Demon Wuji had no spine.
Only when the long sword was drawn did one understand where his name truly came from.
Luo Chen frowned slightly, sensing a trace of danger.
Without hesitation, he struck out boldly!
He opened with the Qingyang Great Handprint as usual, but unlike before, Luo Chen immediately followed it with the Cloud-Seeking Divine Claw.
*Swish!*
Behind the majestic palm print, a claw suddenly reached out across the heavens, plunging straight for Demon Emperor Wuji.
Seeing this, Demon Emperor Wuji showed no alarm; instead, delight crossed his face.
"Well met!"
His figure bolted forward, neither evading nor dodging, charging straight into the Qingyang Great Handprint.
With one stroke of his sword, the handprint shattered.
With another stroke, the Cloud-Seeking Divine Claw was sheared cleanly in two.
Witnessing this, Luo Chen's pupils contracted slightly, his gaze involuntarily falling upon that sword.
That was a genuine True Artifact!
Even though it was forged using the crude techniques of demon refining, after years of nurturing, its might was in no way inferior to the ancestral True Artifacts passed down by premier sects.
Two spells alone were somewhat inadequate.
Seeing Demon Emperor Wuji close the distance, Luo Chen gave a low cry and spat from his mouth.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The whistling of parted air sounded without pause as five streams of light flew toward Demon Emperor Wuji in rapid succession.
They were five sword pills!
Demon Emperor Wuji's divine sense was exceptionally keen. The sword in his hand unleashed arcs of sword qi, knocking the sword pills aside one after another, an expression of disdain surfacing in his eyes.
Did he dare flaunt such a crude method of directing sword pills before him?
Yet in the very next instant, the five sword pills deployed in five directions, generating myriad strands of sword qi that encircled him completely.
"Not good!"
Demon Emperor Wuji's expression shifted slightly. Merging body and sword, he transformed into a streak of light, attempting to break out of the formation.
However, from the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of golden light in the opposing Daoist's gaze.
At that split second, an illusion seemed to arise in his mind.
A demonic wolf roamed across mountain forests, howling as it ran and barking toward the moon.
A gigantic white tiger descended from the heavens, pinning the wolf under its sheer weight.
Realizing something was wrong, Demon Emperor Wuji instantly recognized that he had fallen under a soul-bewitching art. He bit the tip of his tongue, snapping back to clarity.
What met his sight was a pair of golden pupils staring coldly down at him.
"Fellow Daoist, since you have entered the formation, why the rush to leave?"
Demon Emperor Wuji's face darkened. Looking left and right, he saw crisscrossing threads of sword qi sealing off every possible angle of escape.
A sword formation!
Suddenly, he seemed to recall something.
"This sword formation!"
"What is your connection to Han Zhan?"
Luo Chen frowned slightly. The Great Five Elements Sword Formation was derived from the Two Instruments Five Elements Sword Formation, and superficially, the two were indeed remarkably similar.
Yet how could Demon Emperor Wuji—someone he had never heard of before—know about these sword formations?
Considering that his opponent had already stepped into the formation and could not sprout wings to escape in the short term, Luo Chen did not mind conversing with him.
"Who are you?"
"This sovereign is Wuji. Did I not already tell you?"
"No. I am asking which commander you serve under."
Demon Emperor Wuji said with a touch of pride, "I serve under Commander Ao Kuang!"
The moment that name was uttered, Luo Chen understood.
Ao Kuang was the shared sovereign of the wolf clan across the Million Mountains of the Eastern Desolation. His strength was at the absolute peak, his status revered, standing second only to the ancient demon Di Tian.
And virtually every single demon wolf in the Million Mountains could be considered his descendant.
Years ago, Demon Emperor Ao Xiao of the Howling Moon Mountain Range had been a young prodigy of the wolf clan whom Ao Kuang regarded very highly.
Regrettably, that demon had fallen before his campaign could bear fruit.
Having finally attained the fourth tier with great difficulty, he ran straight into the Luoyun Sect's opening war and perished under the siege of Han Zhan and a gathering of Nascent Soul True Persons.
In that battle, the proudest trump card Han Zhan had displayed was none other than the Two Instruments Five Elements Sword Formation.
Many demon beasts had escaped back then, carrying that intelligence with them, so it was only natural for the wolf clan to know something about it.
Yet for someone like Demon Emperor Wuji to remember it so vividly meant his superior, Commander Ao Kuang, placed extraordinary importance on the matter. Perhaps he even harbored thoughts of avenging Demon Emperor Ao Xiao.
If Ao Kuang learned that Luo Chen possessed the sword formation left behind by Han Zhan, he might very well conflate Luo Chen with Han Zhan and redirect that hatred toward him to vent his wrath.
At this thought, Luo Chen's killing intent deepened!
Seeing Luo Chen remain silent, Demon Emperor Wuji lost his patience, ferocity spreading across his features.
"Do you truly believe this formation can hold me?"
The moment his words fell, he gripped his sword with both hands and darted in all directions.
Waves of sword qi erupted frenetically around his body.
In just a few breaths, another tempest of sword qi whipped up within the sword formation, annihilating all approaching sword threads.
It was almost laughable.
Earlier, Demon Emperor Taobao had known nothing of sword dao, yet had seen through the formation's weakness and slipped away.
Now, Demon Emperor Wuji, who was proficient in sword dao, was attempting to break it by brute force!
Was it disdain, or...
*He wants to exhaust my magic power?*
Maintaining the sword formation required deep reserves of magic power in addition to immense strain on the soul.
Under such conditions, even though Luo Chen could divide his mind, it remained difficult to deploy other methods.
Demon Emperor Wuji had clearly reviewed intelligence regarding Luo Chen and knew he possessed versatile techniques.
Thus, rather than reacting to each trick, it made more sense to clash directly in the field where he himself excelled most.
However, Luo Chen had only sneers for this strategy.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was merely at the third level of the Nascent Soul realm; no matter how profound his magic power might be, it could hardly reach staggering heights.
Unfortunately, only he knew that his true realm was the fourth level of Nascent Soul!
Moreover, owing to his terrifying foundation, his magic power was more than a dozen times greater than peers of the same tier!
Among those at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, Luo Chen believed that apart from Jiuling Yuanjun, no one could rival him.
Demon Emperor Wuji had made a terrible miscalculation!
*This is a fine opportunity to grow more proficient with the Great Five Elements Sword Formation.*
Luo Chen pursed his lips. Before the sword formation fell, he intended to give it a proper trial.
Uniting his fingers like swords, he channeled the sword-pill command arts from the *Myriad Firmaments Myriad Transformations Sword Scripture*. As he formed one sword seal after another, the five sword pills flew with far greater fluidity and precision than his previous crude manipulations.
The flaws of the Great Five Elements Sword Formation were also laid bare before Luo Chen's illusion-piercing eyes for the first time.
*The reason the Great Five Elements Sword Formation cannot display its full peak might is that the five sword pills are uneven in quality—that is its greatest defect.*
*Yet before that flaw is discovered, it cannot be easily exploited.*
*Logically speaking, possessing two sword pills at the True Artifact rank should provide enough lethality to threaten even an early fourth-tier demon emperor...*
The longer Luo Chen observed, the clearer his mind became.
Gradually, he identified the principal reason for the sword formation's insufficient might.
The two most potent True Artifact sword pills belonged to the metal and wood attributes respectively. Metal naturally conquers wood—a fundamental conflict!
Their mutual clash detracted from the sword formation's cohesion.
So, if he could not unleash the peak power of mutual generation and restraint across all five elements, what would happen if he suppressed one and instead relied on the power of elemental generation to maximize the lethality of the other?
With that thought, Luo Chen felt an urge to test it.
He was already well versed in formations, and his ability to adapt on the battlefield was second to none.
As his sword seals shifted abruptly, the five colors within the formation swirled. The viridian hue suddenly dimmed, dwindling to match the azure, crimson, and ochre light.
Meanwhile, the white-gold sword pill, nourished by the cycling flow of the other four colors, blazed with brilliant luminescence!
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Countless white-gold sword threads darted swifter and packed closer together, their intersecting paths faintly seeming to sever the very fabric of the void.
*Yes!*
*Just like this!*
Delight surfaced in Luo Chen's eyes. Under this adjustment, the sword formation's might had not fallen; it had surged, growing more than twice as potent as before!
Not only that, he discovered that concentrating the formation's power onto a single sword pill significantly reduced the burden on his divine sense. This meant he could free his hands to employ other techniques.
It was truly one pleasant surprise after another!
Naturally, Demon Emperor Wuji, trapped within, felt the shift even more acutely.
The tempest of sword qi formed by his union of man and sword had moved unhindered just moments ago, but now it felt as though it were scraping against a fine sieve.
Every time it collided with the white-gold sword threads, a portion of his sword tempest was filtered away.
He understood that it was not merely being filtered; it was being ground down and obliterated by the sword qi radiating from the formation.
*He's using me to temper his sword! And his progress is frighteningly swift. If this continues, I'll be shredded alive by these seamless sword threads!*
At that realization, Demon Emperor Wuji could sit still no longer.
He saw not the slightest hint that Luo Chen's magic power was flagging; on the contrary, his own side was weakening by the moment.
He had to get out!
The weakened sword tempest suddenly expanded several times over, sweeping forward with overwhelming momentum toward a thinner patch of sword threads.
Demon Emperor Wuji was a master of the sword and had naturally identified this formation's flaws long ago.
He had believed he could come and go as he pleased, which was why he had dared to be so arrogant before.
Now that he had no wish to sink deeper into the quagmire, he would naturally break out through the weakest spot.
However!
A figure stepped in front of his escape path. Draped in white robes, he raised a single palm and slammed it forward with a roar.
It was a strike of pure flesh and blood!
As the blow landed, profound vitality formed a colossal palm print, making it seem as though even mountain ranges would crumble before it.
Mountain Breaker Stance!
*Boom!*
With that single palm strike, he punched straight through the sword tempest and blasted Demon Emperor Wuji's physical form back inside the Great Five Elements Sword Formation.
From outside the formation, Luo Chen's hearty laughter rang out.
"Fellow Daoist, since you are doing a good deed, why not see it through to the end? Help me find a few more flaws in this sword formation. This sect master has nothing else to repay you with, but I can at least leave you an intact corpse!"
"Impudent bastard!"
Demon Emperor Wuji roared in fury, slashing out curved arcs of sword qi as true wrath consumed him.
Yet Luo Chen could discern the hollow bravado behind his words.
Did he truly think the Great Five Elements Sword Formation was toothless?
Even with flaws, slaying a demon emperor remained well within its capabilities.
Standing guard outside the formation, Luo Chen formed seals to manipulate the array while intercepting any escape vector Demon Emperor Wuji attempted, forcing him back with pure martial arts.
As time slipped by, Demon Emperor Wuji lunged left and struck right, yet remained unable to break free.
His formidable sword dao could not even touch Luo Chen; he was reduced to matching wits against the ever-shifting sword formation.
It was easy to imagine that before long, sustained by the principle of elemental generation, the inexhaustible white-gold sword qi would grind this demon emperor into dust.
Luo Chen was in no hurry. Slaying an enemy while simultaneously identifying and fixing the flaws in his formation—where else could one find such an opportunity?
Yet in the very next moment, a look of surprise crossed his face.
A voice transmission reached his ear.
Luo Chen frowned slightly, thinking to himself, *Why would Tianduzi summon me back to the city at a time like this?*
Within the sword formation, Demon Emperor Wuji was already a trapped beast, driven by desperation into a corner.
Ignoring the slicing sword threads, his true form manifested with a thunderous roar.
A greenish-red serpent-like insect spanned the interior of the sword formation, plunging the long sword into its own flesh to serve as a draconic spine.
As its body arched, boundless magic power erupted.
*Clang!*
A sword cry resounded through the void as the arched beast cleaved open the sky.
The formation was broken!
Yet Demon Emperor Wuji's eyes held only bewilderment.
He had not broken the sword formation; his opponent had dismantled it voluntarily.
His strike had hit empty air, leaving him with the nauseating sensation of punching a mound of cotton.
*Did he know I possessed this move? Did he retract the formation at that razor-thin moment for that reason?*
*What terrifying mastery of battlefield timing!*
*What piercing insight!*
A chill welled up irrepressibly in Demon Emperor Wuji's heart.
Opposite him, Luo Chen gazed down coldly, five sword pills circling his frame like darting fish.
Still shaken, Demon Emperor Wuji dared not linger.
"Luo Chen, I will remember you!"
Hurling that parting threat, he fled in frantic haste.
Luo Chen did not pursue him. Collecting the five elements sword pills, he drifted back toward the city.
The grand formation of Lingtian Pass remained active, acting like sharp scythes that mercilessly harvested the low-tier demon beasts charging the walls.
True Person Mu greeted Luo Chen with a look of reverence.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on another victory!"
"A minor trick, hardly worth mentioning. Tianduzi has summoned me, so I must go over. I will have to trouble you to hold things down here, Fellow Daoist."
Luo Chen waved his hand and headed straight into Lingtian Pass.
Once he was gone, True Person Mu breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
This Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen carried such a terrifying aura of slaughter. Just standing beside him made it hard to breathe; one could hardly imagine the pressure endured by the demon emperors who faced him directly.
He was truly worthy of the title Demon-Slaying True Person!
***
The Castellan's Estate was located in the western district. At Luo Chen's speed, flying at full tilt brought him there in mere moments.
Yet upon arriving at the estate, he realized he was likely the last to appear.
Within the grand hall, several familiar faces were already present.
Jiuling Yuanjun, Daoist Tieguan, Jinling, Hermit Shouyang, Celestial Master Hua, Deng Taiyue, Fairy Fenghua, and Pavilion Master Li.
Eight people in all!
Most importantly, all eight were powerful figures at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
In present-day Lingtian Pass, they were unequivocally the foremost experts below the three Great Cultivators.
Even across the broader cultivation world of the Eastern Desolation, each was an authority capable of presiding over an entire territory.
Seeing this lineup, Luo Chen's pupils contracted slightly, knowing that something momentous must have occurred.
Otherwise, with four commanders driving hundreds of millions of demon beasts to assault the city, Castellan Lingtian would never have pulled them from the front lines.
The eight True Persons clearly understood this as well, their faces marked with worry they could not conceal.
Naturally, Luo Chen's arrival drew warm greetings from several acquaintances.
"As expected of the Demon-Slaying True Person! Locked in fierce combat with a demon emperor one moment, yet able to disengage effortlessly the next. Such profound strength and composed grace are truly remarkable!"
Hermit Shouyang—Elder Lu of the Dongyang Sect—spoke with a genial chuckle.
Luo Chen smiled naturally. "That demon emperor had no intention of fighting to the death. Seeing me break off, he chose not to prolong the clash, and we parted ways."
*Was that so?*
Hearing this, the others half-believed and half-doubted his words.
Luo Chen could not be bothered to explain further. He could hardly proclaim aloud that battles against early fourth-tier demon emperors were generally well within his control.
Drawing Jiuling Yuanjun aside, Luo Chen asked in a low voice, "Do you know what has happened to summon us so urgently, to the point of setting aside the defense of Lingtian Pass?"
"I do not know either, but it is certainly no small matter. Perhaps if you ask Fairy Fenghua or Pavilion Master Li, they might know some inside details," Jiuling Yuanjun replied.
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping toward Fairy Fenghua and Pavilion Master Li.
Indeed!
The deep worry on their faces was impossible to disguise.
Not only that!
As Luo Chen's gaze shifted to the others, aside from Jinling and Jiuling Yuanjun, almost everyone wore an anxious expression.
Even Hermit Shouyang, who had greeted Luo Chen with a smile earlier, concealed an undeniable undercurrent of apprehension deep in his eyes.
*Could it concern the territories behind us?*
Just as doubts rose in Luo Chen's mind, a figure stepped out from the back of the hall.
Simultaneously, a phantom projection coalesced out of thin air within the chamber.
The former was Castellan Lingtian, while the projection was Tianduzi.
Seeing that everyone had assembled, Castellan Lingtian's expression turned solemn.
"To make a long story short, I have gathered you all to deliver critical news. At this moment, three Great Commanders—Bi Zheng, Juan Kuang, and Jinxiuxian—are leading a host of demon emperors around Lingtian Pass to launch a surprise raid on our rear."
"Their goal is not conquest, but slaughter and devastation!"
"In this situation, ordinary experts will be useless. Thus, we need you to mobilize and coordinate with the various powers behind us to drive them out!"
Chapter 834