Atop a tall tower.
Two figures leaned against the balustrade, looking from afar at the massive corpse of the azure eagle being carried ostentatiously through the streets, both bearing grim expressions.
They were none other than Jinling and Shenhuo.
Suddenly, Jinling slapped the railing hard.
"Previously, I only thought his mana was remarkable and his foundation profound. Looking at it now, I still underestimated him. Such methods to suppress and kill an expert of the same cultivation stage are by no means ordinary!"
He considered himself an exceptional figure among Nascent Soul Zhenren, yet even he found it exceedingly difficult to defeat an expert of the same tier in a short time.
To say nothing of obliterating their body and soul so utterly that not even the Nascent Soul could flee.
Taking a deep breath, Jinling said in a heavy voice, "Junior Brother Shenhuo, could you tell what technique he used?"
"It should be that bizarre flame he used on the Battle Arena back then to instantly refine Old Ghost Motian's True Artifact," True Person Shenhuo answered, though a touch of bewilderment lingered in his eyes.
True Person Jinling frowned, voicing that very doubt: "What kind of extraordinary fire could instantly melt Motian Cliff and prove irresistible even to a formidable Demon Emperor possessing dual ice-and-wind attributes like Shuangying?"
True Person Shenhuo could not help but smile wryly.
He himself was considered a master of fire manipulation.
Not only did he cultivate a fire-attribute cultivation technique as his primary art, but he had also refined a Tier 4 extraordinary fire within his body, earning him the flattering Daoist moniker of Shenhuo—Divine Fire—from his peers.
Yet compared to Luo Chen's feats, that reverent title of "True Person Shenhuo" was clearly better suited to the other man.
"It is rumored that the Jade Cauldron Domain of old possessed numerous wondrous flames. Though low in rank, they were of great variety. Luo Chen hails from the Jade Cauldron Domain; perhaps he refined some flame and painstakingly nurtured it to an extraordinarily formidable degree.
"In my estimation, his flame is white in color and cold by nature, possessing a powerful corrosive effect on treasures and True Artifacts. Perhaps he used some unorthodox, demonic art to temper it specially.
"If one wishes to counter such a fire, one could either suppress it with water or fire, or neutralize it with grand, righteous qi. The best option, however, would be the power of lightning, which suppresses all evil and corruption."
Hearing this answer, Jinling shook his head instinctively.
Water and fire countering each other was mutual; unless one possessed an exceptionally powerful water-attribute treasure, one could not suppress Luo Chen's fire.
As for grand, righteous power?
Luo Chen's entire mana bore not the slightest trace of wickedness; it was purer and more righteous than anyone's. Could righteous qi truly counter him?
And the power of lightning...
How could such power be mastered by ordinary people?
Even cultivators possessing lightning spiritual roots dared not attempt to draw lightning power into their bodies.
"In the end, we've allowed him to grow too powerful!"
Jinling sighed, turning to leave.
True Person Shenhuo caught up with him, troubled. "Senior Brother Shenyuan instructed us to watch him and secretly capture him if an opportunity arose. Now that he is this formidable, where is an opportunity to be found? Senior Brother Jinling, what should we do?"
"What should we do?" Jinling paused slightly, a flicker of ferocity crossing his face. "Let Senior Brother Shenyuan worry about this himself!"
As he said this, his voice carried a discernible edge of resentment.
Watching Jinling's departing silhouette as he strode away, True Person Shenhuo was somewhat puzzled about where this resentment came from.
Senior Brother Shenyuan had always treated them extremely well. Though a senior brother in name, he had acted more like a master over the years.
That was why the entire Five Elements Divine Sect, from top to bottom, held him in such high esteem.
Yet recently, Senior Brother Jinling's attitude toward Senior Brother Shenyuan had grown increasingly cold, to the point where they barely interacted.
Where had things gone wrong?
***
"The peril in the western district has been resolved."
Within a bizarre space, Tianduzi slowly opened his eyes.
Above his head, the myriad stars of the heavens shone with dazzling brilliance.
Beneath his feet, dark Ming Water flowed quietly, gurgling softly like a mirrored surface.
Sitting cross-legged in the center, he looked at the man stepping into the space.
Castellan Lingtian raised an eyebrow. "So fast?"
Tianduzi gave a slight nod. "It was somewhat unexpected, but a Demon Emperor swiftly fell there, shattering the demon army's morale and sending them fleeing in panic."
"Who killed it?"
"It should be Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen," Tianduzi said slowly.
His tone sounded like a guess, yet the meaning behind his words was utterly certain.
"Him..." Castellan Lingtian stroked his chin.
Curious, Tianduzi asked, "Why do you seem not at all surprised to hear it was the Alchemy Grandmaster who killed it? Do you place such absolute faith in his abilities?"
Castellan Lingtian smiled freely. "It isn't that I place blind faith in him; it is simply that this man has achieved glorious feats before, and cannot be underestimated in the slightest. For him to achieve such fertile results today is only natural."
"Oh?" Tianduzi grew intrigued. "I wasn't aware that an alchemy grandmaster skilled in refining pills could possess such glorious battle achievements in combat?"
Evidently, Castellan Lingtian did not wish to elaborate.
He reined in his smile, his expression turning somber.
"I had hoped to drag this battle out longer, giving the cultivators in the city a sharper taste of pain so that I could explain the stakes and make them willingly launch an active offensive. But with it ending so abruptly now, it's hard to bring up that plan."
Tianduzi knew very well what that plan was.
He said helplessly, "Actually, there is no need for such a painful price. Everyone is reasonable; you need only speak plainly. If you feel there isn't enough pressure, you can lead the vanguard yourself. They will have to give you some face, after all."
"Lead the vanguard myself?" Castellan Lingtian frowned.
"Indeed. If you charge at the forefront, who would dare decline? Besides, Lingtian Pass is guarded by me now. Not even a fly could slip in; what else do you have to worry about?" Tianduzi remarked.
Castellan Lingtian sank into thought.
Suddenly, Tianduzi spoke again.
"Could it be that Eastern Desolation cultivators can tread this bloody battlefield, yet you noble cultivators of the Mingyuan Sect truly refuse to stain your hands in the slightest?"
Castellan Lingtian snapped his head up, meeting the old man's half-smiling gaze.
Their eyes locked, and in the end, Tianduzi could not withstand the pressure and shifted his gaze away.
Yet Castellan Lingtian did not pursue the provocative remark.
"You are right. I ought to set an example."
With that, he turned and left.
Left alone in the secluded space, Tianduzi breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
At least from this probing, the Mingyuan Sect did not truly intend to drag all the sects of the Eastern Desolation into the water.
Still, one could not be certain. Ye Lingtian was a relatively fair-minded individual, and he might not represent the Mingyuan Sect's true intentions.
"I had better give the Fellow Daoists of the other sects advance notice!"
***
The crisis in the western city had been resolved early.
However, the other three battlefields were not nearly so relaxed.
The offensive and defensive battle dragged on for a full month, during which Nascent Soul Zhenren from the city personally intervened from time to time to intercept those Tier 4 Demon Emperors.
All manner of intelligence continually streamed in from the front lines.
Yet throughout it all, no astonishing feat like Luo Chen's battlefield slaying of a Demon Emperor appeared again.
Without absolute strength or an overwhelming advantage in numbers, battles at the Nascent Soul level were usually handled with restraint.
Victories and defeats occurred, but life-and-death outcomes were rare.
Precisely because of this, Luo Chen's feat of severing a Demon Emperor appeared all the more shocking.
Had Luo Chen's title as an Alchemy Grandmaster not already been deeply ingrained in people's minds, the spreading tales might have bestowed upon him a few more Daoist monikers like "Demon-Slaying Zhenren" or "White Flame Sovereign."
Luo Chen cared little for these things.
Titles forged in battle were solid, but they offered little benefit to others; being an Alchemy Grandmaster made him seem far more approachable.
As for Shuangying's carcass, Luo Chen had people carve off half the flesh and send it to Baili Qingchuan.
Flesh and blood from a Tier 4 Demon Emperor was an absolute tonic for Wang Yuan.
It might even help him reach the Great Perfection of the Crucible Realm.
The remaining half was handed over to the Luotian Treasure Pavilion as previously agreed, to be sold to the cultivators of Lingtian Pass.
Even just half was worth tens of millions of spirit stones.
Moreover, the high-tier materials involved—the feathers, sinews, bones, blood essence, and internal essences—were not even included in that sum.
If this business went well, it would allow the Luotian Sect to amass immense wealth overnight.
Luo Chen also had a pot of meat broth stewed for himself, yet after consuming it, his gains were meager.
"Even though it was a Tier 4 Demon Emperor, these demon beasts transitioned to human qi-refining methods after all, concentrating their entire essence into their Nascent Souls. In my eyes, their physical constitutions cannot compare to Tier 4 desolate beasts at all.
"The energy contained within yields benefits far too faint for my current mid-Tier 4 Primeval Desolation physique."
Luo Chen glanced at the body refinement progress on his interface; compared to before, it had only risen by two or three points.
And those two or three points had not even come from the Demon Emperor's flesh.
Instead, they were improvements brought about by strengthening his legs through practicing Moon Step.
The cultivation technique *Wind Moon Thunder Cloud Ascending the Immortal Path* had body-refining properties of its own, though only targeting the legs.
In Luo Chen's view, even if Wang Yuan fully complemented the four killing strikes and he mastered them, it would at most increase his combat methods.
It would not significantly advance his actual body refinement realm.
To continue advancing his physical body, he had to cultivate a more profound body refinement art.
At the very least, it would need to surpass his self-created *Convergence of Myriad Paths*.
"The path of body refinement has long fallen into decline since ancient times. That I could rely on my own efforts to cultivate step by step to the mid-Tier 4 level is already my limit.
"Relying on this to reach Tier 5 Perceiving the Divine Without Decay and Shattering the Void is simply too difficult! Far too difficult!"
Luo Chen sighed.
He had understood the shortcomings of body refinement better than anyone from the very beginning.
The four words "the path ahead is obscure" were no exaggeration.
That was why, upon encountering the bottleneck of mid-Tier 4 Primeval Desolation, he had not expended great effort to delve deeper into that path.
Instead, he had shifted his entire focus to the path of qi refinement.
Judging from current circumstances, his decision had been correct.
With his profound realm bordering on Nascent Soul Level 4 and his myriad formidable methods, he was gradually surpassing his former trump card of physical might.
With a flick of his hand, a diamond-shaped shuttle appeared in his grasp.
It was the sole legacy left behind by Demon Emperor Shuangying after his demise.
He had found no storage bag on the corpse, nor an unconventional storage space like Black King's stomach pouch—only this shuttle.
After several days of study, Luo Chen had gained some understanding of it.
Its grade was at the True Artifact level.
Its material was the bone of an unknown creature, retaining a faint aura of origin blood. It was presumably the bone of some desolate beast!
As for the shuttle's effects, Luo Chen had already learned them thoroughly during their clash.
It excelled at concealment, could pierce the void, and instinctively sought flaws in large-scale area-of-effect spells like the Qingyang Great Handprint.
Presumably, when Shuangying refined this treasure, he had designed it specifically to counter the spells of human cultivators.
One had to admit, the effect was indeed surprising.
After Luo Chen's continual optimizations and the incorporation of his understanding of formation paths and the Spirit Subjugation Seal, the Qingyang Great Handprint had long become extraordinary.
Yet it had still been broken by this treasure.
Unfortunately, Luo Chen's repertoire was not limited to just the Qingyang Great Handprint.
During the battle, realizing that large-scale spells were ineffective against Demon Emperor Shuangying, Luo Chen had shifted his strategy on the spot.
Rather than overwhelming the foe with boundless mana, he used his profound spiritual sense to set a trap.
As they crossed paths, he had secretly attached a wisp of Wither-Bloom Divine Fire to his opponent.
Then, he quietly deployed his natal treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, in the void.
In frontal combat, he focused primarily on evasion.
The ultimate result was striking the killing blow while Demon Emperor Shuangying was caught off guard.
His opponent had likely died without even understanding what had happened!
"The functions of this treasure should not be limited to combat; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to carry his Nascent Soul in it rather than using a Nascent Soul teleportation to escape.
"No rush!
"Once I spend some time unraveling the imprint left on it, I'll be able to see its true face!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly and stowed the flying shuttle away.
Then, he opened his mouth.
The gates of his Purple Palace opened wide, and a fire seed drifted out from his mouth.
Landing on the ground, it transformed in the blink of an eye into a small tree patterned in green and white.
At the core of the tree, a speck of golden light was tightly wrapped.
The instant the fire tree appeared, the great formation concealing the immortal cave began to melt rapidly.
Layer after layer of light barriers steadily receded.
Luo Chen frowned and barked, "Restrain yourself!"
The fire tree shook its branches and leaves as if feeling wronged, but it obediently reined in its power.
Ripples of haloed light were confined within a radius of ten feet around the tree.
Looking at the fire tree, Luo Chen showed a satisfied expression.
Wither-Bloom True Fire inherently possessed the function of refining flesh and blood to replenish vitality.
After absorbing Red Lotus Earth Fire, Tier 4 netherfire, and numerous unidentified demonic fires, its other attribute had gradually begun to manifest.
Not until the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven, when the fire attained Tier 5, did that other attribute achieve complete parity with the original one.
Previously, Luo Chen had not understood the terrifying nature of that other attribute.
He had merely used its characteristics to help temper impurities from his mana.
Yet after instantly refining Motian Cliff and battling Demon Emperor Shuangying, he had come to comprehend it thoroughly.
It was not some low-level foul or corrosive effect, but an overbearing might that forcibly destroyed an enemy's vitality.
A True Artifact's vitality stemmed from its naturally formed formation patterns, which could channel the power of heaven and earth. Once tainted by the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire, however, those formation patterns would rapidly collapse, exposing vulnerabilities that allowed the flame to seep into every pore. That was how Motian Cliff had vanished in an instant.
A living being's vitality stemmed from its flesh-and-blood body. Once tainted by the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire, not only would it be rapidly obliterated, but that very vitality would fuel the flame's might, causing it to intensify and become even harder to extinguish.
In Luo Chen's assessment, with the current Tier 5 Wither-Bloom Divine Fire, as long as it struck an enemy unawares, an early Nascent Soul cultivator would die upon contact.
Even mid-stage cultivators would find it difficult to escape unless they possessed specific counter-methods.
"If I disregard the consequences and drive it with my full mana and origin force, I believe even a late Nascent Soul grand cultivator would struggle to endure the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire at its peak!
"However, doing so would plunge me into an absolute state of weakness, putting me at a disadvantage."
After some contemplation, Luo Chen ultimately decided not to employ this fire before others unless absolutely necessary.
This would be his greatest trump card: held in reserve until the critical moment, and once unleashed, yielding absolute victory!
Besides, Luo Chen had many methods; it was not as though he were at his wit's end without the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire.
He possessed spells cultivated to the pinnacle, as well as a self-created divine ability that had vanquished all the prodigies of the Daoist sects.
The Yuantu Sword was incomparably sharp, and the Hunyuan Cauldron suppressed all things.
His mid-Tier 4 Primeval Desolation physique, paired with his martial techniques, made him practically a living ancient desolate beast.
Taking everything into account, Luo Chen clearly understood his standing in combat strength.
Against those of the same realm, he could crush and sweep through them!
Against mid Nascent Soul cultivators one minor realm higher, he could still triumph if he exerted a bit more effort. Only when facing cultivators of Nascent Soul Level 6 would he need to exercise caution.
As for late Nascent Soul grand cultivators...
Luo Chen licked his lips, a look of vigilance surfacing in his eyes.
"In the end, I have never personally clashed with one, so it is difficult to gauge the gap between us.
"Still, I believe self-preservation will not be an issue!"
***
The demon beasts' siege of Lingtian Pass had effectively ended in failure the moment the crisis in the western city was resolved.
After bitter fighting on the other three fronts for two months, the beasts had no choice but to retreat.
With this withdrawal, the cultivators of Lingtian Pass gained a moment of respite.
Everyone seized the time to rest and heal, or to prepare their methods in anticipation of the next great war.
Yet this applied only to low-tier cultivators.
On this day, Luo Chen received orders to attend a gathering at the Castellan's estate.
Assuming it was an ordinary meeting, he went cheerfully.
Yet upon arriving, as he beheld the room crowded with Nascent Soul cultivators—including some unfamiliar faces he had never seen before—he could not help but sigh inwardly.
The battle that Lingfengzi had worried about had finally come after all!
He looked up toward the dais, where three figures sat above the rest.
With just a single glance, his eyes settled upon a cultivator cloaked entirely in black robes.
Beneath the black hood, a pair of eerie eyes stared unabashedly back at him.
It was him—Five Elements Shenyuan!
Chapter 816