Luo Chen had claimed he needed to think it over, but the moment he gifted Mountain Master Baizao’s set of Seven Fiends Swords to Han Zhan, he had already declared his resolve to make the journey to the Sunken Sea.
Such indecisiveness and vacillation were rare for Luo Chen.
Yet any change in stance had to be weighed against the specific circumstances.
At first, after years of seclusion, the triumph of completing his treasure had left him high-spirited and ambitious. Lured by the prospect of a rare spiritual herb, he had made an easy decision.
Then came the venture to Withered Wood Ridge. Facing Nascent Soul-tier combat power firsthand had naturally shaken his confidence, stirring up an instinct for self-preservation.
In the end, however, Ding Yi’s intelligence made it impossible for him to indulge in caution.
If the Sunken Sea fell entirely under the demon race’s control, what good would it do even if he reached the late Gold Core stage or even the Great Circle in the future?
Across the vast Northern Sea, fourth-rank Demon Emperors far more formidable than Gold Core cultivators were too numerous to count. A location as critical as the Sunken Sea would inevitably be guarded by a Demon Emperor. When that happened, he would never have another chance to obtain the Five Elements Lotus Platform.
Luo Chen had searched for this spirit herb for many years, entirely in vain.
Both Ding Yi and Han Zhan had told him that the herb was virtually absent from the market, exchanged only rarely among Nascent Soul True Persons.
In reality, even Nascent Soul True Persons had pitifully meager reserves of it.
The truth was that the Five Elements Lotus Platform was tightly controlled by the Sacred Lands of the Five Continents!
He did not know how Azure Pill Valley had acquired theirs, but he knew the Sunken Sea was his only shot!
What truly sealed his resolve, furthermore, was Han Zhan’s promise.
Han Zhan had agreed to lend a hand at a critical moment, just as he had on Lengguang Island when they encountered He Yuan possessed by Blood Nightmare Moluo.
With a Nascent Soul True Person shielding him, as long as he remained vigilant, harbored no greed, and left the moment he secured the Five Elements Lotus Platform, the safety of the journey would be largely guaranteed.
Of course, relying on others was never Luo Chen’s nature.
Once his mind was made up, he began preparing in earnest for the expedition into the ruins.
The direction of his preparations naturally targeted the issues he had identified beside the cold pool chasm on Purple Spirit Island.
Resolving those three problems would drastically boost his strength. With greater power would naturally come more ways to preserve his life.
To this end, he even had Tianxuan decline the meeting scheduled for the following day with the Zhou family’s Gold Core cultivator.
Crafting a customized defensive treasure for someone was a laborious, time-consuming task.
More importantly, his forging techniques relied on the Hunyuan Cauldron, which made things even more troublesome—because the Hunyuan Cauldron was integral to the secret art he was currently researching.
***
“You want to imitate that remnant of the Yuan Demon Sect and research a pseudo-domain technique?”
“Yes. Senior previously remarked that this art was rather useless to me, but if I truly must go to the Sunken Sea, junior believes that mastering it could grant me a few more chances of survival.”
“Times change, and your reasoning isn't flawed. But what thoughts do you bring to me today?”
On the isolated island in Penghu Lake, Han Zhan looked at Luo Chen with curiosity.
Luo Chen had cast aside his past habit of keeping Han Zhan at arm’s length, visiting him frequently in recent days in order to draw upon his guidance to refine his pseudo-domain concept.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen laid out everything he had researched over the years.
The white-robed cultivator from the Yuan Demon Sect had used a divided soul ghost king, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and corresponding secret arts to erect a pseudo-domain capable of suppressing fellow Gold Core cultivators.
Luo Chen’s plan was to use his own Gold Core, the Hunyuan Cauldron, and an array to achieve a similar effect.
It had to be said that this design carried clear traces of Mountain Master Baizao’s Big Dipper Seven Peaks Formation.
After hearing him out, Han Zhan sank into deep thought, muttering under his breath from time to time.
“Using your natal magic treasure to amplify your magic power, pouring it outward to form a localized domain of magic power?”
“Such a method is far too wasteful; ordinary Gold Core cultivators wouldn't dare dream of it.”
“You, however, are different. First, your five spiritual roots have forged an immense foundation of magic power. Second, your top-tier art, the *Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*, refines pure, domineering fire-attribute magic power that carries a formidable suppressive edge. Lastly, your Hunyuan Cauldron possesses an extraordinary foundation capable of multiplying the power of your expelled magic power several times over.”
Luo Chen nodded repeatedly. Only after affirming through countless deductions that he possessed the necessary foundation had he dared to make such an audacious attempt.
In particular, his natal magic treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, had a foundation that was simply too robust!
By itself, it possessed miraculous efficacy in suppression, entrapment, and capture.
All Luo Chen sought to do was harness the power of an array to bring those properties to their fullest potential.
Finally, Luo Chen added, “Senior must not forget that I have also cultivated a second origin core. In terms of accumulated magic power, I fear no contemporary Gold Core cultivator surpasses me!”
Han Zhan’s eyes brightened. He had nearly forgotten that.
He had personally passed down the Origin Core Art to Luo Chen, which the younger man had cultivated using the third-rank Great Circle Hidden Dust Sand.
Over the years, supported by the Penghu Constellation Palace—which rivaled a top-grade third-rank cultivation site—Luo Chen’s total pool of magic power had surely reached a terrifying level.
According to Luo Chen’s design, his natal Gold Core would serve as the core of the pseudo-domain, while the second origin core would power his conventional combat. Operating both simultaneously would not compromise his regular battle readiness.
“I must admit, your concept is intriguing and carries genuine feasibility. What do you need me to do for you right now?”
Luo Chen looked at the tiny Nascent Soul with a solemn expression.
“I need Senior to unfurl your domain so I can experience its might up close! Only by feeling it directly can I draw a cat after the tiger, or even borrow the tiger’s prestige!”
Han Zhan blinked, and then his tiny form shuddered slightly as though realizing something.
He gave Luo Chen a profound look.
“Very well. Since you ask, how could this old man refuse?”
With a thought, his Nascent Soul magic power began to billow outward. At the same time, the surrounding world seemed to answer in resonance, and vast amounts of free ambient spiritual qi surged from the Eight-Hundred-Li Penghu.
In a single breath—
*Boom!*
Upon the isolated island, it felt as though heavenly might had descended.
Luo Chen’s whole body jolted. Under that inexplicable, crushing pressure, he was slammed flat against the ground.
He had been caught entirely off guard.
Gritting his teeth, his bones creaking and blood roaring, he struggled to push himself up bit by bit.
Watching Luo Chen go from being flattened prostrate to half-kneeling, Han Zhan could not help but inhale a sharp breath.
With his magic power thoroughly suppressed, this youth could still move.
His physical body was frighteningly inhuman!
It was hard to imagine: if his physique climbed another step, would he be able to withstand the suppression of a Nascent Soul domain even without breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm?
The stray thought flickered past, but Han Zhan kept his expression neutral, his three-inch form lecturing smoothly:
“Do not resist. Quiet your heart and feel what a domain truly is.”
“Only by grasping its essence can you imitate or counter it.”
Luo Chen drew a deep breath, painfully adjusting his posture until he sat cross-legged on the ground.
Even as his flesh and bones sent continuous signals of being pushed beyond their limits, he kept his divine sense mobilized, discerning everything about his surroundings.
Gradually, he began to perceive certain truths.
Before he knew it, the surrounding pressure abruptly vanished.
Luo Chen looked up in confusion, only to see Han Zhan smile helplessly.
“This old man lacks a physical body after all. I dare not maintain the domain for too long, or my Nascent Soul risks being assimilated by the heaven-and-earth spiritual qi. Go on back. Return to me once every month to experience the true power of a Nascent Soul domain.”
Luo Chen nodded, rising to his feet bathed in sweat.
He bowed to Han Zhan in gratitude, then flew toward Peng Island.
Along the way, he muttered a word under his breath.
“Assimilation…”
***
Inside the Constellation Palace.
Luo Chen sat cross-legged, the magic power within his body surging outward like a tidal wave, attempting to fuse with the dense ambient spiritual qi outside.
Thoughts churned endlessly in his mind.
*Since ancient times, fighting across realms has been excruciatingly difficult because higher-realm cultivators possess a natural suppression over those below them.*
*This suppression is not merely a gap in the quantity of magic power, but an essential qualitative transformation.*
*A Foundation Establishment True Cultivator surpasses a Qi Refinement cultivator because their divine sense can project outward, allowing them to manipulate dharma treasures and artifacts with greater ease, extending their attack range drastically.*
*A Gold Core Master can extinguish a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator with a flick of the fingers because the immense disparity between magic power and spiritual energy forms what is known as spiritual pressure. The two share the same origin, but one has vastly surpassed the other, resulting in total crushing force.*
*And the domain power of a Nascent Soul True Person…*
*When a cultivator conceives a Nascent Soul, the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit unite into one, forging the Nascent Soul body and allowing them to face heavenly might directly. In essence, pure magic power forms a second body for the soul beyond the flesh and sea of consciousness. Because magic power originates from ambient spiritual qi, the Nascent Soul body can command ambient spiritual qi of the corresponding attribute, which gives rise to what is called a domain.*
*What I sensed recently was correct. Within that space, virtually all of it was pure wood-attribute spiritual qi. Han Zhan’s magic power inside it acted like a general leading ten thousand soldiers, forming a total individual suppression against me.*
His thoughts stirring, Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes.
He felt increasingly confident that his deductions were on the right track.
Han Zhan lacked a physical body, which meant his Nascent Soul—the union of the three treasures—was missing the element of 'essence.'
Without the barrier and shelter of a blood-and-flesh physique, repeatedly manipulating ambient spiritual qi made the Nascent Soul body extremely vulnerable to assimilation by heaven and earth.
After all, how could an individual’s soul ever rival the vastness of nature?
That was why Han Zhan had uttered the word 'assimilation.'
In that case, if Luo Chen wished to pursue a pseudo-domain, he could not simply replicate a true Nascent Soul domain.
He could not command free-floating ambient spiritual qi; without refining and imbuing it with his own will beforehand, he could not use his intent to govern the ambient qi around him.
*If I cannot make it serve me, then I shall expel it! I will leave only my own magic power within my space. In that way, it will equate to forming a unique Nascent Soul domain of my own!*
Having grasped this, Luo Chen felt a jolt of inspiration.
Without hesitation, the Gold Core within him spun rapidly. A massive torrent of magic power surged forth, amplified by the Hunyuan Cauldron before billowing outward once more.
This time, however, he no longer attempted to merge with the ambient spiritual qi in the Constellation Palace; instead, he aggressively repelled it.
Like a colossal wave, it forcefully shoved aside the surrounding sea.
In an instant, rolling waves of flame flooded the Constellation Palace.
If Luo Chen were compared to a massive wave and heaven and earth to a boundless ocean, then the free-floating spiritual qi was the seawater.
A single wave naturally could not compete with the boundless sea.
Yet with its violent crash, it could push back a section of the water, ensuring its own crest surged upward unchecked.
Even a Nascent Soul True Person was merely commanding a greater volume of seawater; they were far from becoming an ocean themselves.
Standing amid the billowing waves of flame, Luo Chen’s eyes shone bright.
*This time, I might truly have found the right path!*
Without a second thought, he withdrew his magic power, exited the Constellation Palace, and headed straight for Han Zhan’s cave dwelling.
***
The familiar ambient spiritual qi clamped down on him once more, like a prison entrapping Luo Chen.
Glancing in Han Zhan’s direction, Luo Chen unleashed a torrent of magic power according to his design.
Instantly, brilliant green and crimson radiance clashed in midair, dividing the space between them.
Within that dreamlike glow, Luo Chen slowly stood up.
Han Zhan was thoroughly astonished. “Your physique… No, your pseudo-domain succeeded?”
As the domain vanished, Luo Chen also reined in his magic power.
Frowning, he shook his head. “Not yet. It’s merely a rudimentary framework. Besides, Senior probably barely used any strength just now, right?”
Han Zhan gave a low grunt of assent. “About thirty percent.”
Thirty percent was enough.
At least, for the current Luo Chen, it was sufficient.
Pensive, he turned and walked outside.
His design still had flaws. It was only an embryo, and matching the might of a true Nascent Soul domain would require extensive refinement.
The very first step was replacing the Big Dipper Seven Peaks Formation!
That array was indeed unsuitable for him!
Watching the contemplative figure depart, Han Zhan marvelled silently in his heart.
*This youth’s talent in the Dao of techniques is truly terrifying. To create a secret art rivaling a Nascent Soul domain while still at the Gold Core stage…*
Following that awe, a startling thought arose unbidden.
*If he truly advances to the Nascent Soul stage, will his comprehension of heavenly principles also advance as if aided by the gods?*
The so-called heavenly principles were the laws of nature.
Such profound and ethereal mysteries were typically accessible only to Soul Formation grandmasters; those capable of comprehending them at the Nascent Soul stage were vanishingly rare in this world!
***
While Luo Chen buried himself in painstaking cultivation, the outside world was far from peaceful.
With the passage of time, the demon race’s unusual movements along the Sunken Sea border were brought before the powerhouses of the Myriad Immortals Association.
Ordinary rogue cultivators paid it no mind.
Yet the True Persons standing at the very pinnacle could not afford to ignore it.
Following an order issued by the Blood Hermit, cultivators stationed along the Three Oceans Defensive Line began leaving their posts to take the initiative in hunting low-tier demon beasts near the Sunken Sea.
High-ranking bounties related to the Sunken Sea multiplied rapidly. Lured by massive mission rewards, Gold Core rogue cultivators set out one after another to fight near the Sunken Sea.
Ding Yi visited Luo Chen once to explain the situation.
Both deduced that the Blood Hermit likely had his eye on that treasure-laden realm as well.
Ding Yi was growing anxious, for the predicted date of the astronomical phenomenon was drawing closer.
Luo Chen, on the other hand, remained unhurried, merely telling Ding Yi to keep a close watch.
He himself stayed utterly absorbed in researching his domain.
***
“The initial approach was flawed, but thankfully I corrected it in time.”
On a deserted islet in Penghu Lake, Luo Chen stood tall.
With a thought, a scorching, blazing surge of magic power erupted from him.
In an instant, the surrounding ambient spiritual qi was violently shoved aside.
Not only that, but the magic power was fiercely aggressive, expanding outward relentlessly—one li, two li, three li…
Moving within it, Luo Chen felt like a fish in water. When he formed hand seals to cast spells, their power far exceeded what they had been before.
“An array isn't better simply because its grade is higher; what matters is how well it suits you.”
“Mountain Master Baizao’s Nether Prison Fire-Controlling Array from his storage ring may only be third-rank, but it fits me far better.”
The third-rank Nether Prison Fire-Controlling Array possessed no offensive or defensive power, nor could it bewilder or suppress foes; it was merely an ordinary array used by Baizao Mountain, an artifact-crafting sect, to control subterranean earth fire.
Under this array’s governance, earth fire could be coaxed into a slow, steady burn or concentrated into a blaze capable of incinerating an entire city.
Having obtained this array, Luo Chen engraved it upon himself.
With his body as the array base, the cauldron as the array eye, and his natal Gold Core as the power source, he could manifest a pseudo-domain unique to him.
He named it—the Senluo Fire Hell!
However…
“The range is too broad, and the power is insufficiently concentrated.”
With a flick of Luo Chen’s mind, the expelled magic power began to draw back slowly.
From ten li out, it steadily contracted, finally forming a fiery hell that spanned a hundred zhang in radius.
Standing within it was like standing in an endless purgatory!
Luo Chen’s magic power became even more vibrant. When casting spells, he was faster, and their might was vastly amplified.
As for an enemy caught inside…
Luo Chen felt a sudden urge to test his blade!
And his target for testing?
Without hesitation, Luo Chen returned to Peng Island, gave Tianxuan a few instructions, and hurried away from Penghu Lake, heading toward the Demon Hunting Department.
Chapter 641