"Thrilling! Utterly thrilling!"
"Come on! Come at me again!"
If the clash on Luo Chen's side was the most critical confrontation across the battlefield of Snow Wolf Flat, then Fu Jiusheng and Wang Yuan's sector was without question the most breathtaking.
For no other reason than the fact that the combat between the man and the wolf was brutally straightforward.
They cast aside flamboyant magic treasures and external aids, abandoning the slow incantations of spells and demonic arts.
All that remained was a man and a beast hurling themselves into collision after collision, heedless of their lives.
Neither relied purely on basic physical tempering.
Wang Yuan was bolstered by blood qi and internal force, while the wolf king had wrapped its entire frame in potent demon power.
Thus, each head-on collision unleashed massive surges of invisible energy that billowed outward, churning up thousand-layer tempests of wind and snow.
Wang Yuan was fighting with rising ecstasy!
Ever since entering the cultivation world, he had not savored such a satisfying brawl in a very long time.
His past enemies had either overwhelmed him in swarms or crushed him beneath insurmountable gaps in cultivation realms.
The occasional opponent who met him blade to blade in single combat had only ever tested martial techniques against him.
When it came to trading blows through sheer physical tempering, Luo Chen was perhaps the only person who could have pushed him to his absolute limit.
Yet Luo Chen had to conserve magic power for his cultivation and avoid stirring up unnecessary commotion, so he rarely sparred with Wang Yuan.
Only today!
With Fu Jiusheng anchoring the rear, Wang Yuan was free of all lingering worries, pouring every ounce of his might into this clash against an early Tier 3 Snow Wolf King.
Even though he took the brunt of the punishment in every exchange.
Every time he was thrown back, he would surge straight back into the fray, relentlessly locking his foe in combat.
Throughout the struggle, he continuously cycled through the four great internal forces he had comprehended.
Overt force, covert force, neutralizing force, core force.
He wielded them in rapid succession, shifting seamlessly between them, wrapping his entire body in their power as he weathered one devastating strike after another.
Even as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, his face brimmed with exhilaration.
*Luo Chen was right! My fortune doesn't lie on a tournament stage, but right here on the battlefield!*
*That sensation from just now... Yes! If I can tap into that feeling once more, I will surely be able to condense my intent and embrace the core!*
Just as he was battered with wounds yet burning with ever-fiercer fighting spirit, Fu Jiusheng's joyful shout echoed from behind.
"The formation is set! Wang Yuan, pin the beast down!"
*The formation is ready?*
Wang Yuan felt a flicker of regret.
He could sense that amid this life-and-death struggle, the sensation that had surfaced several times was the very catalyst he needed to condense his intent and embrace the core.
If only he could keep going...
*Forget it. There will surely be more battles ahead. No need to rush this moment.*
*Securing this victory comes first!*
With that resolve, flames of battle flared in his eyes. He took massive strides, charging toward the demon wolf once more.
As he sprinted, great crimson serpents materialized along his back, manifested entirely from his refined core force.
Closing in on the beast, he braced himself and endured a Demon Moon Slash head-on before the great crimson serpents lashed out, coiling tightly around the Snow Wolf King.
Seeing that he had successfully immobilized the monster, Fu Jiusheng triggered his formation without delay.
Beams of brilliant light surged upward from the earth.
They converged in midair, coalescing into a mirror.
The mirror abruptly flipped, unleashing a pillar of radiance as thick as a water barrel that blasted straight downward onto the wolf king.
*Boom!*
*Awoooo!*
A shrill, agonizing howl tore through the air.
Beneath the crushing weight of the colossal pillar of light, the wolf king was pinned flat against the frozen ground, entirely unable to move.
"It's done! Trapped beneath my formation, it won't break free. Wang Yuan, you can step back now," Fu Jiusheng said with deep satisfaction.
He did not slaughter the beast as originally planned, having entertained thoughts of capturing it alive instead.
Wang Yuan had simply fought with such ferocious valor that he had bought him an abundance of time.
Under these circumstances, since capturing it alive was an option, why destroy it?
A Tier 3 demon king like this could reap colossal profits, whether kept to guard a mountain or sold off in the market.
His future cultivation resources might very well rest upon this Tier 3 Snow Wolf King.
Of course, Wang Yuan had contributed immensely to this fight, so Fu Jiusheng was already mentally prepared to part with half the proceeds.
Down on the snow, the crimson serpents slowly withdrew, sinking back into Wang Yuan's body.
His Giant Spirit Transformation was reaching its limit.
As his stature shrank back to normal, Wang Yuan looked down at his mangled, bloodied flesh and felt the misaligned bones within his frame, letting out a long, heavy breath of relief.
They had won after all!
As for breaking through to the next realm, though he had not achieved a battlefield breakthrough under extreme pressure, he had caught a glimpse of that elusive feeling.
As long as he meditated on it properly later...
Just as his guard dropped for an instant, a faint whisper broke the air.
It sounded like a venomous serpent flicking its tongue, hissing for a single heartbeat.
*Swoosh!*
Wang Yuan felt his soul nearly leap from his skin. Spurred by mortal danger, he recklessly mobilized every scrap of internal force in his body to shield himself.
In his vision, a flicker of white light flashed and vanished in the blink of an eye.
***
Five hundred li away from Snow Wolf Flat, atop a low hill.
A daoist gazed contentedly into a water mirror before him.
"Taking a direct hit from me, he has ten deaths and no chance of life."
"This mission can be considered complete!"
Yet just as he was about to withdraw satisfied, a furious roar shattered the horizon.
"Insolent cur!"
Accompanying that thunderous detonation was a colossal palm print wrapped in boundless azure flames, crashing down with apocalyptic fury.
The daoist frowned, summoning a shield treasure to intercept it.
"Wait, this isn't right!"
The instant the shield collided with the descending palm print, his expression warped in horror.
*Boom!*
A terrifying explosion detonated outward.
The shield held for barely a breath before disintegrating into shards.
The flaming palm print slammed down without mercy.
In a single instant, the entire hill was flattened to the ground.
A fearsome shockwave rolled outward from the hill's original location like a crashing tidal surge.
Eerie flames that seemed capable of devouring life itself billowed through the raging gale.
This horrifying spectacle struck dread into everyone who witnessed it.
*Whoosh!*
A crimson figure descended through the skies above the ruined hill.
Staring down at the massive crater and the lingering smoke, Luo Chen's face was dark as thunder.
His vast divine sense unfurled like a net across the heavens and earth, his cold, piercing eyes gleaming with spiritual light as he swept over every direction.
*Fled?*
"Cowardly rat, pray I never root you out!" Luo Chen spat out a venomous vow, then wheeled around and flew straight back to Fu Jiusheng's side.
"How is he?"
"Not good. The one who ambushed Wang Yuan was clearly a Golden Core cultivator, and this magic power is exceptionally vicious."
"Let me!"
Without hesitation, Luo Chen pressed his palm against the back of the unconscious Wang Yuan.
Pure wood-attribute spiritual power flooded inward, hunting down the sinister magic power that was relentlessly ravaging Wang Yuan's body.
"Don't stand around here—go clean up the remaining beasts!"
Fu Jiusheng hesitated. "And this wolf king?"
A fierce glint flashed in Luo Chen's eyes. With a flick of his left hand, the Profound Fire Sword shot out like a falling star, plunging straight through the skull of the struggling Tier 3 demon wolf.
By the time the sword flew back out, all signs of life had vanished from the beast.
"Don't let petty gains blind your eyes. Remember our strategic objective for this expedition!"
Fu Jiusheng cast a regretful glance at the wolf's carcass, then turned and threw himself into the remaining fray.
With his intervention, the grinding battle between cultivators and wolves instantly tipped into an overwhelming rout.
Meanwhile, the last surviving wolf king was swiftly executed through the combined efforts of Cen Qiusheng, Diwu Qi, and Jiang Yu.
The triumph over Snow Wolf Flat was now unstoppable!
***
Deep within a gorge.
The masked Xiaoxiangzi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing lazily at the peculiar terrain.
If a battle took place here, using the natural topography to lay a formation, even an ordinary Golden Core cultivator would find it nearly impossible to escape alive.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
*Pfft!*
A figure crawled out from beneath the earth.
The moment he surfaced, he coughed up a mouthful of steaming, blistering blood.
Xiaoxiangzi frowned. "You were merely assassinating a Foundation Establishment junior. How did you end up like this?"
The figure cut an utterly wretched silhouette, his daoist robe scorched and riddled with burns.
Wiping away the blood, he hissed resentfully, "Why don't you go try it yourself?"
Xiaoxiangzi studied him for a long moment before asking, "Danchenzi stepped in?"
Lurking fear crept into the daoist's voice. "It was him. Rumor had it his fire arts were extraordinary, and today proved it. His cultivation isn't remarkably high, yet a single spell nearly made me leave my life outside Snow Wolf Flat."
"Did you expose your true face?"
The daoist shook his head. "From that distance? Of course not. The only trace left behind was likely my damaged defensive magic treasure, which he blasted to pieces."
Magic implements and magic treasures were countless in the cultivation world.
Even rare treasures frequently shared standard forms and forging styles.
With only fragments of a damaged defensive treasure, the enemy would never trace the deed back to him.
Xiaoxiangzi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's fine, then. That Wang Yuan trampled over the prestige of our Huanzhu Tower on the arena stages of Broken Moon Immortal City. If we didn't kill him and let him run rampant, our tower's business would suffer in the future. By the way, is he dead?"
The daoist hesitated.
Under Xiaoxiangzi's increasingly suspicious gaze, he hastily assured him, "He is dead without question. Could you doubt the methods of Daoist Baisun?"
Xiaoxiangzi let out an affirmative grunt.
He was well aware of Daoist Baisun's prowess.
While his cultivation was not particularly high and his frontal combat ability was lackluster, he was a master among masters when it came to ambushes and assassinations.
Even within Huanzhu Tower, he ranked among their five Gold-tier assassins.
Sending him after Wang Yuan had already been using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken. If that had failed, Xiaoxiangzi would have had to consider expelling Baisun from the tower.
"Very well. Now that this matter is settled, return to the headquarters to nurse your injuries!"
Daoist Baisun hesitated. "That Danchenzi has a vindictive temper. Now that I've wounded his subordinate, I fear he won't let this rest."
"Hmph, why fret over him?" Xiaoxiangzi curled his lip. "His focus isn't on settling personal vendettas right now; he won't come looking for trouble with us. Besides... trouble is the one thing Huanzhu Tower fears least!"
***
Deep within the belly of Snow Wolf Flat.
Inside a cavern brimming with dense spiritual energy, Luo Chen's hands shifted through a continuous series of incantation gestures.
He cycled through various healing techniques in turn.
Toward the end, he gritted his teeth and spent achievement points to master the secret technique for purging foreign magic power that he had traded from Jin Buque of the Five Elements Divine Sect.
The *Dragon Slaying Art*.
Slay the vile dragon within to forge a spotless vessel.
This technique was of the fourth tier. Luo Chen had paid a staggering five hundred thousand spirit stones before Jin Buque agreed to sell it to him.
Its efficacy was truly unique.
Not only could it purge foreign magic power, but once cultivated to the Great Perfection stage, it could even cleanse yin souls, ghostly qi, and fierce, filthy miasmas.
After obtaining it, Luo Chen had given a copy to Chu Kui while keeping one for himself.
He had discovered that this art shared remarkable commonalities with his Cleansing Art.
He had originally intended to cultivate it at a leisurely pace, but with Wang Yuan's life hanging in the balance, he could wait no longer.
Fortunately, with his Great Perfection Cleansing Art serving as a foundation, mastering the entry level of the *Dragon Slaying Art* cost him only twenty achievement points, well within his tolerance.
The moment he stepped through the threshold of the *Dragon Slaying Art*, profound insights washed through his mind.
Pure magic power surged from his Golden Core, following unique meridional pathways to methodically hunt down and eliminate the sinister magic power coursing through Wang Yuan's frame.
Several hours slipped by.
Inside the quiet chamber, a dark miasma suddenly rose to Wang Yuan's face.
His mouth opened, and he heaved violently.
*Pfft!*
A mouthful of black blood splashed onto the stone floor, sizzling and corroding the hard rock into frothing pits.
Witnessing this, Luo Chen let out a slight breath of relief.
"How are you feeling?"
Wang Yuan opened his eyes weakly and grinned, baring snow-white teeth.
"I feel... fantastic!"
"Eh?"
"I know how to condense my intent and embrace the core now."
"Wait, what...?"
For a moment, Luo Chen was genuinely at a loss for words.
Still, now was not the time to delve into breakthroughs.
He stated flatly, "I have many matters to attend to next. Your injuries require quiet recuperation, and I cannot afford to expend more magic power on you."
"I understand."
"As for that assailant..."
Wang Yuan tapped a finger against his chest, where a faint trace of sinister aura flickered beneath the surface.
"No matter. Once I step into the Smelting Furnace Realm, I will settle this score myself."
"As long as you have a plan. If you need help when the time comes, just call on me."
Luo Chen nodded, leaving behind several bottles of healing pills before stepping out of the cavern.
When he emerged onto the cratered, battered grounds of Snow Wolf Flat, Diwu Qi and the others immediately gathered around.
"How is Wang Yuan?"
"He's fine. His life is saved."
Luo Chen made no mention of Wang Yuan turning misfortune into a blessing and grasping his breakthrough opportunity.
There was no need. He merely announced his decision to leave Wang Yuan behind to recover on Snow Wolf Flat.
The others naturally raised no objections.
In this battle, Wang Yuan had demonstrated his immense worth by holding his own head-on against a Tier 3 demon beast.
Such capability could already be counted as a pseudo-Golden Core combat power.
Fu Jiusheng felt a pang of guilt. Caught up in suppressing the wolf king, he had failed to guard against the ambush in time.
Wang Yuan had fought shoulder to shoulder with him, after all.
Seeing him nearly struck down by a sneak attack left Fu Jiusheng feeling deeply uneasy.
Diwu Qi harbored no such sentiments, asking eagerly, "What do we do now?"
By now, the moon hung high in the sky. Pure snow and spilled blood mingled into a foul, nauseating stench.
At the foot of the mountain, streaks of escape light rose and fell as cultivators cleared the battlefield.
Whenever Luo Chen's gaze swept past, any cultivator who met his eyes promptly halted their work to bow respectfully.
This was true not only for the disciples of the Luotian Sect, but even for the cultivators of the Cen family and Wind Rain Manor.
At the onset of the grand battle, they had all clearly witnessed Luo Chen single-handedly parrying the coordinated strike of three demon wolf kings to protect the low-tier cultivators.
Pulling his gaze back, Luo Chen set his lips firmly. "No time to lose. Snow Wolf Flat is secured. Next target: Huimeng Ridge!"
Hearing this, the spirits of the other four lifted.
They had already confirmed that Snow Wolf Flat was an exceptional specimen among minor Tier 3 spiritual veins, capable of sustaining the continuous cultivation of three Golden Core cultivators.
If they could adhere to their strategic plan and capture Huimeng Ridge and Tieqing Mountain as well, their future cultivation resources would be thoroughly secured.
Luo Chen began issuing orders.
Cen Qiusheng would lead the alliance cultivators to hold Snow Wolf Flat.
Fu Jiusheng would remain behind as well.
His task, however, was to lay down formations and guide the spiritual leylines, preparing at any moment to assist Luo Chen and the others in relocating the mountains.
Then Diwu Qi and Jiang Yu would board the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat with him and rush toward Huimeng Ridge.
He chose these two because the three of them had just fought side by side, already establishing a degree of tacit understanding.
Furthermore, bound by their alliance pact, there was no need to fear a knife in the back.
The trio stepped onto the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat.
Xu Huanzhen gave prompt orders, directing the Luotian Sect cultivators under his command to power up the colossal vessel.
Beneath the cloak of night, the massive flying boat slowly turned its prow.
Then it soared southward through the dark.
***
Inside a quiet cabin, Luo Chen examined his condition.
After a fierce battle and treating Wang Yuan, he still retained roughly sixty percent of his magic power.
Among his magic treasures, the Profound Fire Sword was unharmed, and the Three Soul Breaking Nails had suffered no damage either.
Only the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel had sustained minor wear when flaying the Snow Wolf King alive, tainted by the foul energies of Jiang Yu's Rain Summoning Banner, which had dulled its spirituality.
Fortunately, Jiang Yu had acted honorably and delivered the neutralizing elixir.
Luo Chen was currently sprinkling the specialized spiritual fluid across the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel.
The treasure's spiritual radiance was steadily reviving.
Yet restoring it to its peak state would still require substantial work.
Such was the nature of treasure sets.
Their power was formidable, but the trade-offs were demanding control and vulnerability to damage.
*Once I find time, I'll have to ask the artificers of Tianfan City to perform proper repairs.*
Storing away the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel, Luo Chen produced two superior-grade spirit stones in his palms.
Channeling his natal cultivation technique, he seized every moment to absorb spiritual qi and refine it into magic power.
Time drifted quietly past...
As dawn broke over the horizon, Diwu Qi's voice sounded from outside the door.
"Fellow Daoist, we have arrived at Huimeng Ridge!"
Luo Chen opened his eyes, a brilliant gleam flashing across his pupils.
Dissolving into a gust of clear wind, he drifted out of the cabin.
Chapter 484