Surrounded by towering walls, three figures hovered in the air to the left and right, completely encircling an old man and a woman.
Deep underground, yet another person remained hidden while manipulating an array disc, wholeheartedly maintaining this Tier 2 grand array created specifically to trap foes.
"A fair maiden by nature, why stoop to thievery?"
His faint chuckle carried a note of derisive contempt.
Ling Yuzhi's hair was disheveled, and blood trickled from the corners of her mouth—a sight of utter disarray.
The instant she laid eyes on Luo Chen, her pupils shrank in shock.
"You're not dead!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly. "I hate to disappoint you, but I, Luo, enjoy profound fortune. How could I perish so easily?"
Hearing the name "Luo," the old man's expression changed drastically!
Without the slightest hesitation, he flicked his hand, and a black bead appeared in his palm.
"Danchenzi, spare my life!"
Seeing the black bead radiating an intense aura of danger, Luo Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively stepped back.
Beside the old man, Ling Yuzhi shrieked, "Old Ghost Feng, are you mad?! That's a Thunder Immortal Bead! If you detonate it, none of us will survive!"
Old Ghost Feng remained unmoved, his sharp dark eyes fixed squarely on Luo Chen.
"Danchenzi, I know you once fought and killed a Golden Core Master; your strength is extraordinary.
"I had assumed it was merely an exaggerated rumor, but your instant kill of Fellow Daoist Lu just now proves it true.
"However, this Thunder Immortal Bead of mine was obtained from the Deity Transformation ruins of Mount Thunder Accumulation. It, too, possesses the might to strike down a Golden Core Master! If you refuse to let me go, the worst that can happen is that we all perish together!"
Luo Chen's expression fluctuated with uncertainty.
For a moment, he was truly held at bay.
He looked toward Wang Yuan and Chu Kui.
Wang Yuan nodded gently, affirming the claim.
Chu Kui also spoke up. "Old Ghost Feng isn't lying. Quite a few Thunder Immortal Beads appeared in the Deity Transformation ruins. One Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator detonated one and severely injured a Flame Alliance Golden Core cultivator."
Hearing this, a flicker of regret flashed through Luo Chen's heart.
His strike earlier had been swift, instantly killing the strongest among the trio, an eighth-tier Foundation Establishment grand cultivator.
Who would have thought that this seemingly weaker old man possessed a true weapon of mass slaughter?
The Deity Transformation ruins truly were a land of fortune!
He pursed his dry lips. "A single-use lethal weapon like this—surely you haven't been able to refine and control it, have you?"
Old Ghost Feng made no attempt to conceal it. "Indeed. Just as Fellow Daoist Ling said, once triggered, neither man nor beast will survive within a ten-li radius, nor will a blade of grass remain. Everyone dies together.
"So, Danchenzi, you had best think twice before acting."
Luo Chen glanced at Wang Yuan, his gaze finally coming to rest on Ling Yuzhi.
"Whose idea was it to hunt down Chu Kui?"
"It was Lu—"
Ling Yuzhi had just begun to speak when Old Ghost Feng cut her off.
"It was Ling Yuzhi's idea! Fellow Daoist Lu and I aren't rogue cultivators from Tianlan Immortal City; we don't know Chu Kui at all. It was her! Not only did she recognize Chu Kui, but she also knew he had joined the Luotian Association. That was why, after he exchanged for superior Core Formation secret arts, she notified the two of us so we could join forces to rob and kill him."
"Feng Buping, you bastard!" Flustered and furious, Ling Yuzhi burst into a tirade of curses. "When you were sleeping with me back then, what happened to your promise to stick together through thick and thin?!"
"Heh, pleasures of the flesh are hardly Grand Dao vows; only a foolish woman like you would take them seriously. Besides, it's not like I didn't help you advance to late Foundation Establishment. I owe you nothing."
"You old scoundrel..."
Clutching his long staff, Chu Kui stood high near the formation's exit.
Watching the two trade accusations, a fierce look crossed his face.
He had known all along that his disguise had been well executed when he went to exchange the resources.
From beginning to end, he had acted with haste.
Even when certain resources required time to be delivered, he had chosen to forgo them.
He had never imagined he would still be targeted.
As it turned out, it truly was Ling Yuzhi, his old neighbor of many years, who had recognized him.
Of course!
She had once had dealings with Master Shixiang, and that Golden Core Master was most adept at identifying people through scent.
Before her, simple disguises, facial alterations, and concealed auras were entirely useless.
Ling Yuzhi had also become proficient in that craft over the years, so she truly could have marked him without his knowledge.
Suddenly, Luo Chen spoke.
"Old Ghost Feng, you may leave, but Ling Yuzhi must stay!"
Following his words, a large opening slowly parted in the towering wall opposite them.
Old Ghost Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He gave Luo Chen and the others a deep look and prepared to leave.
Yet he had barely taken a step when he paused again.
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "Anything else to impart?"
"I wouldn't dare presume, but I heard Fellow Daoist Chu Kui exchanged for three Core Formation secret arts in one go. I wonder if I might be given one copy?"
As he said this, Old Ghost Feng slightly raised the black bead in his hand.
With a cold, humorless smile, Luo Chen said, "Aren't you pushing your luck a bit too far?"
"Pushing my luck or not, I'm old, and I have to take a gamble on Core Formation," Old Ghost Feng said, holding up the Thunder Immortal Bead with immense confidence.
He had seen right through them!
These men of the Luotian Association valued their lives dearly!
Luo Chen lowered his head with a sullen expression, appearing to calculate his options.
Old Ghost Feng did not rush him. He understood that anyone would be loath to part with hard-won Core Formation secret arts.
Yet he was convinced the other party would surely agree.
After a long while, Luo Chen slowly raised his head, his eyes as deep and dark as a cold pool as he stared straight at him.
"Very well!"
Hearing those two words, Old Ghost Feng felt a surge of delight.
It worked?
He could already envision himself obtaining the superior Core Formation secret art, going into seclusion for fifty years, and finally forming his core in one go just before his life span ran out.
By then, he would be one of the rare Golden Core experts of the Jade Cauldron Domain!
He would claim a spirit land, establish a sect, and lord over others—perhaps even the Nascent Soul Grand Dao wouldn't be...
Wait, no!
Old Ghost Feng abruptly snapped to his senses.
"You little thief, you tricked me!"
He instinctively moved to trigger the Thunder Immortal Bead to drag everyone down with him.
Yet something horrifying occurred.
His hand had been severed cleanly at the wrist as easily as slicing tofu, leaving only gruesome white bone exposed.
Moreover, blood and qi clashed violently within his meridians, rendering him unable to mobilize his spiritual energy.
Right at that moment, Wang Yuan brought his hands together with a resounding clap.
"Burst!"
The next instant, Old Ghost Feng's entire body ballooned outward like a water-filled bladder.
He tried desperately to regain control, but his mind seized up again, causing him to miss his only chance.
"Luo Chen, even as a ghost, I won't let you get away with this!"
Bang!
A deafening explosion rang out.
Amidst the shower of blood, Ling Yuzhi stared dazedly at the scene.
Droplets of bloody mist splattered across her enchanting, delicate face.
When she looked up in a daze, she saw Luo Chen holding the Thunder Immortal Bead in his palm, examining it with keen interest.
"Kill her."
He spoke casually, as if uttering an inconsequential passing remark.
Yet to her ears, it sounded like the death knell of doom.
She instinctively tried to activate her magic treasure, but two figures—one from above, one from the left—launched their attacks.
Moments later, the peerless beauty who had once been a renowned socialite of Tianlan Immortal City perished in this deserted, dense forest.
Chu Kui stepped into the formation, shaking his head and frowning at the sight.
"Your methods are far too brutal. First ripping out a heart, now blowing someone into pieces. I'm going to have nightmares when I sleep tonight."
Luo Chen smiled.
When it came to true cruelty, Min Longyu deep underground was the most ruthless of them all.
Back during the Qi Refinement stage, under the watchful eyes of thousands, he had used a formation to slice Han Dang, the Heart-Devouring Tiger of the Mountain Breaker Gang, to ribbons while alive.
Compared to him, he and Wang Yuan gave people swift deaths; they weren't nearly as sadistic.
Chu Kui approached Luo Chen and looked at the black bead in his hand.
"I have to say, you've got some guts! Were you really not afraid he'd detonate it instantly?"
Luo Chen shook his head. "I didn't plan on striking so soon. Brother Wang's technique required some time to ferment, and I indeed intended to let him leave first before slowly wearing him down to death."
Beside them, Wang Yuan nodded.
At the start of the battle, Chu Kui had struck first with his staff to block the trio's escape route, Luo Chen had instantly slain one, and Wang Yuan had used the Blood God Tribulation Finger to inject his internal energy into Old Ghost Feng's body.
However, he hadn't injected much energy, so he couldn't quickly activate the Blood-Dissolving Qi.
If Old Ghost Feng hadn't pushed his luck and Luo Chen hadn't used his powerful divine soul to cast the Bewitching Spirit Art, Wang Yuan wouldn't have forcibly triggered the Blood-Dissolving Demonic Finger.
Even so, it had nearly failed.
Fortunately, Luo Chen had followed up with a Spirit-Captivation Technique.
Otherwise, the man might truly have caught his breath.
"With such a lethal weapon in hand, we'll have some confidence even if we run into a Golden Core Master," Chu Kui said excitedly, eyeing the Thunder Immortal Bead.
Luo Chen could not help but nod.
Losing the Profound Ice Talisman, only to gain the Thunder Immortal Bead.
Extreme misfortune truly begot good fortune!
"Clean up the battlefield. Let's make haste!"
Luo Chen surveyed their surroundings with a heavy heart.
The journey back to Tianlan would likely not be smooth.
Chu Kui and Wang Yuan set to work, gathering the spoils of war.
Min Longyu emerged from underground, using the formation to erase the spiritual energy fluctuations in the area.
Finally, Luo Chen waved his wide sleeves repeatedly, casting Cleansing Arts to scour away any scent and aura left behind by their group.
Moreover, he gave Chu Kui an especially thorough cleansing.
If Ling Yuzhi could leave tracking marks, others might do the same.
These rogue cultivators who had survived in the cultivation world for years were none of them easy marks; each had some hidden cards and tricks up their sleeves.
Caution was paramount in all things.
Once everything was taken care of, the four lingered no longer, summoning a high-grade flying boat and departing immediately.
A long time passed.
Several figures arrived in the sky above the dense forest.
After investigating with suspicion, they finally came to a halt right where the battle had unfolded.
"Is this the place?"
"It should be here. Although no traces were left behind, the earth here is rather compacted—clearly the result of immense spiritual pressure bearing down upon it."
"I wonder what the outcome was."
"Can you track their direction?"
"No! There was an expert among them who cleared away all traces of aura. My spirit beast can't even detect Tiankuizi's scent."
"That makes things troublesome!"
"Not troublesome at all, actually. Whichever way they go, their ultimate destination is Danxia Peak in Tianlan Immortal City. If we head straight for Danxia, we are bound to find them."
"However, that area currently belongs to Ice Fort's territory and is under the protection of Master Jueqing. Will we have any chance if we go there?"
"We'll see once we get there!"
After their brief exchange, the figures immediately rode their dharma artifacts and flew off.
Their target was set straight for Danxia!
Chapter 395