"Come on! Come at me! Every last one of you shall be buried here today!"
His ferocious laugh was laced with boundless wild arrogance, as though he were venting something.
In truth, Luo Chen was indeed venting!
Ever since he returned to the Eastern Desolation, he had manifested his might before the world time and again, earning tremendous renown.
Yet only he knew that every move and every decision required extreme caution.
He had to carefully manage interpersonal relationships down to the smallest detail while remaining wary of lurking enemies spying in secret—and, worse still, the crushing pressure of the Mingyuan Sacred Ground weighing on him from above, leaving him barely room to breathe.
For someone like Luo Chen, who had roamed freely across the Northern Sea for a century, this was undeniably suffocating.
The pursuit of immortality was ultimately for unfettered freedom.
Walking on eggshells like this, where was the freedom? Where was the ease?
Beneath the prevailing trends of the realm, even the once-lofty Nascent Soul True Persons seemed reduced to expendable cannon fodder to be discarded at will.
And now, a mere handful of demon monsters dared to speak so arrogantly of capturing him and dragging him back!
Even with a Dao heart tempered through endless trials, Luo Chen could not suppress the blazing fury within him!
Thus, his subsequent strikes grew increasingly violent.
The two jiuzhang deer charged at him from left and right. Luo Chen neither dodged nor retreated. Opening his hands wide, he converted his surging vitality into origin power and threw a punch in each direction.
It was none other than the Mountain-Breaking Form from the Demonic Lord's Seven Loose Hands!
"Break!"
"Break!"
Spurred by colossal force, the two jiuzhang deer proved no match for Luo Chen. Their massive bodies were hurled backward uncontrollably.
"Trying to run?"
Luo Chen did not pursue the two deer. Instead, his gaze locked onto Di Tu, whose arms had both been broken by him.
He stomped heavily, causing the void to detonate with a resounding boom.
When he reappeared, he had crossed several tens of zhang and lashed out with a kick toward the panicked Di Tu.
Thunder Kick!
Boom!
A streak of golden light that Di Tu had just spat out was blown apart before it could even fully unfold.
Di Tu's expression was one of sheer horror as he blurted out, "How is this possible!"
That golden light was actually a defensive treasure at the True Artifact grade, given to him by his father when he broke through to the fourth rank.
Even if he had not devoted much effort to refining and nourishing it over the years, there was no way it should have been shattered by a single kick!
Was this fellow a human or a desolate beast?!
A fist suddenly appeared right before his eyes.
Luo Chen's onslaught rolled in like ceaseless waves.
Driven to desperation, Di Tu whipped up a furious demonic gale and revealed his true form.
A massive golden tiger manifested in midair, spitting out a sphere of golden light that blasted toward the fist.
Rumble!
After a resounding crash, Di Tu finally gained a momentary respite.
A pair of terrified tiger eyes stared at that tiny human figure, his mouth running dry and his soul nearly leaping out of his skin.
Even though the three Demon Emperors completely surrounded Luo Chen, he felt no sense of security whatsoever.
In terms of magic power, they were not as profound as Luo Chen.
In terms of spells, his came effortlessly, like second nature.
In terms of treasures, any random artifact he pulled out was a world-class treasure.
Even the colossal bodies that served as the demon race's ultimate trump cards seemed like hollow shells, utterly fragile before his seemingly frail physique.
This battle was perilously grim!
Luo Chen stood aloft in the void, looking down at the three massive demon bodies. A smile played on his lips, yet his eyes were frigid.
These fellows were at the end of their wits.
Whether it was formations, treasures, or various demonic arts, everything had been broken or ruined, posing no threat at all.
At this point, revealing their true forms merely made them lambs to the slaughter before him.
"I'll deal with you one by one!"
Luo Chen took a deep breath. Ignoring the two bloodshot-eyed jiuzhang deer, he darted straight toward the golden tiger.
This demon's arms had already been ruined. Even though it had regrown two claws after assuming its true form, they were far from what they once were.
Strike while he is down!
The void cracked with a thunderous boom as Luo Chen flashed through the air, appearing directly above the golden tiger once more, slamming a palm downward.
A gold-ringed broadsword slashed through the air toward him, but Luo Chen did not even spare it a glance. The Yuantu Sword shot out to intercept it, while his full focus remained fixed on the golden tiger.
The golden tiger whipped its tail like an exploding thunderclap.
Yet when palm and tail collided, the golden tiger was jolted as if struck by lightning, while Luo Chen drifted backward with effortless grace.
Seeing an opening, the two jiuzhang deer flanked him from both sides.
Suddenly, Luo Chen, who had been floating like willow catkins, stepped on empty air. Like a returning swallow, he instantly broke out of the two demon deer's encirclement and appeared on the tiger's other flank.
Sinking his waist and leaning his shoulder in, he drove his elbow forward.
Mountain-Crashing Form!
The golden tiger's colossal frame turned out to be a hindrance; it could not react in time.
With a single strike, it went spinning through the air, hurtling toward the two jiuzhang deer.
Pulling back to create distance, Luo Chen rapidly formed hand seals and opened his mouth to exhale.
"Go!"
A colossal fire phoenix let out a ringing cry and dove toward the three demons.
Refusing to sit and wait for death, the three demons unleashed their demonic arts in resistance.
Golden spheres of light and billowing black mist rolled forward.
Yet even with the three of them joining forces, they appeared utterly fragile before the fire phoenix.
Rumble!
The tremendous heatwave produced by the clash of spells forced the three demons to retreat in frantic disarray.
The terrifying heat warped the very void. Amidst the distorted space, Luo Chen's figure reappeared, stomping down upon the foremost golden tiger.
"Kneel!"
A single stomp descended like Mount Tai crushing down.
The golden tiger plummeted uncontrollably.
Di Tu was consumed by rage. As the son of an Ancient Demon, even the Nine Great Commanders showed him deference. Who could have imagined he would be trodden underfoot today?
Yet he was completely powerless to resist.
His boundless fury instantly turned to overwhelming terror when the corner of his eye caught sight of Luo Chen recalling the crimson flying sword.
The bloody sword hung over his head, slashing downward!
"I surrender!"
The bloody sword seemed to pause for a heartbeat.
Di Tu instinctively blurted out, "I surrender! I am willing to serve as your mount!"
A voice of utter disbelief came from behind him.
"Di Tu, what are you saying?!"
Only then did Di Tu realize what he had just said, and his face instantly flushed with humiliation.
Yet feeling the bloody sword pressed against his neck, he was left speechless.
Luo Chen stood atop the giant tiger's head, the bloody sword poised to strike, though he did not bring it down in the end.
His expression was rather peculiar; he had never expected such a turn of events.
Raising an eyebrow, Luo Chen shot a half-smile toward the other two demon beasts.
"Even the son of an Ancient Demon has surrendered. Are you two still planning to put up a stubborn resistance?"
The brothers Lu Changsheng and Lu Changqing looked at each other.
Finally, the elder brother slowly lowered his held-high head.
"Eldest Brother!" Lu Changqing cried in disbelief. "Third Brother died by his hand!"
Lu Changsheng slowly bent his front knees, assuming a posture of kneeling submission before Luo Chen, speaking in a measured voice.
"Second Brother, circumstances are stronger than men. Luo Chen is so formidable and yet so young; he may very well achieve the Soul Formation stage in the future. There is no shame in serving as his mount."
"But..."
"Good, good, good!" Luo Chen laughed heartily. "We humans have an old saying: whoever understands the times is a wise man. You made the right choice."
Keeping his head lowered, Lu Changsheng allowed a drop of golden blood to float slowly from his body.
"Lord Luo Chen, this is my soul blood."
Luo Chen smiled and beckoned. The essence blood containing a fragment of the demon's divine soul drifted leisurely toward him.
Yet halfway there, the soul blood suddenly exploded!
A compass descended, plunging straight down toward Luo Chen's head.
Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng's bent knees snapped straight, and his entire body bolted forward.
His four hooves beat rapidly, crisscrossing in stride.
His pace was graceful and alluring, faintly imbued with an extraordinary cadence.
He galloped ceaselessly throughout the space shrouded by the Triple Hell.
Watching this scene, the smile gradually faded from Luo Chen's face.
"I knew you weren't truly submitting!"
Without him making any apparent move, the perimeter sword formation began spinning rapidly, sweeping toward the jiuzhang deer to shred him apart.
Lu Changsheng seemed completely oblivious to the myriad sword qi, maintaining his unique footwork.
Miraculously, as he leapt and darted, he actually wove through wave after wave of strangling sword qi.
Suddenly!
Lu Changsheng halted in his tracks and looked back at the dazed Lu Changqing.
"I have found the flaw in the sword formation, and Luo Chen is trapped by my life-bound treasure. Second Brother, flee for your life!"
As if realizing what was about to happen, the bewilderment in Lu Changqing's eyes receded with his brother's words, replaced by sheer panic.
"Don't..."
Boom!
Giving no one time to react, Lu Changsheng's massive body inside the sword formation abruptly self-detonated, transforming into a boundless storm of spiritual energy that tore across all directions.
Waves of incoming sword qi were blasted to pieces.
Even the five sword pills were forced to reveal their true forms.
A chance of escape appeared.
"Run—!"
A single furious roar echoed through the void, reverberating endlessly.
Tears welled in Lu Changqing's eyes. Casting a venomous glare at Luo Chen, he whipped up a demonic gale and hurtled out of the formation.
Standing atop the golden tiger Di Tu's head, Luo Chen watched it all with cold detachment.
The construction of the Triple Hell was an inspiration that had struck him while working with Wang Yuan to perfect the Wind Leg.
The new Wind Leg combined Void-Treading Steps and the Three Wind God Forms, harmonizing form and intent while balancing substance and illusion.
Applying that principle by analogy, he had thought of the incomplete Great Five Elements Sword Formation.
That sword formation was immensely powerful, but the threshold was too high: it required five True Artifact-grade sword pills, each corresponding to one of the five elements.
That prerequisite alone had barred countless cultivators.
Even though Luo Chen had managed to deploy it through ingenuity, numerous flaws remained.
Thus, he used the solid Hunyuan Cauldron to compensate, linking the two through the Senluo Fire Prison to forge the Triple Hell!
Beneath this Triple Hell, the suppressive power was terrifying, as evidenced by the four Demon Emperors' complete inability to resist.
However, too little time had passed, and one issue remained unresolved.
In Luo Chen's ideal conception, deploying the Triple Hell required three divided souls, each presiding over one component.
At present, Luo Chen had only two divided souls and had to substitute his primary soul for the third.
Yet during battle, his primary soul had to employ other techniques, which caused the Triple Hell to show signs of instability from time to time.
To conceal this flaw, Luo Chen had accelerated the rhythm of his offense to an extreme, denying his enemies any breathing room.
Particularly after learning Di Tu's identity, he had attacked him relentlessly to draw the attention of the other three demons.
He had never expected that Lu Changsheng would actually pinpoint the flaw in such a brief engagement!
How remarkably calm!
What profound mastery of formations!
Not only that, he had even paid the price of self-detonation to force open an escape route, granting his sole surviving brother a chance at life.
"What a truly fine elder brother!"
Luo Chen sighed from the bottom of his heart.
Hearing those words, Di Tu's lips twitched; he felt as if he were watching a crocodile shed tears.
Yet resentment simmered within him as well!
Since Lu Changsheng had found the flaw, why hadn't he acted earlier? Why wait until Di Tu had humiliated himself by becoming a mount before blowing himself up to break the formation?
Wait!
A possibility crossed Di Tu's mind: that fellow had been holding back strength from the start of the battle, watching with cold eyes as Luo Chen battered him relentlessly.
He had deliberately used Di Tu as bait to buy time to break the formation!
From the moment the Triple Hell descended, Lu Changsheng had already concluded that they were no match for Luo Chen!
Just as Di Tu was seething with rage, a sneer came from above.
"I let you three brothers get away last time. Did you think you could escape again?"
A terrifying wave of flames surged around Luo Chen, instantly blasting through the compass pinning him down.
Gazing at the giant jiuzhang deer that had already fled a hundred li away, Luo Chen pointed with two fingers!
The Yuantu Sword turned into a streak of bloody light and shot forth.
Not only that!
Luo Chen drew a deep breath, rapidly formed hand seals, and cast a spell with astonishing speed.
High in the heavens, the clouds rolled.
The roar of a flame dragon faintly echoed across the sky.
Sensing this, Di Tu was puzzled.
At such a great distance, it might severely injure Lu Changqing, but killing him would be exceedingly difficult!
Why was Luo Chen wasting his magic power?
Amidst his bewilderment, Luo Chen reached out and beckoned.
The Hunyuan Cauldron rapidly shrank and settled before him, glowing with spiritual radiance.
Within it was a vivid, lifelike deer Nascent Soul, its eyes tightly shut.
"Lu Changqing, do you no longer care for your third brother?"
The clear shout resonated across the open sky.
Lu Changqing, who had fled far into the distance, looked back instinctively and saw his third brother's Nascent Soul held in the smiling Luo Chen's hand.
Third Brother's Nascent Soul was still intact?
He froze, his gaze meeting Luo Chen's eyes.
With just that single glance, ten thousand years seemed to pass, and he fell into a dream!
Roar!
The flame dragon descended, engulfing the realm.
Raging flames consumed him as the demon deer wailed in agony.
Then a flash of bloody light appeared, and a sword cleaved downward.
Crack!
The massive deer head separated lightly from the body.
Both plummeted toward the earth, falling beneath Mount Daqing by the banks of the Heishui River.
Di Tu stared blankly at the scene.
"Despicable!"
"What did you say?"
Luo Chen floated before him with a beaming smile, staring directly into the tiger's eyes.
Di Tu fell as silent as a cicada in winter, lowering his once-proud head.
***
Baili Qingchuan was very close to the Fenghua Palace!
A mere thousand li separated them.
The earlier battle had not leaked much disturbance due to the seal of the Triple Hell.
Yet when Luo Chen deployed his three-pronged assault to instantly obliterate Lu Changqing, the tremendous shockwaves inevitably rippled outward.
Demon Emperor Canlou, who was currently pressing Fairy Fenghua, instinctively glanced toward Baili Qingchuan.
"Such a massive leak of demon qi... Who has fallen?"
Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Fairy Fenghua finally gained a reprieve. Executing her Wind Escape art, she slipped free from the suppression of that ruined divine tower.
Even after escaping, lingering fear gripped her heart.
This Demon Emperor was formidable indeed—not only did he possess profound magic power, but the ruined divine tower was exceedingly potent, far surpassing ordinary True Artifacts.
Didn't the world say the demon race was inept at forging artifacts?
How could he possess such a terrifying treasure?
Nonetheless, the commotion from Baili Qingchuan was clearly good news.
"As expected of the Alchemy Grandmaster. He never disappoints!"
Demon Emperor Canlou frowned and beckoned the divine tower treasure back into his grasp.
This item was immensely powerful, but activating it was too slow; once an opponent was on guard, it was difficult to land a hit.
Repeating the trick would likely fail to suppress this woman again.
He sneered, "Over there, four Demon Emperors have joined forces, and the Ancient Demon's son has stepped in personally. Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen can barely save his own skin—you don't actually think he can spare the hands to save you, do you?"
Hearing this, Fairy Fenghua was stunned.
Four Demon Emperors joining forces!
The Ancient Demon's son!
Under such circumstances, Luo Chen had still managed to slay someone?
She instinctively extended her divine sense, sweeping toward Baili Qingchuan.
Canlou did not seize the chance to attack, evidently doing the exact same thing.
In a mere instant, different expressions surfaced on their faces.
One was sheer ecstasy, the other utter shock.
"Canlou, your calculations were wrong!"
Demon Emperor Canlou could not believe his senses. "How could this be?!"
"Today, you shall stay in the Fenghua Domain!"
Fairy Fenghua drove her flying swords back toward Demon Emperor Canlou, transforming into several illusory clones that surrounded him.
This posture was clearly meant to tie down Demon Emperor Canlou until Luo Chen arrived to assist!
Demon Emperor Canlou naturally did not fear Fairy Fenghua, but the hurried glimpse of the situation in Baili Qingchuan was difficult to accept.
Of the four Demon Emperors, three had perished.
The sole survivor—Di Tu—was actually kneeling subserviently before that tiny human.
Had he surrendered?
How could the second son of Ancient Demon Di Tian bow his head and surrender at the feet of a human?
If so, not only would this battle fail to conquer the Fenghua Domain, but he would also have no way to answer to Ancient Demon Di Tian upon returning.
No!
If this stalemate dragged on, he might not even make it back himself!
Should he fight on, kill Fenghua, and head to Baili Qingchuan to rescue Di Tu?
Or should he flee to avoid being trapped between two great powerhouses?
Amidst his dilemma, Demon Emperor Canlou snapped his head up.
High in the heavens, an ethereal breeze swept past at a speed surpassing even that of Fairy Fenghua before him.
Tightly following behind was a massive blue-and-white streak of light, bringing with it the booming thunder of wind and lightning as it pursued closely on the breeze's heels.
Canlou rejoiced and roared at the top of his lungs:
"Commander Qi Xi, please rescue the son of Lord Pingshan!"
The surging streak of light came to a halt!
Chapter 852