With Luo Chen's experience, he naturally perceived the peculiarity of Qian Ting's bronze basin magic treasure right away.
No matter how he targeted the two flying knives—even using the chains manifested from the Hunyuan Cauldron to disrupt and capture them—both knives flew back to Qian Ting's side as if rooted to his body.
As it appeared now, the two knives were not extraordinary; the formidable element was that bronze basin!
Like young swallows returning to the nest, or swimming fish returning to their basin.
Seeing Luo Chen's gaze fall upon his natal magic treasure with a trace of greed, Qian Ting's face showed anger.
"Xiang brothers, don't hold back! Delays breed danger!"
With their trump cards revealed, there was no ending this peacefully.
In an instant, the two flying knives circling Qian Ting's flanks shot toward Luo Chen from the left and right.
Luo Chen attempted to dodge, only to find that his colossal size had turned him into a living target.
Even as he maneuvered with Airburst Step, fine cuts continued to open across his body.
Moreover, the threat went beyond this!
Whoosh!
A flail tore through the air.
Clang!
Luo Chen raised the cauldron to block it.
Yet in the next moment, another flail slashed through the air from behind.
With a dull thud, Luo Chen felt as though struck by a heavy blow, stumbling several steps through the air while coughing up blood.
Holding a flail apiece, the Xiang brothers stood to the left and right. Alongside Qian Ting, they formed a three-point encirclement, hemming Luo Chen in tightly from all sides.
"This rogue cultivator's body refinement method is truly peculiar. There's no trace of astral qi, yet his physique is this resilient."
"Taking a direct strike from my flail without being chopped in two—impressive!"
Though words of praise left their mouths, their hands did not pause for a second.
The two enormous flails crisscrossed through the air.
Most of Luo Chen's attention, however, remained on the two flying knives.
Qian Ting was vicious and cunning. Knowing the wounds the knives inflicted on Luo Chen's colossal form were too slight, he altered his tactics, aiming specifically at vulnerable spots:
Eyes, ribs, groin...
It was only because Luo Chen had consumed copious amounts of Black Emperor Paste beforehand, tempering this fleshly vessel to the utmost—comparable to a pinnacle Tier 3 puppet, exceedingly tough and devoid of weak spots—that he had not lost his combat strength long ago under such an onslaught.
Still, a momentary lapse in vigilance could cause catastrophic injury.
The tide of battle had reversed in mere moments.
At first, Luo Chen had seized the opportunity of their unfamiliarity with him, assuming the Heavenly Roc True Form to instantly slay one opponent with terrifying explosive force.
Yet following that brief burst, his advantage turned into a liability.
Qian Ting and the Xiang brothers were by no means delicate hothouse flowers; they were shrewd and adaptable combatants, possessing strength at or comparable to that of Great Cultivators.
Even transformed into the Heavenly Roc True Form, Luo Chen was merely at the late Desolate Ancient Tier 3 stage, equivalent to a single Great Cultivator.
Taking on two Great Cultivator-tier combatants single-handedly was indeed taxing.
"If only I had a defensive magic treasure to protect my body, I wouldn't be in such dire straits," Luo Chen thought in exasperation as another wound opened on his flesh.
Seeing his attacks land repeatedly, Qian Ting could not help smiling smugly.
"Luo Hai, are you wondering why the array stopped assisting you?"
"Haha! In truth, Jin Zhan isn't dead. He intentionally dove into the sea to seek out the array master. By now, that person has likely fallen to his sword!"
"And this array, which was meant to trap us, has now become a cage that imprisons you."
"Surrender without a fight!"
Faced with his arrogant laughter, Luo Chen sneered ferociously.
"Is that so?"
"Why don't you look down?"
Qian Ting did not shift his stance, sweeping his divine sense downward, only for his expression to warp drastically.
Upon the sea's surface, a corpse bobbed up and down.
It was none other than Jin Zhan, who had feigned death and dived into the sea to hunt down the controller of the array!
To try and cause trouble for Han Zhan—he truly had courted death!
At that very moment,
the Sea-Sealing Bagua Array shifted once more.
Raging waves surged from the depths, shooting toward the clouds.
Black souls stepped forth from the eight pillars of light, lunging at the three cultivators.
Han Zhan's voice arrived just in time:
"Took a bit of time. My apologies."
Luo Chen did not reply. Propelled by his massive wings, his towering figure flew straight toward Qian Ting.
Sensing this while hemmed in by both towering waves and ghost kings, a ruthless glint flashed across Qian Ting's face.
He struck the bronze basin!
Dong! A terrifying sonic wave rang out.
The waves and ghost kings froze in place.
The two flying knives suddenly merged into one, turning into a black-and-white beam of light that shot toward the rigid Luo Chen.
Just as it was about to pierce between Luo Chen's brows,
suddenly, Luo Chen moved.
His massive hand clamped down, seizing the black-and-white beam firmly, while the Hunyuan Cauldron smashed down like a mountain!
Qian Ting's face drained of color. "How can this be? He wasn't affected by my soul attack?!"
Little did he know that nurtured by Luo Chen over many years, the Lanke Black Chess Piece protected his soul at every moment.
How could a soul attack derived from sound waves possibly affect him?
His previous stiffness had merely been a ruse to neutralize the threat of the two flying knives and create an opening for his next move.
The colossal gray cauldron crashed down, leaving Qian Ting nowhere to hide.
The circumstances granted him no time to think.
Subconsciously, he raised the bronze basin to block the Hunyuan Cauldron.
In his view, this cauldron was merely brutish, striking in direct, straightforward trajectories.
All he had to do was parry it!
Yet this time, the cauldron's attack was no blunt smash.
The moment it hovered above his head, it halted motionless.
In the distance, Luo Chen gripped the twin knives with one hand, refusing to let go even as blood poured from his palm, while his other hand formed hand seals without pause.
Under his direction, beams of light draped down from inside the Hunyuan Cauldron like a beaded curtain.
These beams enveloped Qian Ting, and an excruciating, scorching heat instantly flared forth.
The very air seemed to twist.
Sweat poured down Qian Ting's face, his flesh seemingly melting.
"Refine him!"
Ferocity surged in Luo Chen's heart. With a savage grimace, his dwindling magic power poured forth in a wild torrent, intending to refine Qian Ting alive inside the Hunyuan Cauldron.
Wisps of Wither-Bloom True Fire flew from his body, funneling through the Hunyuan Cauldron to engulf Qian Ting and intensify the refining flames.
While they remained locked in stalemate,
on the other side of the battlefield,
the Xiang brothers were gripped by utter panic.
Endless!
They simply couldn't kill them all!
Ghost generals and ghost kings strode across the waves in an endless, inexhaustible tide.
Even with both Sky-Cleaving Flails striking with full force, they were merely draining their magic power in vain.
"Brother, it's no good! At this rate, we'll be worn down to death!"
"The one operating this array is even stronger than we are. To be this formidable without even showing his true self... I'm afraid our chances are grim."
Question and answer flowed with seamless tacit understanding.
Exchanging a glance, the two did not hesitate, smashing their flails together.
A massive crescent slash surged out, slamming straight into the nearby light barrier.
Chi...
A narrow gap split open!
The array barrier that all six cultivators together had failed to breach earlier was actually cracked by the brothers' joint effort—a feat bordering on the unthinkable.
Yet a closer look would reveal that the two incomparably sharp flails had already dimmed.
This attack had been unleashed at the cost of damaging their two natal magic treasures.
At this moment, the Xiang brothers could not spare any grief for their treasures.
Xiang Da leaped through without hesitation, looking back:
"Brother, get out quickly!"
Xiang Er was a step behind, just about to fly out.
Yet as he sprang forward, the flood dragon surfaced once more from the sea.
Its bloody maw gaped open, an immense suction dragging him down into the depths.
At the sight, Xiang Da's eyes bulged with rage, reddening completely.
"Brother!"
He directed his magic treasure to strike the light barrier, intending to plunge back in.
Yet the barrier did not budge in the slightest.
Suddenly,
Xiang Da's expression changed as his protective robe flapped wildly.
A gale swept down from the heavens.
Whoosh!
In a single strike, his protective robe was shredded into tatters, and bloody streaks crisscrossed his entire body.
Xiang Da looked up, only to see a female cultivator in the sky holding a massive plantain fan, straining to fan it.
Just as he raised his head, the woman was about to deliver a second wave.
"Brother, I will avenge you one day!"
Xiang Da let out a shrill roar and hurled his damaged flail toward the female cultivator.
Halfway through its flight, the flail detonated with a thunderous roar!
The tremendous blast wave surged in all directions.
The nearby light barrier trembled, rippling under the impact.
Affected by the blast, Tianxuan's face paled, unable to fan a second time.
Her wings fluttered, fleeing the radius of the self-destructing treasure.
By the time the air cleared, the elder Xiang brother had vanished without a trace.
Tianxuan parted her lips, her expression tinged with self-reproach.
A pre-prepared strike had failed to kill him.
Though it had to do with the man wearing a treasure-grade robe, she had ultimately failed.
In the past, she would have pursued him for thousands of miles.
Yet with Luo Chen's orders, she could only stay and guard this place.
"Someone fled outside, which means the battle within favors Master!"
"Of course—with Senior Han and Black King aiding him, these enemies can't possibly best Master."
Tianxuan felt a wave of relief.
Yet things in this world rarely go as one wishes.
In the next breath, Tianxuan's face shifted violently as she snapped her head up.
High above,
a towering mountain had appeared unnoticed.
Jagged rocks jutted out, covered in lush foliage.
Appearing slow yet descending with terrifying speed, the mountain pressed down layer by layer.
Its target: the Sea-Sealing Bagua Array!
"How dare you!"
Tianxuan bellowed, swinging the Nine Gales Plantain Fan.
Yet that fan stroke, which had wounded the sixth-layer Core Formation Xiang Da, was like a gentle breeze against the towering mountain.
The mountain did not budge in the slightest.
Its momentum remained unabated!
Soon, the mountain pressed down upon the array.
Under the external impact, the seemingly impregnable formation groaned with creaks of unbearable strain.
A lean, gaunt old man atop the mountain cast a glance at Tianxuan, then looked away, focusing entirely on the array beneath him.
"A unique array, yet strong inside and weak outside."
"It cannot stop me!"
Murmuring to himself, he stamped his foot, driving the colossal mountain once more.
In the next moment,
the Sea-Sealing Bagua Array spanning dozens of li shuddered violently.
The eight pitch-black pillars of light blazed and surged upward in unison, actually repelling the giant mountain.
"Nothing more than a dying flash!"
The gaunt elder chuckled and stepped down onto the peak of the giant mountain.
A terrifying force, like a falling meteor, smashed into the light barrier again.
This time, the barrier shook violently.
In the sea's depths, the seabed trembled unceasingly as silt churned and spiritual energy leaked.
Boom!
Boom!
Two detonations resounded in succession.
The first was louder, an echo from the destruction of the subterranean spiritual vein beneath the fishery.
The second came from the Sea-Sealing Bagua Array being completely shattered by external force.
Once the array fell, the battlefield within was laid bare before the gaunt elder's eyes.
With a single glance, his pupils shrank.
Qian Ting, the patriarch of the Qian family whom even he found troublesome, was stripped of all flesh, leaving only a severed head staring resentfully toward the sky.
And that head was clutched in the hand of a young, red-faced man.
Moreover, amid the surging waves, the massive body of a flood dragon loomed, exuding colossal demon qi without restraint.
"You are Luo Hai?"
The gaunt elder uttered the question, yet did not wait for Luo Chen's answer, pointing a finger at the giant mountain beneath him.
"Go!"
The giant mountain moved again, descending like Mount Tai collapsing overhead!
Luo Chen smiled savagely and tossed Qian Ting's head into the sea.
With a tremor of his wings, he shot toward the giant mountain like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
His momentum blazed like fire, and indeed, terrifying cyan flames enveloped his body.
Man and mountain closed the distance.
When they met head-on, Luo Chen thrust both hands forward, facing the mountain magic treasure directly.
"Get off me!"
Divine strength surged as he unleashed colossal power comparable to an ancient desolate beast.
After a brief deadlock, veins bulging and blood mist venting, Luo Chen actually overturned the giant mountain head over heels!
The gaunt elder's brow throbbed violently as he watched in horror.
With a beckoning wave, the towering mountain shrank into a small seal and landed in his grasp.
Looking at the young man who had shrunk back down, standing atop the gray cauldron and gasping for breath, he spoke again: "You really are Luo Hai!"
The same words, spoken with a completely different tone, marked his recognition of Luo Chen.
Completely naked without a stitch of clothing, Luo Chen raised his head, an eerie gleam in his eyes.
"The Mountain Master of Baizao Mountain, I presume?"
"You wish to keep me here as well?"
The Mountain Master of Baizao Mountain was just about to speak when his gaze met Luo Chen's, plunging him into a momentary trance.
In that haze, he seemed to see how he had inherited the ancestral legacy, ventured out to sea in search of treasures, obtained an immortal mountain, refined it into a magic treasure, and nourished it day after day until it reached high grade.
"Wrong!"
In a mere instant, he snapped out of it.
The moment clarity returned, a stench of blood hit him in the face!
In the sky, the battle gull swooped down.
Beneath the water, the flood dragon burst from the sea.
One gull, one dragon, charging fearlessly in a coordinated assault.
Unfazed in the face of danger, the Mountain Master circled his hands and pushed outward.
A layer of earthy-yellow light spread out.
Yet at that very moment, a shout reached his ears:
"Mirror Flower, Water Moon—open again!"
That strange disorientation struck him once more.
Even though he had not looked into the man's eyes this time, he still fell into confusion.
"An illusion, and a soul attack technique!"
Furious, he regained clarity even faster this time.
Yet however fast he was, in a clash of experts, life and death hung on a single heartbeat.
The flood dragon and battle gull were already upon him.
In his haste, the defensive technique could not unfold smoothly, forcing him to block with his natal magic treasure.
The small mountain in his hand expanded, covering him.
Boom!
Joining forces with pure physical might, the two Tier 3 demon kings slammed into the mountain.
With a single strike, they sent the small mountain flying backward.
Moving at incredible speed, it vanished like a shooting star in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this enemy temporarily dealt with, Luo Chen, standing on the Hunyuan Cauldron, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Tianxuan flew before him, looking at Luo Chen with deep concern.
Cuts large and small crisscrossed his body, some deep enough to expose bone, with internal organs faintly visible.
Moreover, his right hand was stripped down to stark white bone, as though shaved by knives.
And finally,
when Tianxuan looked at Luo Chen's face, two streams of bloody tears were trickling from his tightly shut eyes.
"Master, you..."
Luo Chen raised a hand with difficulty, cutting off her words.
Indeed, an illusion technique like Mirror Flower, Water Moon was effective against a Great Cultivator four minor realms above him, but the backlash was simply too severe.
At this moment, his divine soul churned violently, and his mind was in utter turmoil.
Fortunately, this wave of pursuers was finally dealt with.
Black King swam in the sea for a moment, retrieving all the spoils of war.
A streak of black light flew to Luo Chen's side—the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
Luo Chen retrieved a white robe from his storage bag, draped it over himself, recalled the Hunyuan Cauldron, and slung the Ten Thousand Soul Banner onto his back.
This place was unsafe to linger in; it was time to leave.
Yet matters in this world rarely unfolded as one wished.
A light chuckle drifted over.
"Fellow Daoist, are you truly the rogue cultivator Luo Hai, or are you Demonic Lord Qingyang?"
Luo Chen's expression shifted. Weak and drained, he looked toward a small skiff not far away.
Just how debilitated had he become that he had failed to notice someone approaching?
Yet something wasn't right!
Why hadn't Han Zhan warned him?
Tianxuan and Black King had already stepped in front of Luo Chen, staring warily at the sinister man standing on the skiff as though facing a mortal enemy.
Draped in robes as red as blood, vivid as plum blossoms.
It was He Yuan!
Luo Chen said in a raspy voice, "Step back!"
The two beasts exchanged a glance and retreated behind Luo Chen, leaving him to face the man directly.
"He Yuan, you and I are barely acquainted. How did you deduce my identity?"
Standing on the solitary skiff, He Yuan smiled. "You needn't worry about that."
"In truth, Qingyang, you ought to thank me. Were it not for me, you would currently be facing countless enemies seeking to profit from your exhaustion."
"If you don't believe me, feel free to spread your divine sense and see for yourself."
Chapter 585