The Demonic Lord First Displays His Might

The Blazing Fire Miasma had originally come from an incomplete body refinement method, *Heavenly Roc Transformation*, where it was included as an ancillary consumable spell. It simulated the baleful fiend aura naturally possessed by fire-attribute demonic rocs. Luo Chen had begun studying this spell very early on, cultivating it to the Minor Accomplishment realm by infusing it with large amounts of Earthfire Fiend Qi. This spell was quite practical, yet also rather awkward. Its practicality lay in the fact that, once unleashed during battle, it could establish a combat environment tailored perfectly to his style. Furthermore, owing to the potent fiend qi contained within, it had a severely corrupting effect on an enemy's magic treasures, divine soul, and physical body. The awkwardness, on the other hand, was that in earlier years it had to be cast while transformed into the Heavenly Roc True Body. Otherwise, given the structure of the human body, inhaling too much fiend qi would trigger a severe backlash upon oneself. Not only that, increasing the spell's proficiency was extraordinarily difficult. It was not merely constrained by the number of times it was cast, but also by the grade of the fiend qi. Most of the fiend qi Luo Chen had gathered in his earlier years was Rank 1 or Rank 2 Earthfire Fiend Qi, barely worth mentioning in terms of quality. Even when he later incorporated Rank 3 Earthfire Fiend Qi, it was ultimately just the most common, ordinary sort. Luo Chen had once expended great effort tasking the Luotian Sect with collecting rare fiend qi, but alas, very little came of it. All they managed to bring back was a vast quantity of Rank 3 Earthfire Fiend Qi, bolstering this particular technique. Such were the reasons for its awkwardness. However! With the passage of time, these problems had all been resolved one by one. First was the issue of being unable to release the Blazing Fire Miasma in human form. After crafting his natal magic treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, he was able to use the cauldron to nurture and store the Blazing Fire Miasma. Through constant communion with his magic power, his body had gradually adapted to endure the impact of the miasma's fiend qi. Second was the issue of high-grade fiend qi. In that regard, he had obtained a gourd of Wither-Bloom True Fiend from the Yan Alliance—a rare fiend qi every bit the equal of Flaming Sun True Fiend. Moreover, it shared the same origin as his source true fire, the Wither-Bloom Fire! Because of this, his tolerance and control over the Blazing Fire Miasma rose to a whole new level. Finally, he had now switched his cultivation to the *Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*. With an overbearing yet remarkably pure fire-attribute magic power coursing through him, moving within the Blazing Fire Miasma was as effortless for him as a fish swimming in water. It could be said that the current Blazing Fire Miasma was fully qualified to be considered one of Luo Chen's signature methods. Using it to counter Yan Nantian's Soul Refining Banner should pose little difficulty. As for the question of whether it was unprincipled for Luo Chen to attack Yan Nantian when there was no enmity between them, when the man had never offended him, and when they had never even crossed paths— Luo Chen bore no moral burden on that front. The pursuit of the Great Dao had always been like this! When rogue cultivators ambushed him on the road, enmity never entered the equation. When Mi Shuhua forcefully dragged him into the Poshan Gang, could Luo Chen have uttered a single "no"? Steeped in such an environment over the years, Luo Chen had long grown accustomed to this way of doing things. "I will not attack unless attacked"? What an outdated notion! When he marched on Mount Xiaohuan back then, Duan Qiankun had not yet actually made a move against him. When he first arrived at Tianlan Immortal City, he had deployed every trick in the book to promote his Jade Marrow Pills, driving competing elixir factions into misery. Had the Gunlong Ridge Zheng family, the Danyuan Sect, or the Qinhua River Li family provoked Luo Chen before that? In the world of business, killing was done without shedding blood. A drop in elixir revenue meant fewer spirit stones, fewer cultivation resources, and slower cultivation progress—and that was a true grudge of obstructing someone's Dao. That was why the Qinhua River Li family was later forced to defect and marry into his camp, and why the Danyuan Sect vacillated back and forth. Luo Chen's style had been forged long ago. Faintly, it leaned toward the Yuan Demon Sect's ethos of the weak falling prey to the strong, believing in the law of the jungle. That was likely why Cheng Haichang and Cheng Dou had instinctively thought of him as a remnant of the Yuan Demon Sect when they first met him! His temperament was indeed somewhat similar. Perhaps some might wonder: with such a style, why did Luo Chen still enjoy a decent reputation? That came down to the fact that Luo Chen's gentleness was reserved strictly for his own people, manifested in his conciliation and care! Gentle toward his own, ruthless toward outsiders, yet never bullying ordinary cultivators who posed no threat. Such conduct was actually a rarity in today's cultivation world. It was just that this time, Luo Chen was acting even more nakedly and brazenly! He was no saint, and Yan Nantian was certainly no benevolent soul. With Cheng Dou pulling the strings in the middle, the pieces had simply fallen right into place. …… Half a month later. On Yaoyue Island. Black fog shrouded the area, no longer resembling the scenic wonder of bygone days where one could invite the bright moon to the center of the lake, making three companions with one's shadow. The island was not large; including its freshwater lake, it spanned only ten li across. Yet it was precisely because of this modest size that it stood out as the absolute cream of the crop among the thirty-six islands of the Flying Swallow Archipelago! Most of the thirty-six islands possessed only Rank 1 or Rank 2 spirit veins. Only the small island of Yaoyue possessed its own small Rank 3 spirit vein! In earlier years, although this island had been controlled by a clan boasting three late Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, the Rank 3 spirit vein was actually shared across the entire Flying Swallow Archipelago. Whenever a cultivator from any clan reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, they could, according to agreement, visit the Rank 3 spirit vein to attempt Core Formation and push for the Golden Core realm. Yet this privilege had existed in name only since a century ago. Ever since Yan Nantian, Master Nantian, seized Yaoyue Island, the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators across the thirty-six islands no longer had a quiet, safe place to form their cores. Form a core? If you formed a core, where would that leave Master Nantian? Because of this, even though the Flying Swallow Archipelago had received the island-linking array method bestowed by the Canghai Righteous Alliance over the years, shielding them from demonic beasts and providing a safe cultivation haven, Foundation Establishment experts would still occasionally leave for other lands, never to return. There was simply no hope of advancement! As the nominal master of Flying Swallow, Yan Nantian never cared about what his subordinates thought. So long as his foundation remained intact, he could continue cultivating here. And his foundation was, naturally, the vast mortal and cultivator population of the Flying Swallow Archipelago, along with the Rank 3 spiritual land of Yaoyue Island. At this moment, inside a quiet room on the island. An emaciated, sallow-faced middle-aged man sat cross-legged, frantically devouring the worldly spiritual energy around him. Within his sea of qi, a blue golden core spun rapidly, gulping down the preliminarily refined spiritual power in huge drafts. A formidable aura was suppressed within his body, faintly on the verge of erupting. "A hundred years of nursing my wounds and meditating in bitter seclusion... Now, I, Yan, am finally about to break through to the fourth layer of the Golden Core stage, entering the middle realm!" "When that time comes, unless the Moluo Stream dispatches a late Golden Core Great Cultivator, no one will be able to restrain me." "And I will finally be able to leave this remote place, return to Laoyan Island, and restore my Yan clan!" As his thoughts raced, the momentum building within his body grew stronger and stronger. His cultivation base was advancing steadily and organically, like water carving out a channel. Right at that moment! A warning omen exploded in his heart. Yan Nantian grunted, and the influx of worldly spiritual energy from outside stalled. *The Ten Thousand Soul Grand Array is under attack?* *Have the experts of the Moluo Stream finally tracked me down?* *Should I flee, or should I fight?* *No, the accumulation of so many years hinges on this very moment! I cannot let all my efforts go to waste!* *The Ten Thousand Soul Grand Array can still hold them off for a while. There is plenty of time.* His mind racing, the emaciated, sallow-faced man patted his storage pouch. An elixir flew out and went straight down his throat. The next moment! The golden core within him spun even faster, and the stalled worldly spiritual energy once again swirled frantically around him, surging into his body like swallows returning to their nest. …… Outside the lake of Yaoyue Island. A lone silhouette stood by the water's edge. Beside him rested a stout, rounded gray cauldron. Plumes of fiery light poured forth from the cauldron, spreading across the ten-li expanse of the tranquil lake. As though provoked, the pitch-black mist blanketing the lake began to churn violently. Roars and agonized wails tore through the night sky. The aura was so intense that even the dark clouds above were scattered, revealing a full moon. Pure moonlight spilled downward, seeking to blanket the earth, yet it could not penetrate the clashing fiery radiance and black mist. Within the darkness, shadowy phantoms swarmed, frantically spewing ghostly qi to disperse the incoming fiend qi. Watching this, Luo Chen felt slightly reassured. As expected, the Blazing Fire Miasma was remarkably effective against the grand array formed by the Soul Refining Banner. Fire fiend, though corruptive, carried the essence of fierce, unyielding yang, making it the natural bane of ghosts and spirits. Now, he merely had to wait until the Blazing Fire Miasma was fully unleashed, filling every corner of this ten-li lake, before he could fight without reservation. *Still, even at this point, Yan Nantian hasn't shown himself?* Luo Chen frowned, unsure why his opponent had not appeared. Yet his hands did not slow in the slightest. Magic power surged, unleashing the Blazing Fire Miasma in full! Amidst the dense fiery light, a wisp of grayish-white emerged. It was the fiend qi steeped in deathly vitality left behind after Wither-Bloom Fire consumed vast amounts of life force—the Wither-Bloom True Fiend! The last time it had appeared was during the defense of Mount Danxia, where it had destroyed the Seven-Colored Danxia Grand Array Min Longyu had painstakingly laid down. This fiend qi was corrosive beyond measure! …… As Luo Chen made his move, the ghostly wails and shrieks on Yaoyue Island peaked, echoing across thousands of li. Surrounding islands large and small could hear them clearly. The mortals and Qi Refining cultivators on those islands trembled with dread. Meanwhile, the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators of the various islands, gripped by shock and suspicion, quietly moved toward Yaoyue Island. Yet just as they came within a hundred li, seven figures soared into the air from below, cutting them off. Looking by the moonlight, the onlookers saw a white-robed man standing before them with a faint smile. "Fellow Daoists, the distance for watching the battle ends here." "It's Patriarch Cheng of Black Swan Island!" An exclamation arose from the crowd. In an instant, a barrage of questions was directed at Cheng Dou. "Patriarch Cheng, what is happening up ahead?" "Has Master Nantian suffered cultivation deviation? Or has a formidable enemy come knocking?" "Cheng Dou, what is the meaning of this? Are you rebelling against Master Nantian?!" Voices of inquiry and reprimand washed over him, especially the latter! Cheng Dou's face turned cold. "Yan Nantian has acted against nature, occupying the Flying Swallow Archipelago for a century and piling up countless atrocities. Do you all still harbor loyalty toward such a man?" Such righteous indignation? The crowd exchanged glances. A prudent senior cultivator among them asked quietly, "Fellow Daoist Cheng, speak frankly. Have you invited an expert from the Moluo Stream?" Cheng Dou raised an eyebrow. "It seems Fellow Daoist Xu also knows that the Moluo Stream has been hunting Yan Nantian!" The cultivator surnamed Xu nodded. "Perhaps we wouldn't have known in the past, but the Moluo Stream has risen to great prominence in recent years, allying with major factions to seize spirit island territories from the Canghai Righteous Alliance and contend for hegemony over the Demon Territory. How could we not know of them?" *Yet what does that have to do with a mere Golden Core cultivator like Yan Nantian?* Cheng Dou chuckled. As expected, those dissatisfied with Yan Nantian in the Flying Swallow Archipelago were far from few. There were plenty who had secretly investigated Yan Nantian's origins and learned of his enemies. Since that was the case, things would be much easier to handle. "Demonic Lord... Qingyang may not be an expert from the Moluo Stream, but in terms of origin, he may well share the same lineage as the Moluo Stream's founder." Demonic Lord Qingyang! Hearing this unfamiliar title, the crowd was taken aback, blank looks spreading across their faces. They had never heard of him! Yet hearing that he might share a lineage with the Moluo Stream's founder brought instant understanding. Rumor had it that the founder of the Moluo Stream was a Nascent Soul elder left outside when the Yuan Demon Sect fell. When the sect was destroyed, he had fortunately survived away from the sect grounds. Later, after the demon race seized the Northern Arctic Night Yama Sky, he gathered the cultivators managing the Yuan Demon Sect's external assets and established the Moluo Stream. If Demonic Lord Qingyang shared his lineage, then he too was a surviving branch of the Yuan Demon Sect. With such deep ties, it was only natural for him to take action on behalf of his fellow sect member to clean up Yan Nantian. Upon learning this, even the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators who had previously harbored thoughts of helping Yan Nantian could not help but beat a retreat in their hearts. Just then, a pool of watery blue light surfaced in Cheng Dou's palm. The light rose slowly. With a swipe of his fingers to either side, an enormous water mirror manifested in the empty air. He lifted both hands beneath it. "This is the Water Mirror Art left behind by Senior, which allows us to observe the battle in detail." "Fellow Daoists, let us witness the Demonic Lord's methods together!" The water mirror continued to expand, quickly forming a light screen several zhang across. The imagery upon it was vivid and lifelike, as if the scene unfolded right before their eyes. Such mastery drew a chorus of gasps. In the Northern Sea cultivation world, cultivators practicing water-attribute cultivation methods made up the vast majority. Yet those capable of casting the most basic Water Mirror Art to such an extent were exceedingly rare! That senior was undoubtedly a master of the water path! For a time, everyone was thrilled, widening their eyes to watch the clash. After all, this was a battle at the Golden Core realm—rarely did one get the chance to observe one in such detail. If they could glean even a sliver of insight, whether for cultivation or combat, it would bring endless benefit! Cheng Dou regarded their shock with disdain. Or rather, he had already experienced that shock earlier, and his disdain now was directed at their narrow horizons. Demonic Lord Qingyang letting them watch this Golden Core battle without an upfront fee was by no means free! Once they witnessed the Demonic Lord's terrifying methods, the Cheng clan could borrow the Demonic Lord's might to integrate the various factions of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. Every gift came with a price tag secretly attached. The Cheng clan had staked everything; when the time came, they could borrow the tiger's majesty to reclaim far more! Suddenly, the cultivator surnamed Xu cried out in astonishment. "That soul aura... isn't that Fellow Daoist Peng Yu?" At these words, Cheng Dou's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly looked back at the water mirror. Upon the mirror's surface, amidst the black mist battered into tatters by boundless firelight, dozens of figures leaped forth. At their head was the image of an old man with crane-white hair and a youthful complexion. Even in ghostly form, he bore the unmistakable elegance of his living days. Bolstered by the endless black mist, he appeared even more formidable. Peng Yu—the Supreme Elder of the Flying Swallow Archipelago's foremost clan a century ago! He had once made an attempt at the Golden Core realm. Though he failed, he had fortunately condensed a False Core. A man of immense strength, he was adept in water-attribute spells and known by the moniker "Boundless Sea." Yet when Yan Nantian took over the Flying Swallow Archipelago a hundred years ago, he had met an untimely end. None had expected him to reappear in such a state. "He was refined alive into the Soul Refining Banner by Yan Nantian!" "Basking in glory in life, yet denied freedom in death... What a pity for Fellow Daoist Peng." Listening to the laments of the others, Cheng Dou felt his throat run dry. Peng Yu was far stronger than he was, truly his senior. In life, the man had even reached the False Core realm. Yet he had met such an end. What if Demonic Lord Qingyang followed Yan Nantian's example in the future...? For a fleeting moment, a sliver of regret crept into his heart. Unaware of his dealings with Luo Chen, the others kept their eyes glued to the water mirror. Following the emergence of Peng Yu's resentful soul, dozens of other figures surfaced one after another. Upon recognizing several familiar forms, the surrounding cultivators cried out in horror. The Peng clan's three late Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators were all among them. There were also nine ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators of the Peng clan. The entire Peng clan, high and low, had been refined into the soul banner! Soon after, several more individuals were identified within the ghostly horde. Every single one had been a cultivator from the various clans eradicated in the Flying Swallow Archipelago, people the onlookers had interacted with in life. A shared feeling of grief for their fallen kind welled up in everyone present. "Master Nantian is far too savage. Even if these people defied him, death should be the end of it—why act with such vicious cruelty?" "Indeed. He didn't even spare their remnant souls, denying these fellow Daoists any chance at reincarnation and cultivation anew." "Manners decay and morals decline! Back when the Yuan Demon Sect existed, demonic experts ran rampant, but they at least exercised some restraint. Now that the Yuan Demon Sect is gone, the demons run wild without oversight. Even though the Canghai Righteous Alliance has pushed against the tide to rebuild order, the demons underneath ultimately act without scruples, directly harvesting human souls for banners." "One, two... *hiss*, eight late Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator souls!" "Yan Nantian is far too ruthless. I don't even recognize the other few." As the Blazing Fire Miasma erupted vigorously in the mirror's image, continuously sweeping through the black mist, the true visage of the Ten Thousand Soul Grand Array was laid bare before the crowd. The more they looked, the more alarmed they became. Eight late Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator sub-souls—displayed as if Great Cultivators cost nothing—were terrifying enough on their own. Yet there were also fully forty-odd other Foundation Establishment souls. The remaining Qi Refining souls were mostly sea demon souls, but their sheer numbers were staggering—swarming in dense, innumerable throngs totaling well over ten thousand! The cultivator surnamed Xu drew a deep breath. "Such a vast quantity of souls... I have only ever heard of the legendary Ten Thousand Soul Banners being capable of containing them. Furthermore, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators is simply extraordinary. If a Golden Core primary soul were added, then even among renowned Ten Thousand Soul Banners, this one would surely rank as a masterwork!" "Fellow Daoist Xu is truly perceptive. Yan Nantian's Ten Thousand Soul Banner truly does contain a Golden Core primary soul!" Though Cheng Dou's mouth tasted bitter, his face maintained an expression that suggested everything was going according to plan. Once those words left his mouth, exclamations of shock rippled through the entire assembly. Yan Nantian possessed such staggering murderous intent! He had truly refined a Ten Thousand Soul Banner housing a Golden Core primary soul, and of such exceptional quality. Yet, with things being so, was this Demonic Lord Qingyang truly certain of bringing him down? …… By the lakeshore! Beneath the pure moonlight, the young man's brow was knit tight. Under his command, the Blazing Fire Miasma surged forward unimpeded, sweeping across the battlefield. Left unmanned, this so-called Ten Thousand Soul Grand Array offered almost no resistance. In particular, wherever the Wither-Bloom True Fiend passed, vast swarms of low-rank sea demon souls were utterly obliterated, their souls scattering to the winds. Even Foundation Establishment souls could not withstand it, crumbling upon contact. Though they could re-form, their vicious aura was noticeably diminished. From deep within the array, the roars grew increasingly frenzied. Evidently, the Golden Core soul presiding at the center was on the verge of losing control. *A ghost king presence... Given my current strength, I have no reason to fear it at all.* *Yet even at this point, why has Yan Nantian still not shown himself?* Luo Chen formed an incantation gesture, and spiritual light burst from his eyes. His spirit eyes, seemingly able to pierce the Nine Netherworlds, cut straight through the boundless black mist and landed upon Yaoyue Island at the lake's center. Instantly! A surging, vaporous aura soared into the sky, faintly breaking free of its shackles. Luo Chen's expression shifted slightly. "Audacious! Breaking through in the middle of battle—do you truly take this lord for a harmless decoration?" Before the words had even faded, he leaped into the air, soaring straight into the night sky. The bright moon illuminated his back, while spiritual light bathed his eyes. Gathering qi! Raising his hand! A heaven-turning palm slammed down with a thunderous roar! To one side of the array, a streak of black light surged into the sky, attempting to block the strike. Luo Chen glared at it. "Begone!" Mirror Flower, Water Moon activated instantly. The black light's eyes turned vacant, its movement halting for a fraction of a breath—and in that instant, the majestic palm imprint bore down like a blazing sun. It was none other than the Qingyang Great Handprint! He did not strike lightly, but when he did, he unleashed his strongest technique without holding back. As the palm crashed down, the entire ten-li lake exploded. The small island at its center, nourished by spiritual energy for eight hundred years, was forcibly blasted a thousand zhang into the earth. A surging aura, like rolling tidal waves, erupted skyward from deep beneath the earth. Boundless murderous intent, accompanied by a soul-tearing roar of fury, shot straight toward Luo Chen. "Despicable scoundrel, I will kill you!" Two giant blue dragons coiled around an emaciated figure, spiraling outward through the exploding spray of water droplets. At this sight, Luo Chen flashed a savage grin. Reaching out with a beckoning hand, the Profound Fire Sword landed in his grasp. "You've come just in time!"