Vast, majestic spiritual energy surged backward, churning into a towering tornado of spiritual energy.
A figure floated within it, bobbing up and down, rising and sinking uncontrollably like duckweed adrift on turbulent waters.
A physique rivaling that of a desolate beast allowed him to hold out with great difficulty under the terrifying onslaught of spiritual energy, preventing him from being torn to shreds the instant he entered.
Yet he could find no path forward, nor any retreat!
Right at that moment, a strand of pure Magic Power rippled faintly from the wooden tablet against his chest, blending into the spiritual energy tornado like gentle waves.
It was a Nascent Soul domain!
With the domain blanketing him, the surrounding spiritual energy remained turbulent, yet it carved out a small haven of calm.
Luo Chen's body suddenly steadied. Halting his drift, a thoughtful look entered his eyes.
"So that's how it is."
There was a trick to traversing this spiritual energy tornado to enter the land of inheritance. One had to possess an ability akin to a Nascent Soul domain in order to descend with the current; only then could one avoid being ripped apart by the scouring torrent of frenzied spiritual energy.
At this thought, he instructed Han Zhan to dispel the Nascent Soul domain and unleashed his own Senluo Fire Prison.
Sure enough, once the Senluo Fire Prison unfurled, he was likewise able to move freely within the spiritual tornado.
However!
Because his Senluo Fire Prison relied entirely on his own internal power rather than drawing on heaven and earth's spiritual energy, the price of moving freely was the rapid depletion of his Magic Power.
"For other Golden Core cultivators wanting to enter Mingzhao Heaven, they must either possess a pseudo-domain technique like mine, rely on the protection of a Nascent Soul True Person, or craft targeted magical treasures in advance like Cave Master Moyun did."
Having grasped this, Luo Chen stopped forcing the issue.
"Senior, it's better if you handle this!"
"Mm."
The Senluo Fire Prison retracted, and Han Zhan's Nascent Soul domain unfurled once more.
Enveloped in a faint green glow, Luo Chen dove down steadily.
After an unknown length of time, Luo Chen's feet touched solid ground, having reached the deepest point of the spiritual tornado.
Where he landed was a stone platform.
"A teleportation array?"
The thought had barely formed when the array activated on its own.
Standing as unmoving as a mountain, Luo Chen felt light and shadow shift around him, accompanied by a tearing sensation across his body.
By the time that feeling dissipated, he had arrived in an unknown place.
A primitive stone platform hung solitary amidst the night sky.
Beneath his feet lay murky, bottomless gloom.
Beyond the platform, an unfamiliar Untainted Wind blew without cease.
As far as the eye could see, complete desolation reigned, broken only by fourteen starlike points radiating light.
No!
Rather than fourteen, it was more accurate to say thirteen, as one among them was dim in the extreme, conveying the sense that the path ahead had already been severed.
Just as Luo Chen was surveying their surroundings, the wooden tablet against his chest trembled slightly and detached on its own.
"Senior?"
The Soul Nourishing Wood tablet floated in midair, shedding a dim light.
A moment later, a figure slipped out from within—the other refined corpse created by the Scarlet Corpse Master.
There had been two in total; one had melted away inside Mount Zhuque, leaving only this single one.
Han Zhan's Soul Nourishing Wood tablet settled onto the refined corpse. Within breaths, the originally lifeless corpse began to show signs of animation.
Its eyelids quivered, opening slightly to reveal eyes steeped in the vicissitudes of time.
"It has been so, so long since I felt solid ground beneath my feet."
Possessing the refined corpse, Han Zhan stamped his feet, displaying a touch of cheerful delight.
He looked toward Luo Chen. "Hand me the Seven Fiends Swords and the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. I'm lacking handy tools right now; if a battle really breaks out, I can lend you a hand."
Luo Chen gave an affirmative nod, unstrapping the Soul Sky Sword Box housing the Seven Fiends Swords from his back and handing both it and the Ten Thousand Soul Banner over to him.
With these two treasures in hand, Han Zhan finally possessed the capability to fight.
While Han Zhan familiarized himself with the refined corpse, Luo Chen studied their surroundings.
At last, he slowly raised his head, looking toward the immense stone cliff that encircled the platform.
Prominently carved at the very front were three characters:
*Ye Mingzhao.*
This was the origin of the name of the Land of the Fallen Demon's third heaven, Mingzhao Heaven.
Unsure of its deeper meaning, Luo Chen slowly shifted his gaze downward, where lines of a short poem met his eyes:
*Nineteen lines form heaven and earth's ways,*
*Claimed flat and smooth, yet strangely fraught.*
*Where human hearts can reckon not,*
*Even national masters meet defeat.*
*Formations part like meteors far,*
*Dry clicks fall slow like hailstones hard.*
*Beside the porch, but one game played,*
*The cold sun slants toward the west again.*
"This is a poem about weiqi," Han Zhan said as he walked over, sweeping his gaze across it.
Luo Chen naturally understood as well, pondering its meaning.
The general gist was straightforward: using chess as a metaphor for human life, speaking of the world's hardships and the unfathomability of the human heart. Circumstances constantly shifted; with the slightest lapse of attention, a whole lifetime slipped away in vain.
The poem's intent was not difficult to grasp. What puzzled him was why such a poem would be placed at the entrance to Mingzhao Heaven.
Han Zhan could offer no better answer.
"We should look at the path ahead instead, lest Taisui catches up to us in a moment."
"Does he dare enter?" Luo Chen asked.
Han Zhan chuckled softly. "I'm afraid he does! Didn't you hear him say that he couldn't merge with his true body before leaving the Land of the Fallen Demon? Such shackles were likely placed upon his body through some means by this realm's master, the Heaven Refining Demon Lord. If he does the reverse and keeps his soul and body separated, he shouldn't be subject to that restriction."
Luo Chen parted his lips, unable to refute the logic in the end.
His gaze settled upon the fourteen glowing points of starlight, and he said slowly, "These should be the ways out."
Han Zhan stepped forward. "And also the entrances into the heritage grounds!"
Luo Chen walked up to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, glancing sideways at him. "You want to obtain a legacy?"
"If you didn't, why would you have come inside?" Han Zhan countered.
Luo Chen shrugged. "I had no way back. Taisui's avatars were blockading the Fallen Demon Abyss, and even if I fought my way through, there were still the two Tier 5 spiritual monsters—the Fallen Abyss Dragon Ancestor of Yuecanglan and the entity of the Hundred Crows Ghost Forest—barring the way..."
"Heh."
Han Zhan let out a soft laugh, choosing not to expose Luo Chen's true thoughts.
He began walking around the fourteen points of light, speaking as he strolled, "Taisui once said that the Heaven Refining Demon Lord was the most formidable Void Refining True Monarch he had ever known, someone who had wielded over a dozen types of nomological power.
"Leaving aside whether there was any exaggeration in those words, judging solely by the arrangements across the Five Elements Heavens, that man's abilities were indeed astonishing and unmatched through the ages.
"A legacy left behind by such a figure must have had an intended purpose, and its contents are bound to be extraordinary!
"If our generation can obtain even a fraction of it, we will benefit endlessly for the rest of our lives, and might even have hope of advancing to Soul Formation!"
Having said this, his footsteps halted beside the dimmest starlight point.
"Here, the starlight is faint, and the path ahead is severed. This indicates someone has already walked it and claimed the legacy. Luo Chen, who do you think obtained the legacy from this spot?"
Luo Chen frowned. His first instinct was to say the Yuan Demon Sect, but the words halted at the tip of his tongue.
A name spontaneously surfaced in his mind.
The North Sea's only current human Soul Formation mighty figure—Li Canghai!
Rumor had it that he only managed to achieve a fortuitous breakthrough to Soul Formation after walking out of the Sunken Sea.
There were even rumors that he had obtained an array formation legacy within the Sunken Sea ruins.
Looking back at his own journey through the Land of the Fallen Demon, arrays were indeed present everywhere, each one exquisite and peerless.
If Li Canghai had truly obtained the core array legacy of the Heaven Refining Demon Lord, advancing to Soul Formation seemed only natural.
"Li Canghai, the Alliance Leader of the Canghai Righteous Dao Alliance," he voiced the name.
Han Zhan nodded with a smile. "Just as I thought."
Then his smile faded, replaced by solemnity. "If he could do it, why not us?"
As he spoke, he started walking again, ultimately stopping before an entrance shimmering with starlight.
A powerful pull welled up from the depths of his heart, as if this place were the most suitable destination for him.
The only thing that made him hesitate was whether his refined corpse body would permit him to obtain the true inheritance.
And if he failed, whether he would perish within.
Hesitation, indecision, and restless longing churned inside him.
While Han Zhan lingered, Luo Chen also began to walk.
Thirteen paths—which one should he take?
Just as Han Zhan had surmised, deep down, how could Luo Chen not covet these inheritances?
He, Luo Chen, was a rogue cultivator without formal lineage.
Everything he possessed had been gained through his own arduous efforts.
Yet the things circulating on the open market in the cultivation world were, in the end, never truly formidable treasures.
Out of everything on his person, only two or three things could be considered truly extraordinary.
The *Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture* was the most vital, having improved his cultivation speed; it originated from Mount Cangwu, highly likely being the cultivation method of Monarch Qixia.
His natal treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, traced its origin to Azure Pill Valley, yet its potential ceiling had been forged for him through the combined efforts of three True Persons: Tianyezi, Han Zhan, and Demon Emperor Qingshuang.
Even the Xuanchen Armor and the Second Primal Core came from the Penglai Immortal Sect and the Luoyun Sect.
One could say that truly formidable things were held in the hands of great sects, great powers, and great figures.
And now, a Void Refining True Monarch of his generation was far 'greater' than any person or faction in the Mountain Sea Realm!
If he could obtain even a fraction of it, perhaps it would be just as Han Zhan said—benefiting him endlessly for a lifetime!
Then which path should he choose?
Luo Chen walked at an unhurried pace, feeling his own resonance with those points of starlight.
One, two, three!
Among the fourteen starlight points, three radiated an attraction that stirred his heart.
Yet one of them could not be chosen: the path likely representing the array formation legacy.
That left only two.
"What do these two represent?"
Just as Luo Chen hesitated, a faint tremor came from the stone platform behind them.
A figure slowly manifested.
A plump body with an emaciated face, eyes brimming with towering fury.
It was none other than Taisui!
"Luo Chen, I shall take the first step."
Han Zhan sent a voice transmission, finally making up his mind, and stepped into the starlight.
The reason for his decisiveness was simple: Taisui was exuding a terrifying aura that completely surpassed an early Nascent Soul cultivator. Such an existence was no longer something he and Luo Chen could fight even by joining forces.
Luo Chen's expression shifted slightly. Facing the starlight entrance that exerted the strongest pull on him, he made his decision.
Giving Taisui a nod, Luo Chen stepped through.
At that moment, the array's glow began to fade as Taisui strode out.
Yet upon the solitary suspended stone platform, no trace of his acquaintances remained.
Taisui gritted his teeth, his eyes blood-red.
Taking a stride, he arrived before the starlight entrance Luo Chen had entered. Just as he was about to chase inside, his foot paused in midair.
"What Master left behind is an opportunity for others, but isn't it also one for me?"
"Different roads in the heritage grounds lead to the same destination. As long as I emerge quickly enough, I will eventually run into that brat again... His name is Luo Chen, not Luo Hai?"
"And to get out as fast as possible, I must pick the path most suited to me."
Muttering a few words, Taisui withdrew his foot and began pacing before the thirteen glowing entrances.
...
Within a dim world, all manner of ominous auras lingered.
Creatures that were part human, part demon, ghostlike and fiendish, wandered through it like mountain sprites and water ghouls.
Across the earth, devastation stretched everywhere, resembling an ancient battlefield that had witnessed countless catastrophic wars.
A blood-robed Daoist walked amidst it, surrounded by over a hundred figures circling in flight, at times fleeing into the distance and at times returning.
Suddenly.
The blood-robed Daoist's sinister eyes fixed upon a single point as he gazed into the distance.
With a thought, over a hundred avatars returned at once, merging into his body, and he bounded forward.
Several days later, a young man standing beside a sea of blood nodded to him and merged into his body as well.
Had Luo Chen been present, he would have instantly recognized that young man as He Yuan, the direct disciple of the Yuan Demon Sect whom he had met twice in the past.
And this blood-robed Daoist was none other than Blood Nightmare Moluo.
He stood quietly before the vast sea of blood, a look of deep emotion surfacing on his face.
"Ancestor, had you not perished, how could our Yuan Demon Sect have fallen to the demons?"
Then he shook his head.
"Yet if the Yuan Demon Sect had not fallen, how could I have defied the founding ancestor's rules to fulfill the ambition in my heart, attempting to merge the three lineages into one and achieve the True Yuan Demon Body?"
Muttering, he prepared to step into the blood sea.
Right then, a chilling sword chime rang out.
Within the sea of blood, waves surged like dragons, and a streak of blood-red light shot forth, transforming into an archaic war sword.
The sword hung high, its tip angled downward, pointing from afar toward Blood Nightmare Moluo.
Blood Nightmare Moluo frowned slightly. "Why do you bar my way? It was clearly you who guided me here."
The blood-colored war sword uttered not a word, simply hanging aloft with a piercing, biting edge.
Blood Nightmare Moluo drew a deep breath as a dense blood light slowly welled from his body.
"I am a disciple of the Yuan Demon Sect's twenty-seventh generation, bearer of the Blood Sea legacy. I came here solely to claim the power left behind by Ancestor Blood Sea to aid my ascent toward the Soul Formation realm.
"If I achieve Soul Formation, I will surely restore the demon sect to glory.
"Even if you will not assist me, how dare you obstruct me!"
That dense blood light surged upward, seeking to taint the archaic war sword.
Seeming to sense that this foul, defiling blood light was perilous to touch, the archaic war sword let out a sorrowful wail and flashed away into the distance.
Seeing that he had repelled this so-called God-Slashing Blood Sword, Blood Nightmare Moluo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This Dark Realm was far too perilous, teeming with countless fiends he had only ever seen recorded in sect classics.
Even Ancestor Blood Sea had fallen within this realm!
Consequently, he dared not entertain any designs upon the Dark Realm's inheritance.
His objective in coming here was simple: absorb the remnants of Ancestor Blood Sea's power to take him one step further along the path of merging the three lineages.
Of course, if he could comprehend a sliver of the blood path's laws, he would certainly not mind using that to advance to Soul Formation.
"Right now I am merely at the third level of Nascent Soul, still far too early for the Soul Formation realm. Better to first absorb the ancestor's residual power here!"
Muttering to himself, Blood Nightmare Moluo patted his body several times.
Subsequently, over a hundred figures slipped out from him one by one.
"Blood God Children, go!"
With that shout, over a hundred figures plunged into the sea of blood.
After absorbing intently for several days, Blood Nightmare Moluo confirmed there were no issues before gingerly stepping into the blood sea.
The moment he entered, he circulated his cultivation technique.
Instantly, his body began to dissolve, blending into this expanse of blood sea.
Meanwhile, on another battlefield within this world.
Four figures stood tall upon the shattered earth.
Three remained motionless, while a burly, overbearing man squatted on the ground, examining a battered corpse.
"The fiends here are far too ferocious. Only by deploying all four of my Nascent Soul-stage Blood God Children alongside my true body did I manage to forcibly slay it. To accomplish this, one of my Blood God Children was destroyed, leaving only three."
He slowly rose to his feet, the beard across his face unable to conceal his fury.
"Just where is the place where Ancestor Blood Sea passed away?
"If I cannot find his resting place, I will never be able to advance to late Nascent Soul, let alone speak of the grand Dao of Soul Formation!"
Looking around, he made a difficult decision.
Relying on himself alone, finding Ancestor Blood Sea's resting place would be arduous; perhaps he needed to disperse his strength.
With a thought, the three Blood God Children beside him sped off in three separate directions.
As for himself, he silently sank beneath the surface of the earth.
...
Within a realm of green hills and clear waters, brimming with vibrant vitality.
A figure suddenly emerged, stumbling out of the air.
He plummeted downward, crashing onto the ground and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
When the dust cleared, Luo Chen's slightly pale face was revealed.
He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze finally locking onto a tall, grayish-white stone stele.
Inscribed upon it were two characters:
*Pill Realm.*
Chapter 682