Luo Chen's recent conduct had truly earned him the air of a powerhouse of the demonic path.
Slaughtering demon beasts en masse was merely one aspect.
Out in the Sunken Sea, those low-tier demon beasts were also the mission targets of other rogue cultivators, who hunted them to trade with the Demon Hunting Department for spirit stones, raise their Demon Hunter star ratings, or temper themselves in battle.
Yet whenever Luo Chen arrived, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner would unfurl, and he would clear the field without hesitation!
As for the other rogue cultivators, anyone below the Golden Core stage was told to clear out immediately.
Among the Golden Core cultivators, unless they were Seven-Star Demon Hunters or late Golden Core grand cultivators, most would weigh their odds and prudently step aside, intimidated by Luo Chen's demonic might.
Then again, there were not many Golden Core grand cultivators in the Myriad Immortals Association in the first place.
Those currently active on the Sunken Sea battlefield, aside from Dao Lan, were few and far between.
As a result, wherever Luo Chen went, packs of demon beasts large and small were entirely swept up by him.
It was precisely such domineering conduct that had caused the name of Demonic Lord Qingyang to spread like wildfire.
The red-robed man stepped into the perimeter of Three Pillars Gorge. Observing the scattered skirmishes between cultivators and demon beasts all around, his expression remained as placid as an ancient well.
"Roughly two thousand in number... This Three Pillars Gorge battlefield is divided into quite a few smaller zones!"
His current objective was simply to drive the human cultivators away first, allowing him to concentrate wholeheartedly on dealing with these low-tier demon beasts and that early third-rank demon king.
Without any dramatic gestures, he merely waved his hand. A black banner abruptly expanded, plunging straight into the seawater.
The next instant, across several li of the waters of Three Pillars Gorge, towering waves surged and cascaded down like rain. Wind and clouds churned, accompanied by what sounded like thunder—yet upon closer listening, it was the screeching of myriad wailing ghosts and howling wolves.
"Demonic Lord Qingyang is here!"
"Retreat! Retreat! Fall back!"
"Myriad ghosts clear the field, hordes of demons executed!"
"Get out of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner's range immediately! If you get caught inside, the Demonic Lord won't show any mercy!"
Seeing this legendary spectacle unfold, the rogue cultivators locked in combat with the beasts understood the situation at once.
Amidst an uproar of startled cries, streaks of escape light took flight one after another, fleeing outward.
Meanwhile, the demon beasts that had just been locked in bitter combat against them looked on in blank bewilderment, having no idea what was happening.
A low command escaped the man's lips.
"Go!"
Dense billows of ghostly qi surged from the banner, coalescing upon the sea's surface into ghost generals and even solid-bodied ghost kings.
One ghost after another flew outward in all directions, blanketing a ten-li radius.
At that moment, Luo Chen stood atop a high peak, coldly watching the scene unfold without the slightest surprise.
His mastery over widespread magical treasures like the Ten Thousand Soul Banner had always been rather simplistic.
He could neither form arrays of ghost kings like Han Zhan, nor condense a ghost domain to the extent that white-robed cultivator had.
Consequently, the ghosts he unleashed with the banner could only act on basic instinct.
These ghosts might have possessed some skill in life, but their strength was drastically reduced in death. Furthermore, the foes they faced were seasoned troops and battle-hardened elites that had survived the campaign against the Yuan Demon Sect.
Under such an imbalance, it was entirely normal for the ghosts to crumble at the first blow.
Indeed, some of the sharper demon beasts sensed something amiss and attempted to strike at the ghost generals and ghost kings—with remarkable success!
Under their onslaught, the ghost generals and ghost kings were easily shattered.
This turn of events eased the demon beasts' tension considerably.
Those humans were far too cowardly; these measly ghosts were complete pushovers!
"This makes things a bit more troublesome."
Luo Chen murmured to himself. Watching the packs of demon beasts gather closer together over time, a thought crossed his mind.
"I've practically mastered the Senluo Fire Hell. Using that art to slaughter low-tier demon beasts is truly using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken. Why not switch methods and test out that move?"
The moment the thought arose, his hands were already set in motion.
As incantation gesture after incantation gesture was unleashed, the second nascent core within his body ceaselessly vented pure spiritual qi.
One seal, two seals... In the blink of an eye, Luo Chen's hands moved like a fluttering butterfly, striking hundreds of spirit seals into the black banner planted in the sea.
Suddenly, a deep shout resonated through the air.
"Fuse!"
Amidst the chilling wind, grim rain, and howling ghosts, the sea violently shuddered!
Over a thousand demon beasts widened their eyes, staring in horror at a monstrous figure slowly rising from beneath the surface.
It was a terrifying monstrosity sporting over a dozen heads and more than a hundred arms!
Half its body remained submerged in the ocean, while half towered above the waves.
Upon its emergence, the surrounding ghostly mist converged upon it, integrating into its body and rendering its form increasingly solid.
With the ghostly mist no longer obscuring their vision, the rogue cultivators lingering at the fringes naturally caught sight of the battlefield's true form.
When they laid eyes on this horrific monstrosity, an uproar of chatter broke out among them.
Luo Chen paid no heed to the commotion, his gaze fixed intently on the unmoving ghost entity standing tall in the sea.
As if sensing something, the central head of the monstrosity swiveled around, glaring at Luo Chen with an expression mixed with bewilderment and resentment. As black mist vented from its mouth, it emitted heavy, ragged breathing.
*Refusing to obey?*
Luo Chen scoffed inwardly.
This technique originated from a Soul Fusion secret art that Diaosou had selected from the white-robed cultivator's relics after completing the first assessment mission, which Luo Chen had subsequently redeemed.
Over the years, he had studied it on occasion, yet every time the fusion succeeded, a similar issue arose.
There was nothing wrong with the secret art; the problem lay in the fact that Luo Chen's cultivation method did not match.
He had not cultivated the soul-refining lineage of the Yuan Demon Sect, which resulted in this awkward predicament.
However, through years of experimentation, Luo Chen had already prepared a contingency.
His eyes closed slightly. When he opened them once more, petals seemed to bloom and wither within his pupils, accompanied by the waxing and waning of the moon.
At once, the resentment in the monstrous ghost's eyes faded significantly, replaced by deeper confusion.
Not stopping there, Luo Chen formed a seal with one hand, elevating Mirror Flower, Water Moon to a higher level!
Dark towers loomed, and ghostly shadows flickered!
Ethereal celestial maidens drifted, indistinct as a dream!
In an instant, the fused will of the ghost entity became lost within the maze of ghostly shadows and phantom pavilions, allowing Luo Chen's divine sense to seize dominance.
"Kill!" Luo Chen barked.
"Kill!" the ghost king echoed.
Then, stirring up vast swells, the colossal ghost king charged toward the thousand-odd demon beasts.
Seeing this, Luo Chen breathed a sigh of relief.
*As expected, by bewildering this fused will with illusions, I can drive it to do my bidding.*
He had a fair idea why the fused will resisted him.
After all, most of the original ghosts in the Ten Thousand Soul Banner had been wiped out by him, leaving only a dozen-odd second-rank ghost generals.
The tens of thousands of ghosts added later were either demon beasts he had slain or cultivators who had fallen by his hand.
Every single one of them bore a grudge against him!
When their wills were scattered and suppressed by the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, it was manageable. But once fused together, they easily took dominance and resisted Luo Chen.
This was no baseless conjecture; there was clear evidence.
Most prominent among the dozen heads atop this ghost king—which rivaled a late Golden Core combatant—were several faces familiar to Luo Chen.
Yan Nantian!
The Demon Spider Crab!
Qian Ting of the seventh layer of Golden Core!
And several Golden Core cultivators who had perished in the Mo family fishery during the battle of Lengguang Island, such as the second brother of the Wu family, the old crone of Baizao Mountain, and others.
Luo Chen's gaze turned cold. Looking down at the one-sided massacre below, his thoughts drifted further.
He had not mastered this Soul Fusion secret art to any profound degree—at the very least, he could not condense a single-headed ghost king as that white-robed cultivator had.
Nevertheless, a fused ghost king comparable to a grand cultivator could still serve as a trump card.
During this final sweep at Three Pillars Gorge, he might as well practice with it more to avoid being clumsy when the time came to rely on it.
After watching for a while, Luo Chen made his move.
Standing atop the high peak with his sleeves fluttering in the wind, wisps of azure flame poured from his fingertips, descending onto the heavily wounded yet still-living demon beasts.
Incinerate and devour!
As the azure flames returned, a surge of boundless vitality pulsed within them.
The price was clouds of ashes swallowed by the sea.
The rogue cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Association watching nearby were all stricken with terror.
They were terrified by the formidable monstrosity Luo Chen had fused, yet equally awestruck by his exquisite flame control.
Above all, this leisurely, stroll-like slaughter sent chills down their spines and cold sweat across their backs.
"Is this Demonic Lord Qingyang?"
Amidst their horror, every onlooker stared at the man standing atop the high peak, their eyes filled with burgeoning reverence—and sheer dread!
The battlefield was on the move.
Luo Chen leapt down from the peak, trailing behind the fused ghost king. He incinerated demon beasts while directing the ghost king into other sectors of Three Pillars Gorge.
The geography here was peculiar: a confluence of three seas, which was why a massive concentration of demon beasts had gathered.
Luo Chen advanced steadily, capturing nearby demon beasts along the way.
Vast quantities of vitality flooded into his body. The Wither-Bloom True Fire grew increasingly vigorous, having long surpassed the state it was in when the Yan Alliance had painstakingly nurtured it to early Tier 4.
Having received this feedback, Luo Chen reaped substantial benefits.
His naturally crimson complexion now flushed so deep red it looked as though blood might drip from it.
Luo Chen did not know what would happen if he continued devouring vitality like this, but intuitively, he knew this was undeniably beneficial to him.
The opportunity to break through to Desolate Ancient Tier 4 might very well lie in this excursion.
***
Across a turbulent expanse of sea.
Two men and a woman formed an array, encircling a demon beast that resembled a toad.
Joy grew in Guan Xiaoping's eyes. Manipulating the flying sleeves in her hands, she called out, "Senior Brother Changfengzi, as long as we kill this River-Swallowing Toad, we can advance to Four-Star Demon Hunters upon our return!"
Beside her, Wu Tao was equally thrilled. "A third-rank mid-stage demon king—verging on the late stage, no less—will definitely yield plenty of merit points! Junior Sister, let's put in more effort!"
"Alright!"
Stationed at the array eye, Changfengzi issued a caution.
"This is a battlefield, and the situation is treacherous and volatile. Do not expend too much Dharmic power."
The young man and woman acknowledged his warning, but evidently did not take it to heart. The Dharmic powers they unleashed surged by several degrees compared to before.
In their eyes, they were merely dealing with a dim-witted beast. Why bother holding back? Wouldn't it be better to kill it swiftly and depart?
Changfengzi shook his head, keeping a talisman tightly pinched in his hand without activating it, just in case.
Gradually, the River-Swallowing Toad trapped in the center grew weaker, its struggles diminishing by the moment.
Success was at hand!
Just as the trio's faces lit up with triumph...
Suddenly!
A tremendous suction force surged from beneath their feet.
"Ah!"
"Senior Brother, save me!"
"What's happening?"
Among the three, Guan Xiaoping was the first to be dragged into the deep sea by that terrifying suction.
Immediately after, Wu Tao, whose Dharmic powers were nearly depleted, was dragged down as well.
Changfengzi exerted his Dharmic powers to the utmost, wiping a finger across his eyes. Spiritual light blazed in his gaze, instantly revealing the scene in the oceanic abyss.
A golden toad measuring merely a zhang in size was crouched on the deep seabed, its maw gaping wide.
The terrifying suction originated precisely from it.
Moreover, this golden toad looked identical to the River-Swallowing Toad they had trapped, differing only in skin color.
"The golden cicada sheds its shell?"
No, the golden toad sheds its shell!
This demon king's true form was not a River-Swallowing Toad at all, but a Sea-Absorbing Golden Toad!
This was an ancient Desolate Beast remnant, rumored to possess the innate divine ability to swallow and expel oceans and command waves.
Even though it was only at the middle stage of the third rank, it was by no means something an ordinary early Golden Core cultivator could contend with.
The information flashed through Changfengzi's mind in an instant. Without hesitation, he activated the talisman in his grip.
Instantly, an azure radiance erupted, enveloping all three of them.
Each felt their body lighten considerably, almost creating the illusion of riding the wind.
It was the Liu family's Wind-Riding Talisman!
Guan Xiaoping and Wu Tao were overjoyed, swimming nimbly toward the surface.
As long as they broke free from this ocean, the Sea-Absorbing Golden Toad would be powerless against them.
*Croak!*
A toad's croak resonated from the Sea-Absorbing Golden Toad's belly.
The next instant, the previously lifeless River-Swallowing Toad suddenly opened its eyes and parted its jaws.
A monstrous torrent surged from its belly, instantly slamming the three back down into the ocean.
"Disaster!"
"I'm done for!"
"No, we'll die like this! I have to use the measure bestowed by Clan Uncle!"
Just as despair gripped the trio, a rumbling sound tore through the sea.
In their vision, a massive black arm breached layer upon layer of waves, reaching toward them.
Just as it was about to seize them, the arm abruptly dissolved, bypassing their space in a fraction of a second before reforming behind them.
This time, its target had shifted to that tiny golden toad.
*Croak!*
Another croak rang out. The sea roiled violently, blasting the black hand into wisps of black smoke.
The golden toad's eyes flickered. Peering through the turbid waves at the terrifying monstrosity above the surface, it lingered no longer and swam into the deep abyss.
"What a pity. To think such a Desolate Beast remnant escaped. Had I subdued it, it could have been a great asset."
Luo Chen shook his head, his gaze falling upon the massive corpse of the River-Swallowing Toad.
There was not a trace of soul aura.
Incinerating such a vessel with the Wither-Bloom True Fire would extract scarcely any vitality.
To his eyes, this River-Swallowing Toad had been dead for years, serving merely as a puppet vessel for the Sea-Absorbing Golden Toad.
Three disheveled figures broke free from the water, their eyes immediately landing on the horrific monstrosity towering in the sea.
"Hiss, what kind of ghost is that?" Guan Xiaoping gasped in utter shock.
Changfengzi paid no mind to it, looking at once toward Luo Chen.
"So it is Fellow Daoist Qingyangzi."
Luo Chen glanced at them without a word. Beckoning to the fused ghost king, he stepped across the wind and waves, drifting into the distance.
Changfengzi's expression shifted slightly, yet he still bowed deeply toward Luo Chen's receding figure.
"Many thanks for saving our lives, Fellow Daoist!"
Wu Tao scoffed, unimpressed. "Why thank him? Even if he hadn't stepped in, we could have survived by activating the treasure our clan ancestor bestowed before our departure."
*Why didn't you do so earlier then?*
*In a life-or-death crisis, your mind probably froze completely!*
Straightening up, Changfengzi shook his head. "That is not the way to look at it. To him, it was merely an offhand gesture, but it ultimately spared us from expending a trump card. We have only just arrived at the Myriad Immortals Association; if we squander our life-saving means so easily, how are we to temper ourselves later?"
Wu Tao opened his mouth, but found no words to retort.
The usually lively Guan Xiaoping remained silent, gazing at the distant, departing figure with a complicated expression.
***
Saving Changfengzi and the others had been nothing more than an incidental gesture.
Luo Chen's true intention had been to capture the Sea-Absorbing Golden Toad. He wanted to understand where the strength of a Desolate Beast that eschewed the path of forming a demon core and transforming into human shape truly lay.
Was it that rumored formidable physique, which distributed demon power evenly throughout the entire body?
What difference was there between such an existence and his own Desolate Ancient physique?
*Forget it. I'll find an opportunity to gather more information on Desolate Beasts later.*
*Speaking of which, after consuming large amounts of Emperor Flowing Liquid, Black King displayed signs of atavism, as if he too is treading the path of a Desolate Beast. Yet he has retained his demon core. Should I go back and study his body?*
As Luo Chen rushed toward the various gathering grounds of demon beasts across Three Pillars Gorge, his mind wandered through these stray thoughts.
While slaughtering the demon beasts and reaping immense vitality, he gradually made a new discovery.
The demon beasts massed here seemed considerably stronger than those elsewhere.
Earlier, there had been a mid third-rank demon king that, before dying, had managed to completely blow apart the fused ghost king's body before being obliterated.
Turning misfortune into a blessing, Luo Chen had actually gleaned a few tricks regarding the Soul Fusion secret art, enabling parts of the fused ghost king's body to disperse and reform at will.
And the River-Swallowing Toad he had just encountered was merely the vessel of a formidable Desolate Beast like the Sea-Absorbing Golden Toad!
Yet all of these were merely guarding the outer perimeter.
What about the most formidable great demon king?
Just as Luo Chen was pondering this, his divine sense suddenly jolted.
Within the black sea, a dazzling blade light cleaved out from the depths, carving out a waterless vacuum several dozen li wide!
A small black dot flew unsteadily from the ocean.
Hot on its heels were countless thick tentacles.
The tentacles were covered in dense, repulsive suckers. Just looking at them made one's soul feel intensely uncomfortable.
"Is that the rumored giant squid? To think it pushed Dao Lan to such a state!"
Though he had never seen its true form before, he had long heard of this formidable demon beast.
"Demonic Lord, lend me a hand!" Dao Lan's shout rang out.
Luo Chen felt an urge to step in. Just as he was about to move, he abruptly whipped his head around.
Pushing his Spirit Eye Art to the limit, he spotted an ethereal figure striding across the sea a thousand li away.
Wherever it passed, the ocean boiled, and dark clouds traveled alongside it.
"A Nascent Soul True Person?"
"No, that looks like a demon emperor!"
Luo Chen gasped, his expression changing drastically. He flew toward the exterior of Three Pillars Gorge at maximum speed.
The Poyue Wings unfurled.
Dharmic powers surged wildly, and his physique transformed.
In an instant, a colossal roc appeared, flapping its wings and skimming low across the sea.
In the distance...
A handsome man witnessed this scene and blinked.
"Slips away fast, doesn't he!"
With a remark of praise, he appeared above Three Pillars Gorge in the very next instant.
Such an immense commotion had naturally alerted the rogue cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Association carrying out missions here long ago. Having detected the dense demonic qi radiating from the handsome man, they had already begun fleeing in all directions.
Yet how could the escape speed of these Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators possibly rival that of a Tier 4 demon emperor?
Even with a thousand-li head start, they remained well within his line of sight.
The man chuckled softly. Without any discernible motion, the rogue cultivators within his view began plummeting into the sea like dumplings dropping into boiling water.
There were exceptions, however.
Three individuals, after plunging, rose unsteadily once more, shooting away from Three Pillars Gorge at even greater speed.
"These human cultivators..."
The handsome man muttered under his breath, but did not strike again.
His gaze fell upon the three towering peaks beneath his feet.
"So this is one of the formation cores? It may be altered, but not destroyed!"
Murmuring to himself, he pressed a palm downward.
*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*
Amidst three deafening roars, the three sky-piercing peaks standing in Three Pillars Gorge were driven forcefully down into the vast ocean.
They were plunged straight into the sea.
When the mountain peaks were completely submerged beneath the waves, the handsome man raised his head and gazed out over the lifeless Sunken Sea.
Though nothing was there,
he whispered softly, "The wind has begun to rise!"
Chapter 647