Boom!
An earth-shattering explosion tore through the world.
A colossal demon beast plunged from the heights of the firmament, descending at such terrifying speed that friction with the air ignited ferocious flames around it.
From afar, it resembled a falling meteor from beyond the heavens.
The already devastated Blade Dominance Domain was thrown into fresh upheaval by the creature's crash.
Innumerable spiritual veins on the verge of ruin—both high and low grade alike—shattered violently at this moment, unleashing an unimaginable deluge of spiritual energy that swept in all directions.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen and the others channeled their escape lights and soared into the sky.
At that exact instant—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Twelve blood-red banners transformed into streaks of light and flew into the high heavens.
A figure clutching a jade-white severed horn drifted gracefully down from the nine heavens.
It was none other than Castellan Lingtian!
Upon appearing, he said nothing. Instead, with an exceedingly grave expression, he fixed his gaze on a patch of the void.
There, light distorted and space rippled violently.
Amidst the hazy, shifting distortions, a figure resembling an aloof, cold moon slowly emerged.
"Demon Sovereign Qingshuang!"
Those four words were uttered coldly from Castellan Lingtian's lips.
They fell upon everyone nearby like frost and snow, instantly dousing the boiling blood ignited by the great battle.
Over the past century, legends regarding this demon had been more prominent than those of any other!
Perhaps some felt indignant, but after facing Demon Sovereign Qingshuang in person just now, even someone as formidable as Sovereign Jiuling could only remain silent.
The woman stood there entirely alone.
Yet, confronting seven Nascent Soul True Persons, her expression remained detached, devoid of the slightest trace of fear.
She did not look down at Commander Qi Xi, who was struggling to crawl out from the depths of the earth, nor did she look at the Thunder Prison Divine Peng's Nascent Soul clutched in her hand. Her moon-cold eyes, sharp as hooks, fell squarely upon the white-robed man among the crowd.
The others immediately sensed something amiss, and their gazes turned in unison to the white-robed man standing beside Sovereign Jiuling.
Luo Chen's sword-straight brows shot up. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at her.
Without flinching, without dodging!
Their eyes met. Qingshuang pressed her lips together imperceptibly, then reached out and made a pushing motion to her side.
As though pushing open an invisible door, she eerily stepped through and vanished completely.
From beginning to end, she had not spoken a single word.
Yet her departure felt as if a crushing boulder had been lifted from everyone's hearts, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Jinling seemed to despise that sensation, saying fiercely, "What an arrogant demoness, treating us as if we were nothing!"
Old Fu sighed. "Rumor has it that she is a peerless genius unseen in the demon race of the Eastern Desolation—or even across the entire Mountain Sea Realm—for tens of millions of years. Reaching the late Nascent Soul realm at just two hundred years of age, her combat prowess is unmatched. With such staggering talent, being somewhat conceited is only natural."
Pavilion Master Li's sharp eyes were now somewhat vacant. "On her, I could not find the slightest flaw. There was nowhere to strike, nowhere to unleash my sword."
Sovereign Jiuling cradled his left arm, pursing his lips in silence.
Yet a hint of dread lingered in his eyes.
Ever since he mastered the Great Nine Heavens Firmament River, he believed himself no weaker than any Great Cultivator!
His battle against the Thunder Prison Divine Peng had only solidified that confidence.
Yet that brief encounter with Demon Sovereign Qingshuang had instantly shattered it, making him feel like... an ant trying to shake a giant tree?
Where was he lacking?
Or was it a gap in cultivation realms?
If he truly advanced to the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul and stepped into the late stage, would he be able to contend with her?
At the thought of the late Nascent Soul stage... Sovereign Jiuling could not help glancing at Castellan Lingtian.
The other man was indeed a late Nascent Soul Great Cultivator who hailed from a Soul Transformation sacred ground. Seeing how he dared to face Demon Sovereign Qingshuang directly, he clearly possessed some confidence.
What kind of evaluation would he give?
However, Castellan Lingtian said nothing on the matter, looking toward Luo Chen with a hint of suspicion instead.
"Alchemy Grandmaster..."
Just as he spoke, a figure abruptly crashed into the ground.
Before the dust even cleared, a sneering voice drifted out.
"Qi Xi, why so wretched?"
Accompanied by this voice, streaks of escape light converged from all directions.
Upon entering the Blade Dominance Domain, they split distinctly into two sides: one flew toward Commander Qi Xi, while the other flew toward Castellan Lingtian.
With no one obstructing them, they arrived at incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye, both forces had assembled.
One side numbered only nine, while the other had a full fifteen.
The dust on the ground suddenly dispersed, revealing a burly man in yellow robes who was looking mockingly at the middle-aged man kneeling on one knee.
That middle-aged man was Commander Qi Xi, but he was in an utterly pitiful state. His body was pitted and battered, having clearly sustained grave injuries.
Most conspicuously, the single horn that had protruded from the crown of his head had been forcibly torn off.
A fist-sized hole in his skull presented a gruesome sight.
Blood gushed out like a torrent.
He slowly stood up, his furious eyes sweeping across the purgatorial battlefield.
"Huang Man, you stood by and left me to die!"
The yellow-robed man had a sallow complexion and appeared sickly, but upon hearing his companion's accusation, his face darkened.
As his expression chilled, an innate majesty radiated from him.
"Do not fling dirty water at me. It was not that I sat by idly; rather, a great array stood between us inside, and powerful enemies blocked the way outside. Your own lack of skill prevented you from holding out."
Commander Qi Xi clenched his fists tightly, glaring up at the sky with venomous eyes.
Fifteen figures looked down at them with cold expressions.
Perfected Shenyuan stepped forward from the crowd, his sinister voice ringing out.
"Now is a prime opportunity. Why not wipe them out in one fell swoop?"
Fifteen against nine—the advantage lay entirely with them!
Moreover, a battle of this caliber was not something low-tier demon beasts could easily sway with sheer numbers.
However, Castellan Lingtian's lips moved behind him, sending a brief sound transmission. Perfected Shenyuan's body instantly froze.
"She is nearby?"
"Unclear. She may not have gone far."
Perfected Shenyuan fell silent.
Castellan Lingtian shook his head. His gaze swept over the trembling seven Demon Sovereigns and then settled on the two commanders on the ground.
"The objective of this battle has been achieved. Withdraw!"
With that declaration to the crowd, Castellan Lingtian took the lead and departed.
The dozen or so human Nascent Soul cultivators did not linger either, retreating swiftly.
In an instant, the previously roaring battlefield fell completely silent.
Only the plaintive, agonized bellow of an old ox echoed toward the heavens.
***
Fifteen Nascent Soul True Persons returned in triumph to Lingtian Pass.
The pass guards, having already received orders, welcomed them inside.
Only then did the cultivators within the city learn what had caused the earth-shattering commotion outside.
First, Commander Qi Xi had launched a fierce assault on Lingtian Pass only to fail and return empty-handed.
Then, Castellan Lingtian led the True Persons in a sudden raid on the Blade Dominance Domain, wiping out an entire division in a single battle.
News of this glorious achievement spread rapidly throughout Lingtian Pass and even traveled toward the distant rear.
It was true that the demon beasts were formidable, but the human race had stood firm upon this land for thousands of years, wresting such vast territory straight from the demon beasts' jaws; they were certainly no pushovers.
Thanks to this victory, the confidence of the human cultivators who had fled for a century received a tremendous boost.
Certain major factions in the rear that had previously held back began dispatching experts to Lingtian Pass.
The world bustled for profit; the world scrambled for gain.
When the demon race's vanguard seemed unstoppable, everyone thought only of preserving themselves.
Yet if someone could break that momentum, then those innumerable demon beasts would no longer represent mere danger; they would become opportunity, resources, and sustenance for immortal cultivators pursuing longevity!
Castellan Lingtian's gathering of experts to force this decisive victory was undeniably pivotal to the course of the war between humans and demons!
Setting aside future developments, within Lingtian Pass that very day:
At the victory banquet, Luo Chen was granted a private audience with Castellan Lingtian.
Castellan Lingtian began by praising him for slaying countless demons, then lauded his formidable strength, noting how difficult it was to find an equal in the same realm.
Accustomed to exchanging courteous pleasantries, Luo Chen matched the polite remarks, praising the castellan's extraordinary methods and remarking that even the renowned Commander Qi Xi had been no match for him.
"He was a water-attribute demon, whereas I primarily cultivate the earth element. Combined with the profound arts of my sect, defeating him was never a difficult task."
"Had I not been divided by controlling the Twelve Divine Baleful Array of Dutian, taking that ox's head would have been no empty boast."
Castellan Lingtian chuckled, his words radiating immense confidence.
And he truly possessed the standing to say so!
The rhino horn he held when the battle concluded was the best proof.
As the two chatted and laughed, Castellan Lingtian suddenly paused.
"Fellow Daoist, do you happen to know Demon Sovereign Qingshuang?"
Luo Chen's expression remained unchanged. "As a prisoner on Mount Cangwu back then, who wouldn't know that woman?"
Castellan Lingtian shook his head. "I suspect it is not that simple. Yesterday, before everyone's eyes, her gaze was fixed solely on you."
"Being targeted by such an expert—surely the castellan doesn't think that is a good thing?" Luo Chen countered.
Castellan Lingtian frowned slightly.
He too could not fathom why Demon Sovereign Qingshuang had uniquely favored Luo Chen with her attention. By all rights, when Luo Chen had been trapped on Mount Cangwu, he was merely an early Golden Core cultivator. What qualifications did he possess to catch the eye of a Great Demon Sovereign?
Luo Chen offered an opportune speculation: "Perhaps she was simply curious about how I managed to survive the battle on Mount Cangwu? Otherwise, even I cannot understand why, among so many fellow Daoists, her gaze fell inquisitively on me alone."
Curiosity?
Castellan Lingtian looked thoughtful.
"Pardon me, but yesterday's battle depleted far too much of my magic power. I would like to return and properly recuperate."
"Go on, then!"
Castellan Lingtian replied, but as Luo Chen turned to leave, he suddenly called out to him again.
"Do not worry about the cave dwelling. As long as you remain at Lingtian Pass, that mid-tier fourth-rank cave dwelling belongs exclusively to you."
Luo Chen had kept that matter in mind and had been rather concerned about it.
Receiving this guarantee now, he could not help but smile.
"Many thanks, Castellan!"
"Do not thank me. If you must thank anyone, thank the Mingyuan Sect!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Luo Chen's smiling face, but he quickly understood the underlying meaning.
The Mingyuan Sect had never abandoned its intention to recruit him,
even though he already held the identity of a Star Gate Guest Elder of the Tianyuan Dao Sect!
***
Returning to his cave dwelling, Luo Chen did not immediately sit down to meditate and circulate his qi.
Excessive depletion of magic power?
Merely an excuse!
While the Qingyang Great Handprint appeared extraordinarily powerful and consumed vast spiritual energy, most of it was formed by drawing in free-floating spiritual energy from the surroundings.
And throughout his battle against the Wuguang beast, he had never once resorted to techniques requiring massive expenditures of magic power.
The true reason he had been in such a hurry to return was only one thing.
At the tip of the Yuantu Sword rested a speck of crimson.
It looked like a drop of mosquito blood, yet also resembled a cinnabar mole.
"So, she is not invincible after all!"
Luo Chen murmured, his expression momentarily dazed.
In that final exchange, everyone joining forces had failed to stop Qingshuang from rescuing the Thunder Prison Divine Peng's Nascent Soul.
Even Sovereign Jiuling's furious strike had ended with him being knocked into the dust.
Yet that battle had not been without gain.
Relying on the sharpness of Yuantu, Luo Chen had managed to wound her.
Even if it was an insignificant injury, even if it amounted to nothing more than a mosquito bite to a mortal, its meaning to Luo Chen was entirely different.
With Soul Transformation grandmasters unable to intervene freely, Nascent Soul Great Cultivators stood at the pinnacle of combat power in the Mountain Sea Realm.
Yet this woman, Qingshuang, moved about as she pleased without regarding threats from those of the same realm, completely unmatched under heaven.
Over the span of a century, even though they had never met, the image of that invincible, undefeated figure had grown increasingly distinct in Luo Chen's mind.
After forming his Nascent Soul, his conduct had grown sharper and more decisive; subconsciously, he had been somewhat emulating her.
Yet the more he emulated her, the darker the shadow looming over his heart became.
She was unbeatable!
One could not even dream of wounding her.
Until this tiny speck of blood appeared!
"I am growing, and at a tremendous pace. The gap between us is constantly narrowing."
"Joining forces with others, I can wound her now. When my cultivation reaches its peak in the future, it is not impossible that I might fight her alone—or even defeat her!"
Luo Chen's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a spark of confidence thoroughly banished the lingering shadow from his heart.
***
The repercussions of the battle in the Blade Dominance Domain continued to ripple outward.
On the human side, major factions from the sixteen rear domains sent people to join Lingtian Pass in an endless stream.
On the demon side, the impact ran even deeper.
Vast numbers of demon beasts began pulling back.
Due to the Nascent Soul battle, the Blade Dominance Domain had been completely ruined, rendering it unsuitable for the cultivation of living beings for at least several centuries.
Huang Man led his forces in retreat, even abandoning their station at Huoling.
All their forces consolidated and withdrew into the Bikong Domain.
They no longer dispatched swarms of demon beasts to batter Lingtian Pass as before, choosing instead to wait quietly for reinforcements from other beast armies.
According to intelligence reports, Commander Baizu arrived with his army half a year later.
Two years after that, Great Demon Sovereign Niugui led an army of ten million to garrison in the Taihu Domain, formerly the territory of Taihu Palace.
With this, all three commanders were assembled, commanding tens of millions of demon beasts and confronting Lingtian Pass across tens of thousands of li.
Only then did the demon side resume dispatching small squads to harass Lingtian Pass.
The flames of war seemed poised to reignite.
Luo Chen paid no heed to any of these outside affairs.
Ever since securing Castellan Lingtian's promise—granting him continued use of the cave dwelling—he had entered secluded cultivation.
Aside from settling the terms for concocting the Jade Emperor Clear Pupil Liquid with Pavilion Master Li of Wan Jian Pavilion beforehand, he turned away all renowned experts who came seeking an audience.
The internal affairs of the Luotian Sect were entrusted to Li Yingzhang.
External matters were left to Wang Yuan.
As for liaising with the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance, his two capable partners, Sima Huiniang and Gu Caiyi, managed things on his behalf.
Thus, Luo Chen was able to devote himself entirely to cultivation without any distractions.
Time slipped by quietly.
One year, two years, three years...
During this period, Nascent Soul-level missions were occasionally posted at Lingtian Pass, but Castellan Lingtian never summoned Luo Chen.
This afforded Luo Chen a tranquil environment to train.
One day, five years later.
Inside the cave dwelling, a white-robed Daoist sat cross-legged upon a lotus dais, his hair falling loosely around him.
A vast amount of fire-attribute spiritual energy converged, illuminating the cultivation chamber like a volcanic cavern.
Streams of spiritual energy flowed like crimson clouds, pouring steadily into his body with each rhythmic, measured breath.
Suddenly!
As though some shackle had been broken, the Daoist's aura began to climb uncontrollably.
Boom!
Spiritual energy surged, and magic power roiled tempestuously.
His dark hair danced without wind, his robes fluttered loudly, and Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, he shifted his intent.
The surging fluctuations of magic power were instantly drawn back into his body, leaving no outward sign of anything unusual.
Yet examining himself inwardly, his Nascent Soul was plump, his divine soul was vibrant, and his cultivation had solidly reached the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul!
Chapter 821