Four Demon Emperors: three dead, one surrendered!
Luo Chen sat quietly cross-legged in the void, steadying his agitated magical power.
The golden tiger, Di Tu, prostrated himself beside him, reattaching the two arms Luo Chen had returned to him onto his body.
Perhaps he was still not quite used to them, but it was far more expedient than slowly regrowing them.
Gazing at the white-robed man mere inches away, Di Tu's eyes flickered with uncertainty, hot breath snorting ceaselessly from his nostrils.
With his experience, he could naturally tell that Luo Chen had depleted a tremendous amount of magical power, falling far short of the effortless ease he had displayed earlier.
Breaking the Nine Chapters Bone Dissolution Formation with a sword strike, while simultaneously driving a precious cauldron and five sword pellets—just thinking about it made clear what a terrifying drain that was on one's reserves.
Moreover, during the fight, Luo Chen had cast high-power spells without the slightest restraint.
Thus, Luo Chen might already be spent—strong on the outside but hollow within. It was precisely the prime opportunity to counterattack!
Yet the moment this thought surfaced, Di Tu forcefully crushed it.
Just moments ago!
He had already surrendered his soul blood, and Luo Chen had placed a divine soul restriction on him!
With a single thought, should Luo Chen wish it, Di Tu's soul would be utterly obliterated, barred from reincarnation forever.
A faint pang of regret washed over him.
If only he had seized the moment when Luo Chen unleashed his flying sword to focus on slaying Lu Changqing and fled then.
Yet opportunities were fleeting. His indecision had ultimately reduced him to a mount under another's rein.
A faint voice drifted over.
"In your name, command the surrounding beasts to surrender unconditionally."
"This..." Hesitation flickered across Di Tu's face.
Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes, gazing at him coldly.
Di Tu gritted his teeth, braving the shame as he flew downward.
He was indeed a fourth-order Demon Emperor, endowed with the noble status of an Ancient Demon's scion.
Yet this battle had been utterly humiliating. Now he was forced to demand the surrender of the demon beasts he had brought himself. Even if he had accepted his fate as Luo Chen's mount, he still found it hard to utter the words.
Watching Di Tu's departing figure, Luo Chen let out a cold snort.
This demon possessed a high cultivation realm in name only, yet collapsed at the first real test!
A mid-stage fourth-order Demon Emperor was fully comparable to a mid-stage Nascent Soul human cultivator.
Yet among the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators Luo Chen had met, which one was not an indomitable pillar of strength?
The Blood Hermit, Zhou Yunshen, Jinling, Fenghua, Pavilion Master Li, Deng Taiyue, Sovereign Jiuling...
How could they ever be like Di Tu—unskilled in combat and flawed in judgment? Perhaps he had some tricks up his sleeve, but his execution was crude and riddled with openings.
Above all, he lacked a warrior's heart.
At least the three Lu brothers who had come with him had possessed the courage to fight to the death!
"I wonder if his Ancient Demon father spoiled him rotten," Luo Chen muttered inwardly, only to hear cheers erupt from below.
Though there were only two hundred-odd people, their voices surged straight into the clouds!
"The beast tide is retreating!"
"We won!"
"Look up there, in the sky!"
Stepping on golden clouds, the golden tiger padded back on all fours and presented himself deferentially before Luo Chen.
What greeted him was a reprimand.
"Why did you disperse the remaining beasts?"
Luo Chen's earlier order had been for Di Tu to make them surrender, not let them retreat!
Di Tu answered in panic, "It is not that this humble one was unwilling, but the low-rank beasts possess no wits, and the third-order demon kings were all under the Lu brothers' command; they pay me no heed. Seeing the tide turn against them, and seeing me surrender... they simply scattered for their lives."
Luo Chen stared hard at him without a word.
Only when Di Tu hung his head under the scrutiny did Luo Chen snort coldly and look away.
Very well!
The Luotian Sect was not yet equipped to absorb such a vast number of beasts. Forcing them into the fold might have created an unwieldy burden.
Moreover, there was another matter demanding his attention!
Luo Chen slowly rose, his pale-gold eyes gazing into the distance toward Fenghua Palace.
A battle was raging there in full fury.
They were neighbors, and Fairy Fenghua addressed him as "Brother Luo," so it was only right that he lend his sword in aid.
Just as Luo Chen was about to take off, his pupils suddenly contracted!
High in the heavens, an ethereal wind drifted toward him, formless, intangible, and unfathomable.
In ordinary times, Luo Chen would have praised it: "What brilliant wind escape technique!"
Yet at this moment, he had no such inclination.
Because behind that ethereal wind, an incomparably vast streak of flight light swept through wind and thunder, in relentless pursuit!
A Great Demon Emperor!
Damn it, how did Lingfengzi lure such an enemy here?
Luo Chen cursed inwardly, his expression turning solemn.
He recognized that the one fleeing frantically via the wind escape technique was none other than Lingfengzi, and he was heading straight for him.
A thousand li, crossed in the blink of an eye!
Boom...
The ethereal wind had arrived insubstantially, yet upon halting, it rattled the void.
The moment Lingfengzi materialized, he could not stop himself from coughing up a mouthful of clotted blood.
"Pfft... Fellow Daoist, save me!"
Luo Chen looked closely: the man's robes were in tatters, his face deathly pale, and his usually immaculate topknot was completely unraveled and disheveled.
A fist-sized hole pierced his chest and abdomen, blood gushing out profusely.
His magical power fluctuations were so faint they were almost extinguished.
Had he been driven to his absolute wits' end?
Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen asked, "What happened? Why are you in such dire straits? And who is pursuing you?"
"It is Demon Emperor Qi Xi, one of the nine commanders!"
Lingfengzi drew a ragged breath, a morbid flush surfacing on his face.
"Lingtian Pass has fallen into utter chaos, and the battlefield between the Nascent Soul experts is stretched far and wide. Somehow, Commander Qi Xi discovered that I was the one who gathered intelligence on the Blade Dominance Domain back then! He actually abandoned his stalemate with the Mingyuan Sect grand cultivator and came hunting me down like a madman!
"Had I not mastered my life-saving escape technique with the Wind Concealment Pellet you refined, I would already be dead.
"Grandmaster, you must save me!"
Luo Chen had never seen Lingfengzi appear so frail and pathetic. Even when Castellan Lingtian had forcibly dispatched him to scout enemy lines back then, he had never shown such vulnerability.
Indeed, between life and death lay the greatest terror!
Seeing Luo Chen remain silent, Lingfengzi said urgently, "I know you have the ability! On Mount Shouyang, you did not even fear Lei Daozi. Besides, Commander Qi Xi was heavily wounded by Castellan Lingtian before—he is no match for you!"
"You think far too highly of me!"
Luo Chen chuckled bitterly. Who would have guessed that the man ran nowhere else but Baili Qingchuan precisely because of his glorious feat of standing his ground during the discourse on Mount Shouyang?
Yet he did not refuse.
For Baili Qingchuan lay right beneath their feet.
The cheers of the Luotian Sect cultivators still echoed in his ears.
What was more, the abruptly halting Demon Emperor Qi Xi had already locked his divine sense firmly onto him.
"Step behind me,"
Luo Chen said softly as violent surges of magical power began to billow from his body.
His Nascent Soul domain erupted outward with a roar, and the countless drifting spiritual energies between heaven and earth surged toward him.
Lingfengzi breathed a sigh of relief and obediently withdrew behind Luo Chen.
Only then did he suddenly notice a massive golden tiger—one whose cultivation surpassed his own—gazing at him sullenly.
Furthermore, as Lingfengzi looked around, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"This..."
His boundless shock ultimately transformed into absolute faith in Luo Chen.
Those grand cultivators did not care whether he lived or died; only Luo Chen, with his ever-honorable conduct, might save his life.
He had come to the right place!
Lingfengzi did not ask about the situation here, nor did Luo Chen have time to explain.
At this moment, Luo Chen had raised his magical power to the brim, his three souls united as one.
His cultivation was laid bare without reserve!
The vast vital blood within him steadily converted into origin force, coursing through every corner of his frame.
The enemy had arrived!
Boom!
Demon qi soared to the heavens, demonic winds sweeping through the air.
A figure strode through the void.
Eyes dripping with hatred locked instantly onto the white-robed man.
"You are the Alchemy Grandmaster, Luo Chen?!"
Phrased as a question, yet delivered with absolute certainty.
Commander Qi Xi glared fiercely at Luo Chen. "I heard you participated in the battle of the Blade Dominance Domain as well!
"Wuguang fell to your sword. And countless of my children suffered a cruel end at your hands!
"When you are alone, do their wails ever ring in your ears?"
Faced with these accusations, Luo Chen remained silent.
Commander Qi Xi's gaze swept across the surrounding land: beneath him was the beast tide fleeing in panic, on the plain lay a deer carcass pierced by ten thousand swords, and beside the Heishui River lay another severed deer corpse.
Meanwhile, the son of the Ancient Demon was craning his neck toward him; though he said nothing, his eyes were brimming with desperate pleas for rescue.
This trail of carnage sent a shiver through Qi Xi's heart.
The three Lu brothers were no weaklings!
Even with Ancient Demon Di Tian, they were heavily favored and typically assigned to serve his beloved concubine, Jinxiuxian.
Yet who would have thought they would perish so miserably?
His expression hardened, and he looked back at Luo Chen.
"Hand over Di Tu, and I will let bygones be bygones. I shall turn and leave at once!"
Luo Chen's lips moved, and he finally spoke.
"And what if I say no?"
That single sentence sent Commander Qi Xi into a towering rage.
"Since you refuse, we shall settle all debts, old and new, together!"
As the words fell, torrential magical power erupted, and a deep-blue luminous pearl shot from his mouth.
"Di Tu, do not blame me!
"As the son of an Ancient Demon, you may die, but you must never surrender! Dying here today is a blessing for both you and your father!
"When this battle ends, I will return your remains to the Pingshan Sacred Ground."
Facing Commander Qi Xi's monstrous aura, Luo Chen's eyelids twitched.
Was this a Great Demon Emperor?
No wonder Lingfengzi had run for his life so desperately.
His magical power was definitely superior to Luo Chen's.
In particular, that glowing pearl gave him a profound sense of danger.
Lingfengzi had truly brought him a "fine opponent"!
Though shocked, Luo Chen had no intention of retreating.
In the midst of a war between humans and demons, how could one bargain with a demon expert?
If word got out, Luo Chen would have nowhere left to stand in this world.
There was only one path: battle!
Luo Chen stood motionless in the void. Slowly raising his right hand, he pressed his fingers together like a sword and brought them steadily downward.
At this moment, heaven and earth seemed to resonate with him!
Winds and clouds shifted violently; the light of the sky lost its color.
Vast spiritual energy surged from all directions, intermingled with something nebulous and undefinable.
Upon the earth, green grass withered, and trees shed their leaves in decay.
The carcasses of the demon beasts that had fallen in the earlier fight visibly turned into piles of desiccated bones.
Even the corpses of Demon Emperors Lu Changqing and Lu Chang'an saw their spiritual luster dim to near extinction.
It was as though the lingering vitality in their flesh was being siphoned away by Luo Chen.
Everything stirred in uneasy agitation.
Even the Great Demon Emperor Qi Xi, radiating a terrifying aura across from him, felt his magical power tremble restlessly.
An expression of disbelief washed over Qi Xi's face, as if he had seen a ghost.
Yet in truth, there was no ghost in his sight—only Luo Chen, whose momentum rose relentlessly like a blazing sun.
"This is... the True Meaning of the Law!"
The moment the thought flashed through his mind, he hurled the glowing blue pearl without hesitation.
Luo Chen paid it no heed, his right hand continuing its slow downward press.
An opponent of this caliber could no longer be handled with ordinary means.
Fourth-order Grandmaster-level spells lacked the requisite might.
The Great Five Elements Sword Formation was incomplete.
His newly forged Triple Hell might suppress ordinary experts, but it could never hold down a Great Demon Emperor.
The Yuantu Sword, which had once slain a Soul Formation expert, might have served, but its sword spirit had not yet fully acknowledged him as master.
Therefore, there was only one answer: the Wither-Bloom Dao Finger!
With one finger descending, all things wither!
The fiercely hurtling blue pearl visibly slowed to a crawl.
The finger forged from immense magical power pressed against the pearl, locked in a contest of pure force.
Stalled, unable to advance an inch, and gradually... forced back!
Behind Luo Chen, Di Tu watched in horror.
Never could he have imagined that Luo Chen, whom he had assumed was exhausted and hollow within, still harbored such a lethal trump card!
Amidst his dread was a sliver of relief.
Thank the heavens he had not wavered and attempted another betrayal back then.
Lingfengzi trembled all over, his face written with utter disbelief.
He had expected Luo Chen to be strong, but never this strong!
No wonder Luo Chen had dared to rally various factions, stepping forward on behalf of the Eastern Desolation's great powers to force the Mingyuan Sect's experts to give them an explanation.
Wielding such a killing move, even a grand cultivator would hesitate to meet it head-on!
No, this isn't an ordinary killing move—this is a divine ability!
Just as this thought struck Lingfengzi, Luo Chen forced the blue pearl straight back.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
His face dark, Commander Qi Xi snatched the pearl back into his grasp.
"So young, at such a cultivation realm, yet you have actually comprehended the True Meaning of the Law and even mastered a corresponding divine ability!
"Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen, you truly live up to your fame!
"Regrettably, you are still no match for me!
"Today, you—hm?!"
Just as Qi Xi adjusted his magical power, intending to strike again, he suddenly let out a muffled groan.
His sour face twisted into sheer terror.
Instinctively, his hand went to the crown of his head.
Blood gushed forth!
That was where his single horn had once stood, deliberately preserved when he took human form.
Alas, during the battle of the Blade Dominance Domain, Castellan Lingtian of the Mingyuan Sect had ripped that horn off by force, leaving him gravely injured.
He had spent years recuperating to suppress the wound.
Yet right now!
Blood geysered like a fountain, spurting uncontrollably.
The wound atop his head was even splitting and widening.
From not far away came a soft chuckle.
"You didn't think my divine ability, imbued with the True Meaning of the Law, was that simple, did you?"
It was indeed not simple. Without Qi Xi even realizing it, the power had seeped into his true form, making his old wound impossible to suppress and filling his flesh with a sense of rot and decay.
"And you didn't think I could only use it once, did you?"
As the question hung in the air, Luo Chen's smile vanished, his expression turning ice-cold.
Once again, he slowly raised his right hand, his fingers pressed together like a sword!
Wisps of spiritual energy converged upon his fingertips, spinning into tiny vortexes.
At this sight, Qi Xi felt his soul take flight in terror. Daring not linger for a heartbeat longer, he turned and bolted.
Fast as he had arrived, he fled even faster!
Only Fairy Fenghua, arriving in haste, caught a glimpse of the retreating back with blood spouting from its head like a fountain, her mouth dropping wide open.
"What in the world happened?"
Luo Chen did not answer.
The vortex of spiritual energy continued to spin at his fingertips as his cold gaze shifted into the distance.
A silhouette slowly emerged.
It cast a deeply wary glance at Luo Chen, then took off in pursuit of Qi Xi.
Chapter 853