yuanjiang and the other two hesitated, looking as if they wanted to say something. Glancing at them, Luo Chen sighed. "This is no place to linger. Leave as soon as possible. Also, try not to stray from the main force in the future. These vassal rogue cultivators may not have high cultivation, but their schemes run deep. Next time you encounter terrain that so obviously counters your puppets, don't rush in so recklessly." Having said that, without waiting for their reply, he immediately flew away with Chu Kui. Watching their receding backs, Qin Yuanjiang bowed silently. When he straightened, the impetuousness in his eyes had completely vanished; his entire bearing seemed noticeably steadier. "Senior Brother Qin, who was that senior?" "You called him Uncle, but isn't his surname Luo?" Qin Yuanjiang shook his head. "I'll tell you about that later. Take the senior brothers' bodies and let's hurry back to find the elders!" The two nodded, though curiosity still filled their eyes. Luo Chen? Danchenzi? Could he be that Master Alchemist whose renown shook the Jade Cauldron Domain? Why was he also this strong? That earlier spell of his had shaken heaven and earth—it was simply not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivator could unleash. *** Two days later. Across the Myriad Li Quicksand Wasteland, two dust-covered figures trudged forward. "This won't work. Small groups of enemies on the wasteland are getting scarcer and scarcer. Hunting like this, we'll never gather the remaining two thousand merit points!" Chu Kui looked irritable. Luo Chen silently calculated their current merit points. Through their efforts over many days, he and Chu Kui had accumulated a full eight thousand merit points! This battle record was truly jaw-dropping. It meant that at least dozens of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators had died at their hands. Ambushes, interceptions, frontal assaults, snatching kills... They had used almost every tactic available to them. Yet they were still short. "Before long, you'll have to leave the front line and head to the rear," Chu Kui said anxiously. "According to your analysis, once the Four-Sect Alliance takes the Eighth Peak, it's very likely they'll halt their offensive and return to that initial state of standoff with the Sword Sect." "If that happens, how long will it take to gather the remaining merit points?" "Luo Chen, say something!" Suddenly, Luo Chen stopped in his tracks. Letting the windblown sand buffet his face, his stubbled chin lifted as he gazed toward that towering thunder mountain where dark clouds gathered and fiendish aura soared into the heavens. Following his gaze, Chu Kui's pupils contracted. "You're not thinking of going to the main battlefield, are you?" Luo Chen remained silent, still weighing the options in his mind. Beside him, Chu Kui said with concern, "You said it yourself—the current main battlefield is a meat grinder. The two Great Sects don't treat their subordinate vassals and rogue cultivators as human beings at all. If we go there..." "Are you afraid?" Luo Chen suddenly countered. Chu Kui froze, his face instantly flushing red. "You think I'm afraid?" Before the Great Dao, Chu Kui would never cower! If he were afraid, he would never have approached Luo Chen from the start. Luo Chen nodded. "In that case, let's seize this only chance!" Seeing him step forward, Chu Kui grabbed him by the arm. "I'm certainly not afraid, but you're different from me. You're still young. You have your reputation, and even without gambling your life, you have a high chance of forming a Core in the future through your ties with Ice Fort." "If push comes to shove, just let it go for now. Leave me alone on the battlefield. Give me a few more years, and I'll eventually scrape together the remaining two thousand merit points." Luo Chen glanced down at his arm. Chu Kui tactfully let go. Amidst the howling yellow sands, the red-robed man wore a calm, unruffled expression. "I have never been to Ice Fort. Whether they will aid my Core Formation with all their might remains to be seen. Even if they do, they will surely demand something in return, and by then I would be bound to them even more deeply." *Bound even more deeply to a Golden Core sect—was that a bad thing?* Chu Kui didn't understand. Luo Chen naturally would not elaborate on his conjectures regarding the actions of the two Nascent Soul Great Sects. If his speculations were true, sects like Ice Fort might not last long. Bound too tightly, they would prosper together and fall together, making it even harder for him to extricate himself. He continued, "Therefore, if I can form a Core on my own, my relationship with Ice Fort will remain relatively independent. A Guest Elder will merely be a Guest Elder!" Chu Kui grew thoughtful. "Besides, you talk about staying on the battlefield alone to look for opportunities. But how do you know if such an opportunity will ever come again once this window passes?" Chu Kui started. "You mean...?" "Some things lose their meaning when spelled out completely. Let's go!" Luo Chen remarked impassively, already walking ahead. The wind and sand howled. Standing behind, Chu Kui's expression shifted uncertainly. A moment later, he gritted his teeth and resolutely followed in Luo Chen's footsteps. *** The main battlefield of the Eighth Peak had become a veritable meat grinder. Every inch of land was contested, neither side giving ground. A war of such brutal ferocity surpassed everyone's imagination. The rogue cultivators wanted to retreat, the vassals wanted to retreat, and even several Golden Core sects sought a temporary truce. Yet under the iron pressure of the Luoyun Sect and the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, no one was permitted to pull back. Luo Chen and Chu Kui no longer possessed their initial composure when stalking the battlefield like grim reapers. Hunting enemies had become increasingly difficult. Those who had survived to this point were all formidable experts. They were battle-hardened, their spiritual senses razor-sharp. At the slightest hint of trouble, they either unleashed savage barrages from afar or fled miles away in an instant. When Luo Chen finally managed, with great effort, to slay a middle Foundation Establishment sword cultivator, trouble arrived. Their retreat was blocked! A man holding a pale black longsword stood alone, barring the path of both Luo Chen and Chu Kui. "Danchenzi? Tiankuizi?" Chu Kui moved closer, asking warily, "Who are you?" The man's expression was cold and severe. "My name is Jiang Cheng." The name was somewhat unfamiliar. However, neither Chu Kui nor Luo Chen dared underestimate him in the least, simply because waves of dense spiritual power belonging to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment radiated from him. Jiang Cheng's mouth curved slightly upward. "They call me Flash Thunder Sword. Perhaps that title sounds a bit more familiar to you." Flash Thunder Sword! The moment those three words were uttered, the expressions of Luo Chen and Chu Kui changed drastically. Without the slightest hesitation, both men retreated instantly, their speed astonishing. Yet fast as they were, Jiang Cheng was faster! The longsword in his hand instantly transformed into an arc of thunderous light that enveloped him. As he strode forward, thunderbolts seemed to crackle and detonate in all directions. In just a few strides, he closed to within a hundred paces behind the pair. "I have long heard of your reputations—one a leader among rogue cultivators, the other a Master Alchemist—yet your conduct is so underhanded it borders on demonic evil." "Today, I shall slay demons and uphold the Dao!" As he spoke, his fingers formed sword incantations. Between the black and white hues coursing across his body, lightning faintly crackled. Dark clouds gathered in the sky above, seemingly echoing his presence from afar. Flash Thunder Sword: on the battlefield of Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks, he was one of the few Foundation Establishment figures whom none dared provoke. His fame exceeded even that of Yanleizi and Shanling'er. Ordinary people who ran into him fled as far away as they possibly could. Even Luo Chen and Chu Kui, who struck terror into ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, appeared to be doing the same. Watching the two flee in apparent disarray, Jiang Cheng curled his lip in disdain. Yet the very next moment, he burst into furious curses: "Despicable scoundrels!" Dozens of vines erupted from the earth, halting his forward momentum. On the ground below, the soil softened into a quagmire, and two hideous, brownish-yellow giant hands reached up to seize him. "Sever!" "Sever!" Black and white sword light swept across, easily dispelling both attacks. Yet what brought true terror was the two who had whirled back around. A Heaven-Equalizing Staff smashed down with earthshaking thunder, joined by a great sword spouting meteoric flames. His eyes went wide, and sword light burst furiously from his entire body. Boom! Boom! Deafening blasts erupted in rapid succession, kicking up clouds of dust. Amidst the billowing smoke, a figure suddenly shot out, fleeing in frantic haste like a bolt of lightning back toward where he had come from. However arrogant his entrance had been, his retreat was equally pathetic. Holding the Heaven-Equalizing Staff, Chu Kui remarked with regret, "That lad was special—he was worth a thousand merit points. What a pity." "He's not that easy to kill. He's a true disciple of Jade Cauldron, after all; we only caught him off guard because he underestimated us." Luo Chen took stock of the remaining Barbed Blossom seeds in his storage pouch. If he were to cast the Vine Technique with full power, he could probably support it about a dozen more times. "Let's go," Luo Chen said casually, turning around. Yet the next instant, his pupils constricted violently! "Better not leave just yet." An aged voice drifted over eerily. Though raspy with age, it carried the resonant clashing of metal. In the distance, a weathered old man walked toward them step by step, his cloudy eyes brimming with boundless sorrow and fury. As he drew near, Luo Chen's heart thudded wildly. Between his brows, a faint flame mark suddenly emerged. Dim at first, it grew brighter and brighter the closer the man approached. In the space of a few breaths, it blazed as scarlet as a dancing flame, burning with a sharp, searing pain. Looking upon that flame mark, the old man halted his steps. "It really is you, Luo Chen!"