The Thousand-Fathom Mountains spanned tens of thousands of li.
Towering peaks rose within the range in great numbers.
Though they appeared scattered at random across the expanse, a subtle pattern governed them.
The lower the mountain, the lower the grade of the mineral veins within, and the greater the number of dormant, low-tier exotic beasts—relying on sheer numbers to dominate.
Conversely, the higher the peak, the higher the grade of the mineral deposits it harbored!
Not only that, but the grade of the exotic beasts guarding each peak corresponded almost perfectly. The only difference was that as the grade of the ores and beasts increased, their numbers dwindled.
First-tier beasts numbered in the tens of thousands; second-tier beasts often numbered in the thousands; and by the time one reached third-tier mineral mountains, the count dropped to around the hundreds.
Yet once it came to fourth-tier mineral mountains, the number of exotic beasts plummeted sharply into the single digits. Some were guarded by only one or two.
Under such circumstances, apart from first-tier peaks, mountains of every other grade presented a formidable challenge to Golden Core cultivators.
Though second-tier peaks held lower-grade deposits, the exotic beasts were simply too numerous.
Third-tier peaks had fewer beasts, but an onslaught of over a hundred third-tier exotic beasts was something no ordinary Golden Core cultivator dared face head-on. Even a group as formidable as Luo Chen’s trio had been forced to give the swarm of third-tier Black-Gold Vipers a wide berth.
Needless to say, fourth-tier mineral mountains were far more perilous!
At that moment, at the foot of a towering blue mountain of the fourth tier that pierced the clouds, four silhouettes were flying downward at breakneck speed.
Once clear of the blue peak's perimeter, the four hurriedly dove into an array formation they had laid in advance.
Holding their breath and focusing their minds, they peered outside.
Moments later, a massive, deep blue ape came bounding back. Upon reaching the peak, it seemed to discover that something was missing and let out a frantic, enraged roar.
Hearing that furious bellow, smiles spread across all four faces.
Within the array, a shadowy specter emerged.
The figure was slender. Seeing the four smiling cultivators, she asked immediately, "Did you obtain the Blue Evolution Lead?"
The leader, a red-haired old man, nodded.
"Naturally. We deployed significant measures and severed the Blue Evolution Lead vein directly. The finest essence is in my possession. We owe our thanks to Fellow Daoist You Ya for luring that giant ape away."
You Ya’s features remained concealed beneath a hood. Her expression hidden, she merely held out a hand toward the old man.
"My share!"
The old man raised an eyebrow. "The vein is intact and difficult to divide properly. Why don't we wait—"
"Give it to me!" You Ya's tone turned uncompromisingly harsh.
The old man’s face darkened.
Seeing this, the other three hastily tried to mediate.
Yet You Ya remained entirely unmoved. She merely stared fixedly at the red-haired elder. "Master Red Corpse, if I can lure away a fourth-tier exotic beast, I can just as easily draw it right here. Are you certain you will not give it to me?"
In an instant, the air turned taut with hostility!
The old man drew a deep breath and retrieved a translucent, crystal-clear blue gemstone from his storage bag.
The moment he produced it, the expressions of the other three shifted.
"That is the highest-quality piece of Blue Evolution Lead from the entire batch, practically bordering on the fifth tier! How could you—"
The old man raised a hand to cut off the speaker behind him and forced a stiff smile. "The Thousand-Fathom Mountains are the most perilous yet most bountiful region in the Five Elements Heaven. We avoided the four other lands where cultivators congregate in greatest numbers and came here specifically to harvest rare mineral deposits, relying entirely on Fellow Daoist You Ya’s shadow concealment arts. She contributed the most, so she naturally deserves the finest share of the spoils! Fellow Daoist You Ya, I hope we can continue our sincere cooperation hereafter."
You Ya gave a soft snort and accepted the Blue Evolution Lead under Master Red Corpse’s reluctant gaze.
With the item in hand, she let out an inward sigh of relief.
*With this in my grasp, my shadow concealment arts will be utterly flawless. Even a Nascent Soul True Person will fail to locate my true body. Perhaps I can now attempt to venture into that inheritance ground.*
Having made her decision, there was no longer any need for continued cooperation!
Right before their eyes, her silhouette began to dissolve.
Master Red Corpse’s expression changed drastically. "Fellow Daoist You Ya, are you going back on your word?"
You Ya shook her head. "I am not going back on my word. I am merely terminating our partnership."
"You!"
"Stop her!"
The other three turned frantic with anger, poised to strike and forcefully detain her.
However, a sharp bark from Master Red Corpse halted their movements, clear apprehension showing in his eyes. He remained wary of the deep blue giant ape lurking nearby.
Seeing this, You Ya chuckled softly. "Master Red Corpse truly has great tolerance. A humble maiden like me cannot be too unreasonable either. I have a piece of news that might compensate somewhat for the losses you will suffer without me. Three hundred li from here, I saw that Nine Yang Golden Eagle engaged in battle with someone. If you make haste, you might just scavenge an easy profit."
Her voice still echoed in their ears, but when they looked again, You Ya had already slipped out of the array, her form vanished without a trace.
Such was the renowned shadow concealment art of the Nether Shadow Witch from the Northern Sea!
Her stealth was impenetrable, treating formations and restrictions as though they were nothing at all!
Master Red Corpse was not surprised by her capabilities, yet seeing her come and go from his array as she pleased still sent a chill through him.
Turning back to face the three pairs of dissatisfied eyes, he shook his head. "We cannot hold her. And with that great ape nearby, doing so would be seeking our own deaths."
The three understood the reasoning well enough, yet they remained deeply resentful.
Without the Nether Shadow Witch to distract the realm's exotic beasts, their subsequent gains would likely plummet by seventy to eighty percent! If that was the case, they might as well seek treasures in the Sand Sea or the Mutian Plain.
Master Red Corpse felt the same, though he had never anticipated she would terminate their partnership the instant she acquired the Blue Evolution Lead.
"Forget it. Let us head toward the Nine Yang Golden Eagle first and see if we can pick up any scraps. Afterward, we shall leave the Thousand-Fathom Mountains and harvest spiritual herbs in the Mutian Plain!"
He possessed the highest cultivation among the group, standing at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage. In the absence of the Nether Shadow Witch, the others naturally followed his lead.
With that, the four packed up the array, concealed their auras, skirted past the jagged peaks of varying heights, and sped toward the territory of the Nine Yang Golden Eagle.
***
In a valley nestled between the mountains, Cave Master Moyun’s face was grim to the extreme. A black flood dragon and a cyan bird had encircled him, watching him with predatory intensity.
Were it only a single demon beast, he would not have paid it any mind. But facing two proved exceedingly troublesome.
In particular, that serpent-dragon creature, Black King, radiated the imposing aura of a late-stage third-tier beast—vast, vigorous, and not in the least inferior to Great Demon Kings who had broken through centuries ago.
Cave Master Moyun looked up toward the two figures standing aloft in the sky.
"Demonic Lord Qingyang, is what you say the truth?"
Before Luo Chen could reply, Ding Yi spoke first.
"Must truth and falsehood be determined by his words alone? Cave Master, you and I have been acquainted for years! In this moment, would you doubt me rather than him? If he kills me, you will be the next to die! Setting an ambush and drawing exotic beasts to attack both of us without a single word of warning—that was his doing! Cave Master, hesitate no longer!"
Cave Master Moyun seemed slightly swayed, yet he did not move immediately.
Luo Chen cast a cool glance at him. "Your hesitation proves you believe my words. Fellow Daoist Moyun, think carefully: would the Ding Yi you know possess only the single technique of driving a gourd magic treasure? What of the rest? Is it that he does not wish to use them, or that he cannot?"
Cave Master Moyun's expression darkened further.
It had to be that he could not!
He knew Ding Yi’s capabilities well. At the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, Ding Yi possessed two or three formidable magic treasures that were by no means inferior to that yellow gourd. Earlier, when confronting the Nine Yang Golden Eagle, Moyun had exhausted his own means while Ding Yi had appeared thoroughly constrained. Given their friendship, how could Ding Yi have stood by and watched him bear the brunt of the eagle's attacks?
Reflecting on it now, if Ding Yi had truly perished and the entity possessing his body was that so-called Taisui, it would explain why, after meditating for half a day in that stone hall, his magic power had barely recovered.
He had clearly spent that time attempting to refine Ding Yi’s magic treasures—and pressed for time, he had only managed to refine the yellow gourd!
Seeing his silence, Luo Chen sneered and turned his gaze upon "Ding Yi"—or rather, Taisui!
"At this point, my killing intent is laid bare. Instead of fighting me to the death, you waste your breath trying to persuade Fellow Daoist Moyun. It seems you know full well you are no match for me! In that case, you may die!"
The moment the words left his lips, Luo Chen formed an incantation gesture.
The Myriad Manifestation Fire Prison instantly contracted from the outside inward, trapping him and Taisui together within.
Taisui’s expression warped. He attempted to mobilize the magic power within the golden core, only to find it chaotic and unruly, resisting his control.
Meanwhile, Luo Chen was already in motion.
Seven swords merged into one!
Tearing through the void, the blade struck!
"Stop!" Taisui yelled in panic.
Yet Luo Chen showed no sign of pausing. Facing the terrifying baleful aura bearing down upon him, Taisui genuinely panicked.
"Do you not wish to know the true location of the Five Elements Lotus Platform?!"
Even as he shouted, his hands clapped together violently. The rolls of fat on his body rippled in waves once more, and under the frantic strain of his technique, Ding Yi’s frame withered until it was thin as a bamboo pole.
*Boom!*
The combined tip of the Seven Fiends Swords was halted by a massive, illusory fan.
Clenching his teeth, Taisui looked thoroughly distressed.
He had never expected Luo Chen’s strength to have reached such a terrifying height, commanding a domain-like ability akin to a Nascent Soul cultivator that suppressed his magic power so severely he could scarcely wield it. Furthermore, having expended much of his innate talent technique on the Nine Yang Golden Eagle, little of its might remained.
If they truly clashed in earnest, this remnant-soul incarnation would likely be destroyed.
"Demonic Lord Qingyang, I know what you are thinking! You discerned the distribution of spiritual energy in this realm, so you assume the Five Elements Lotus Platform must reside in an area dense with wood-attribute spiritual energy, and that even if you kill me, you can find it yourself! But let me tell you—you are wrong!"
Taisui spoke rapidly and with mounting desperation. Throughout the process, his body withered further, deteriorating far beyond the likeness of a bamboo pole until he resembled nothing more than a skin-draped skeleton.
Luo Chen’s expression remained unchanged as he controlled the Seven Fiends Swords through the Huntian Sword Box. "Even if it is not in a place rich in wood-attribute spiritual energy, it must reside where the five qi coalesce!"
"Wrong! Still wrong!" Taisui hastily refuted, his voice frantic. "The Five Elements Lotus Platform within the Demon Demise Grounds has already reached the absolute peak of the fourth tier and is on the verge of breaking through to the fifth tier! It broke free from the constraints of coalesced five qi long ago! It currently roams somewhere within the Five Elements Heaven. An ordinary person could never pinpoint its true location—only I know where it is! If you kill me, even if you search the Five Elements Heaven for a century, you will never find its true form!"
*Clang!*
The sword tip paused slightly.
Feeling the baleful aura cease its pounding against his protective technique, Taisui finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He hurried to add, "I would never deceive you! That Five Elements Lotus Platform has already attained sentience; it cannot be compared to these pseudo-spirits in the Thousand-Fathom Mountains that were forcibly enlightened! If you want it, you must rely on me!"
Luo Chen frowned slightly, conferring rapidly with Han Zhan in his sea of consciousness.
*Is what he says true?*
*Difficult to say. After all, the Five Elements Lotus Platform has always been kept under the tight control of the sacred grounds. The one Azure Pill Valley obtained back then had only just stepped into the fourth tier and had yet to develop sentience. However, his soul fluctuations are violently turbulent; he is most likely telling the truth.*
*Is that so?*
Luo Chen hesitated. Han Zhan had previously suggested the lotus platform might lie where the five qi coalesced, which had been Luo Chen’s primary justification for laying an ambush to eliminate Taisui. Even without him, they would still have been able to find it.
Yet now, an unexpected snag had arisen!
In a flash, Luo Chen reached a decision.
"I can spare your life, but this time, you must find the Five Elements Lotus Platform for me with absolute sincerity!"
Taisui let out a breath. "Naturally. I am even willing to swear a Dao oath. However... you must also agree to one condition!"
"Oh?" Luo Chen’s tone hardened.
This time, however, Taisui refused to yield. "You must agree, or else killing me will do you no good. What resides in Ding Yi is merely a wisp of my remnant soul. This body is nothing more than an incarnation to me. At worst, I shall simply discard it!"
Suppressing his impatience, Luo Chen said, "Speak, what is this condition?"
Seeing room for negotiation, Taisui spoke at once. "It is very simple. After I find the Five Elements Lotus Platform for you, you and Cave Master Moyun must accompany me to the location of my true body and help me undo the restrictions binding it."
"Impossible!" Luo Chen refused outright.
Narrowing his eyes at Taisui, he said, "A mere incarnation of yours is already this troublesome. I dare not imagine how formidable your true body must be. If you turn on us the moment your purpose is served..."
"I can swear a Great Dao oath!" Taisui shrieked, clutching at the promise like a lifeline. "If I turn against you after the deed is done, let me be struck down by the Five Heavenly Thunders and condemned to eternal damnation! Demonic Lord Qingyang, you need not doubt my sincerity. My true body is a Taisui—a sentient spiritual plant that fears thunder and fire above all else. Such an oath holds immense binding power over me!"
Luo Chen hesitated.
Looking at the seemingly earnest Taisui, he said slowly, "An oath alone is not enough. I must place a restriction or two upon you."
As he spoke, an ethereal wisp of cyan flame drifted up from his palm.
With just a single glance, Taisui’s pupils contracted.
Yet with his life in another’s hands, he had no choice but to bow his head. "I agree."
Luo Chen smiled faintly. Once Taisui had sworn the oath, Luo Chen struck the cluster of Wither-Bloom True Fire into the man's body, lodging it near his sea of qi.
With that, he had a double layer of insurance.
Only then did the suffocating tension gradually disperse.
Luo Chen dispelled the Myriad Manifestation Fire Prison and recalled Black King and Tianxuan into his spirit beast pouch, lifting the pressure from Cave Master Moyun.
He then retrieved the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
As the pervasive ghostly mist cleared, the sky turned bright and clear once more.
Right at that moment, an exclamation rang out.
"Top-grade Nine Yang Gengjin! And such a massive chunk!"
Accompanying the voice were four figures hovering high in the air, looking down upon the trio below.
One was at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, his aura thoroughly spent as if he had just executed a secret technique that severely damaged his vitality.
Another was at the seventh level, his face pale and robes shredded, bearing distinct claw marks from an eagle.
The last person carried an impressive presence, yet his cultivation only showed at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage.
"It seems you expended tremendous effort to slay this Nine Yang Golden Eagle!" Master Red Corpse chuckled sinisterly.
With a wave of his hand, the other three spread out slowly, encircling Luo Chen and his companions.
Furthermore, two figures materialized behind him. Devoid of any vitality yet boasting bodies of copper skin and iron bones, they were clearly formidable.
Confronting this scene, Cave Master Moyun braced as if facing a mortal foe, having already summoned his natal magic treasure—the bronze furnace.
Taisui could only let out a bitter smile. "Demonic Lord Qingyang, I truly have no strength left right now."
Luo Chen remained composed and shook his head.
"No matter. Merely a band of fools courting death!"
As he spoke, the dispelled Myriad Manifestation Fire Prison expanded once more, engulfing the entire valley!
A terrifying pressure instantly clamped down upon the four Golden Core cultivators.
The moment the pressure descended, Master Red Corpse’s face changed.
"A Nascent Soul True Person?!"
There was no answer—only a colossal cyan handprint tearing through the void.
And trailing directly behind the overlapping layers of the Qingyang Great Handprint were four lethally sharp flying swords!
Simultaneously, a flying sword shot toward each of the other three cultivators.
The three mid-stage Golden Core cultivators attempted to defend themselves, yet for some reason, they could not circulate their magic power in time.
A single momentary lapse was all it took. The flying swords pierced straight through their chests as terrifying baleful aura surged, shattering their cores and annihilating their souls!
Terror seized Master Red Corpse's face. He hastily commanded the two refined corpses—each comparable to a Great Cultivator—to block before him.
*Boom! Boom!*
The ferocious palm print sent both refined corpses flying. Though it failed to destroy them, it shattered their defensive formation.
Right behind the palm print, the four flying swords arrived in an instant, launching a relentless barrage centered on Master Red Corpse.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Shrill metallic clashes rang out incessantly, proving the man possessed a remarkable magic treasure shielding his body.
Amidst his terror, only a single thought occupied Master Red Corpse’s mind:
*Flee!*
His magic power surged wildly, momentarily pushing back the bizarre domain suppression and granting him a fleeting moment of clarity.
Only then could he manipulate his magic power with ease.
Braving the assault of the four flying swords, he turned to escape.
Yet right at that moment, an explosive sonic boom resounded.
The next instant, the red-robed Daoist appeared abruptly, blocking his path of retreat.
Master Red Corpse stared into those cold, indifferent eyes and blurted frantically, "Fellow Daoist, it is all a misunderstanding! We were only passing by—"
Those eyes were deep and fathomless, pulling him into an illusion.
By the time Master Red Corpse snapped awake amidst searing agony, four sharp swords had already driven through his chest, while his golden core was clasped within the red-robed Daoist’s jade-like palm.
"How..."
*Thud!*
His corpse plummeted to the earth.
The two refined corpses fell silent as well, dropping to the ground with dull thuds.
On the ground below, Cave Master Moyun looked at the three corpses, then raised his head to gaze at the sky in awe.
Taking on four at once and slaughtering them in an instant!
Demonic Lord Qingyang was truly terrifying beyond measure!
Taisui’s expression was likewise unsettled. He had known the man was strong—strong enough to obliterate this incarnation—yet he had never imagined Luo Chen possessed such a diverse array of methods, coupled with combat instincts that bordered on perfection.
There had been no protracted struggle—only an instantaneous, thunderous execution.
*Oh, Ding Yi, you truly found me quite the helper!* Taisui thought bitterly.
In the sky, Luo Chen was about to descend when he suddenly turned his head.
He glanced instinctively in a certain direction, yet saw nothing.
Frowning slightly, he descended to the ground as the seven sharp swords darted back like swallows returning to their nest, sliding into the sword box on his back with a series of crisp clacks.
Patting his spirit beast pouch, a cyan silhouette flew out—Tianxuan.
"Collect the spoils for me. Those two refined corpses should be intact; bring them over!"
"Yes, Master!" Tianxuan responded briskly, striding first toward the millstone-sized chunk of Nine Yang Gengjin on the ground.
Seeing Tianxuan transform from an azure combat gull into human form after emerging, Cave Master Moyun and Ding Yi were struck with renewed shock.
A transformed demon cultivator?
Yet why was her cultivation only at the third tier?
Paying no heed to their astonishment, Luo Chen walked straight up to Taisui.
"Tell me about this Five Elements Heaven!"
Chapter 661