Jiuling Battles Pengxiang, Luo Chen Faces Shenyuan!

Defeated? Old Ghost Motian was defeated? A dignified Nascent Soul True Person had actually lost to a body refiner whose realm was lower than his own! Such a scene shocked everyone into speechlessness, leaving them questioning reality itself. Since antiquity, fighting above one's realm had been the topic most relished among cultivators. Yet more often than not, this so-called fighting above one's realm was confined to minor sub-stages within the same major realm. Those who could cross an entire major realm and emerge victorious were few and far between! What was more, this was the Nascent Soul realm—a level marked by a profound qualitative transformation! When Luo Chen proclaimed that the Luotian Sect had won the first battle, the absolute silence gave way to a tumultuous roar of clamor. Everyone voiced their own thoughts, giving vent to the shock in their hearts. Even the gathered Nascent Soul True Persons could not help looking on in astonishment. Lin Qingxuan's gaze followed the seething, resentful Old Ghost Motian. "He is even weaker than imagined!" Fenghua Fairy looked toward Wang Yuan as he flew back at a leisurely pace, her eyes gleaming. "He truly lives up to Castellan Lingtian's high hopes back then—to possess such strength. If he truly breaks through to the fourth realm of body refinement, I fear he would hold his own even against mid Nascent Soul cultivators like us." Old Fu shook his head with a sigh. It was enviable enough that the Luotian Sect had Luo Chen, but now Wang Yuan had emerged as well! How wonderful for them! Unlike his Divine Talisman Sect, which had painstakingly cultivated a Nascent Soul cultivator only for him to perish in the blink of an eye. Master Xianhe, however, focused on something different, constantly replaying in his mind the two weapons Wang Yuan had employed in the battle moments ago. They were True Artifacts, yet completely distinct from those used by standard cultivators. With Wang Yuan's astral qi circulating through them, their power was amplified tremendously. In earlier years, there had never been word of Wang Yuan possessing these two treasures. By contrast, Old Ghost Motian lacked a handy True Artifact, which had put him at a severe disadvantage. Only Deng Taiyue, who frequently ventured in and out of the Million Great Mountains and was exceptionally sensitive to spiritual energy, kept his gaze fixed on the Taihu Domain. After a long while, he turned back toward Luo Chen, lost in thought. "He chose the battleground in the chaotic spiritual energy of the Taihu Domain. In doing so, the domain power that Nascent Soul True Persons use most effectively to suppress low-realm cultivators was greatly diminished. Furthermore, Wang Yuan is a body refiner, immune to dharmic suppression. Add to that two formidable treasures at his side, and Old Ghost Motian's defeat is by no means undeserved!" On Luo Chen's side, seeing Wang Yuan return unscathed, his expression remained calm, but inwardly he breathed a genuine sigh of relief. "Are you all right?" Wang Yuan casually draped a robe over himself, a rare smile appearing on his face. "My thoughts are unhindered; no lingering burdens remain!" Luo Chen started, then smiled as well. This battle held profound significance for Wang Yuan. It was not merely a matter of the weak triumphing over the strong, but of washing away the humiliation dealt to him during the battle on the Battle Arena all those years ago. Immortal cultivators refined qi and refined spirit; body refiners tempered the body and tempered the mind. Wang Yuan was already at the Furnace Realm Great Perfection; now that his thoughts were clear and unobstructed, his confidence in charging toward the fourth realm of body refinement, the Flawless Golden Body, would be even greater. "Splendid!" Luo Chen praised him, then looked toward Sovereign Jiuling. "Fellow Daoist Jiuling, I must trouble you next." Sovereign Jiuling gave a confident smile, took a step onto azure clouds, and flew into the Taihu Domain in a flash of radiant splendor. On the other side. Old Ghost Motian's Nascent Soul was still babbling indignantly. "They smelted my Motian Cliff! They caught me off guard and pinned me down! Unfair! It's completely unfair!" Perfected Shenyuan glanced at him and said flatly, "Where in this world is there fairness? When you meddled in the Luotian Sect's internal strife back then, did you ever consider whether it was fair to those low-realm cultivators?" As if triggered, Old Ghost Motian glared at Shenyuan. "Back then, you also—" "Hmph!" Perfected Shenyuan let out a cold snort. The absolute suppression of his divine soul instantly silenced Old Ghost Motian like a cicada in winter. Only now did he remember that his Nascent Soul remained held under the other's dharmic power, his life and death in someone else's hands. How dared he bare his fangs? Yet he did not dare let Shenyuan withdraw his dharmic power either. After all, several wisps of blood-colored inner energy had somehow infiltrated his Nascent Soul, planted by Wang Yuan; without immense dharmic power suppressing them, Wang Yuan could detonate them at any moment. "Take good care of yourself!" "Leave the rest to us." Perfected Shenyuan spoke indifferently, turning his gaze toward Daoist Pengxiang, who was eager to try his hand. "Fellow Daoist Peng, do you have confidence?" Daoist Pengxiang replied with easy nonchalance, "Sovereign Jiuling's renown precedes him, heralded as comparable to late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators. Though Poor Daoist is in the same realm as him, having resided in White Deer Grotto for so many years and rarely battling others, I honestly do not know how my abilities measure against the outside world." Hearing this, Perfected Shenyuan frowned slightly, but after a flicker of thought, his brow smoothed out at once. "No matter. Simply do your best. Winning or losing will not be your fault." When saying this, both men subconsciously glanced at Old Ghost Motian, who was closing his eyes and expelling the blood-colored inner energy. A dignified Nascent Soul True Person had lost to a third-realm body refiner in the paramount clash between the two principals. Whether this match was won or lost was truly no longer the fault of a helper like Pengxiang. It was merely that since matters had reached this point, he had to take the stage and give everyone an account. With a light chuckle, Pengxiang floated gracefully into the Taihu Domain. Facing Sovereign Jiuling's searing gaze, he projected his voice clearly: "After returning, my Junior Brother Tieguan spoke of how Fellow Daoist overpowered the Thunder Peng and withstood a punch from Qingshuang, earning the fine title of the foremost beneath Great Cultivators. To exchange blows with you today is truly Poor Daoist's fortune!" These words were spoken with great courtesy, conveying an intention to stop at a touch and avoid souring relations. Sovereign Jiuling raised an eyebrow, understanding the undertone. After all, the other was merely here to lend a hand; there was no need to fight tooth and nail like Old Ghost Motian, whose physical body had been blasted apart. However... He shook his head. "Had this been ten years ago, this Sovereign would have worn that fine title of foremost beneath Great Cultivators without shame. But with Dan Sect before me, this Sovereign lacks the thick skin for it." The onlookers all tacitly looked toward Luo Chen standing proudly at the prow of the ship. The magnificent feat of defeating the Seven Rhinos Great Demon Emperor with a single finger was still whispered throughout the Eastern Wasteland cultivation world even several years later. And Luo Chen's realm was merely the fourth layer of Nascent Soul! Pleasantries aside, the focus remained on the two men in the empty Taihu Domain. One wore a black Daoist robe, stern and austere in demeanor. The other wore nine-colored splendid robes, imposing and magnificent. Amid held breaths and focused concentration, the two made their move. Pinching incantation gestures and chanting spells, dharmic power surged wild and unrestrained—their opening clash was a collision of signature arts. A colossal black deer dashed out from before Daoist Pengxiang, pacing through the sky with mysterious strides as it charged toward Sovereign Jiuling. As the black deer galloped, the originally chaotic spiritual energy of the Taihu Domain seemed to fall under its command, forming surging billows of air that rolled forward. Such a spectacle drew gasps from the spectating True Persons. Even Old Ghost Motian opened his eyes, a look of shocked suspicion on his face. The spiritual energy of the Taihu Domain was so chaotic; how could Daoist Pengxiang manipulate it, and across all attributes at that? Aboard the Tianhe Lingxu Ship, Luo Chen was equally astonished. Perhaps noticing his confusion, the experienced and knowledgeable Old Fu quietly explained, "This is White Deer Grotto's renowned sect-guarding art—the Deer Chasing Art. It uses the deer as a metaphor for qi, pursuing and driving it. It is hailed as an advanced art closest to a Soul Formation divine ability, exceedingly formidable in might." Hearing this, Luo Chen's heart tightened slightly. He realized he had still somewhat underestimated the heroes under heaven. Daoist Pengxiang rarely walked the mortal realm, yet had unknowingly mastered such a terrifying art. Could Sovereign Jiuling withstand it? Under the watch of countless eyes, Sovereign Jiuling took a deep breath, raised his hands into the empty air, and pushed forward slowly. In the next instant, the earth churned, and countless rocks and grit soared into the sky, lunging toward the black deer. When the two clashed, the black deer charged rampantly as though entering an empty land, its speed not diminishing in the slightest. Sovereign Jiuling's expression shifted slightly. He changed his hand seal and spat out a streak of blue radiance. Once the blue radiance emerged, it was like a mighty river merging into the endless stones and grit, instantly turning into a morass of mud and mire. The black deer's speed finally slowed. The two remained in a deadlock for a long while before the black deer formed of spiritual energy gradually dispersed. Crash! A vast shower of yellow sand fell to the ground, kicking up billowing plumes of smoke and dust. Two silhouettes were hidden within, their true forms obscured. Daoist Pengxiang waved his sleeve to blow away the smoke, revealing both figures. Admiration showed on his face. "Is this the Nine Spirits Sect's 'Nine Bends Yellow River, Ten Thousand Li of Sand'? Fellow Daoist possesses fine methods!" Sovereign Jiuling patted off the mud and sand clinging to his robes and said in a heavy voice, "In arts, you are unfathomable, but in dharmic power, I hold a slight edge." Only at this moment did the outside cultivators realize with a start what had happened. The first exchange had already ended. As for the outcome? "On the surface, Sovereign Jiuling seemed at a disadvantage, but the result was in fact an even match. Jiuling's dharmic power is simply too profound, forcefully making up for the deficiency in the clash of arts." With his spirit eyes, Luo Chen saw every detail of the battle with utter clarity, offering the most precise evaluation. Only now did he recall that before Sovereign Jiuling had mastered that great method of his, what he had taken the greatest pride in was his overwhelmingly vast dharmic power. And the most fitting application of such dharmic power was naturally all manner of magical arts. In a sense, Sovereign Jiuling shared a few similarities with himself; it was just that Luo Chen had divided his attention among more pursuits and mastered more miscellaneous arts. The first bout was a draw. What about the next? Without keeping anyone waiting long, the two made their moves once again. A horsetail whisk manifested into tens of thousands of white strands, blotting out the sky. A black urn billowed roiling black smoke, baring fangs and brandishing claws as it pounced toward the whisk strands. Suspended in the void, the two continually shifted shape, resembling pythons and serpents, flood dragons and true dragons. The white strands appeared soft, yet were incomparably sharp; wherever the black smoke swept, it was pierced through. The black smoke was omnipresent, constantly coiling away wisps of the whisk's spiritual light just as it was being torn apart. This clash of treasures lasted for hundreds of rounds, until finally, with a hint of reluctance in Sovereign Jiuling's expression, he recalled the black urn. Daoist Pengxiang rested his whisk over his arm; its hairs showed signs of curling and charring, missing over a hundred strands. That black urn was unexpectedly tyrannical! He mused, "Is this True Artifact the very instrument your noble sect relies upon to collect Nine Firmaments firmament qi?" Sovereign Jiuling evaded the question, saying only, "This time, this Sovereign was slightly bested." Then his tone shifted, a ruthless edge creeping onto his face. "Next, Fellow Daoist must take care!" Boom! With a tremendous rumble, nine-colored brilliance soared into the sky. A vast nine-colored river swept across the firmament, rolling forward like a deluge. "Here it comes!" Daoist Pengxiang's expression turned gravely solemn. This was the rumored Great Nine Firmaments River! The great method that had forcefully obliterated the physical body of the Thunder Prison Divine Peng, forcing Demon Emperor Qingshuang to intervene just to rescue it. Not a divine ability, yet possessing the might of one! Taking a deep breath, whisk in hand, he stepped into the nine-colored river of light. The previous exchanges—whether magical arts or treasures—had ultimately been kept within polite bounds. Who was slightly higher or lower mattered little. Only this third clash was the true deciding move of the match. As soon as Daoist Pengxiang entered, a continuous crackle of collisions resounded. Sovereign Jiuling also gradually vanished into the river of light, his true form lost to view. The surging collision of dharmic power scattered the spiritual energy around the area used to maintain Water Mirror Arts, leaving many cultivators abruptly without a vantage point to observe, stirring an uproar among the crowd. Luo Chen, however, was unaffected. The golden glow in his eyes merely burned brighter as he stared intently at the battlefield. Watching again and again, he had to admit that Sovereign Jiuling's command over this technique had grown increasingly proficient and formidable. Infusing firmament qi into dharmic power was truly overbearing in power. In recent years, he had grown adept at controlling the Yuantu Sword, but in turn had neglected the refinement of Crimson Firmament Sword Qi, remaining stalled at around a dozen wisps and long failing to cross into the proficient level. Luo Chen could hardly be blamed for neglecting the cultivation of the *Myriad Firmaments Myriad Transformations Sword Scripture*. After all, from the beginning, his pursuit of this art was merely for better mastery over the Yuantu Sword. As for the Crimson Firmament Sword Qi, strong though it was, it was consumable; unleashing it in battle felt rather wasteful. Seen now, perhaps he had underestimated its upper limit. Weighing his thoughts, Luo Chen resolved to cultivate this sword scripture properly once things settled down. Time slipped by. The battle finally reached its conclusion. With a sudden pull, the nine-colored radiance retracted, revealing the clear sky and bright sun once more. Sovereign Jiuling stood in the void, smiling gently, and raised his hands in a Daoist salute. "Fellow Daoist, thank you for conceding!" Daoist Pengxiang stood in place, his hair bun slightly disheveled, his expression dazed. After a long pause, he nodded with regret. "Poor Daoist has lost. Many thanks to the Sovereign for holding back." Afterward, he flew back serenely to Perfected Shenyuan's side and began speaking in hushed tones. Meanwhile, Sovereign Jiuling also flew back, met by a tsunami of cheers. Two battles, two victories! The Motian Domain now belonged to the Luotian Sect! These low-realm cultivators would not have to participate in a war of cold steel and bloody slaughter. One could say that the two strikes from War Demon Wang Yuan and Sovereign Jiuling had saved everyone from heavy casualties. What came next... Amid Old Ghost Motian's bitter resentment, it was announced that the cultivators of Motian Cliff would withdraw from the Motian Domain and choose another domain for their opening war. Just as the hundred thousand cultivators were about to depart, Luo Chen suddenly spoke. "Fellow Daoist Shenyuan, since there was an agreement for three battles, leaving it unfinished like this is truly a damper on the spirits. What do you think?" The moment these words left his mouth, an absolute hush fell over the multitude. Everyone looked at Luo Chen in disbelief. Two wins out of three—the victory was already secured! Why fight any further? Did he really have to provoke a Great Cultivator? Aboard the treasure ship, the gathered Nascent Soul True Persons called out anxiously. "Dan Sect!" "Brother Luo, why do this?" "Shenyuan is a senior figure; he attained the Dao long before you." "Indeed, he isn't some heavily wounded Commander Seven Rhinos! If you face him, the odds are against you!" Even some Luotian Sect cultivators could not hold back from speaking up in dissuasion. Wang Yuan was bewildered. Luo Chen had never been so reckless; why insist on this course? Sima Huiniang and Gu Caiyi exchanged glances, deep worry written across their faces. Li Yingzhang was even ready to rush forward to talk his sect's Supreme Elder down. If even they reacted this way, how could the other sect cultivators and rogue cultivator factions participating in the opening war not be intensely curious? Was Dan Sect Luo Chen truly so bellicose? In a corner not far from the Luotian Sect cultivators, several dozen people from Azure Pill Valley gathered, murmuring in low voices. "Is that still Dan Chenzi?" "The Luo Chen I know has always been polite and courteous, rarely making enemies of his own accord." "Perfected Shenyuan is a senior, after all; he ought to be accorded some respect. Why must Dan Sect be so unforgiving, insisting on this fight when he has already won?" "And against a higher realm, no less!" Regarding these murmurs, Azure Pill Valley's Sect Master, Master Tao Wan, pursed her lips, her eyes tinged with recollection. Earlier, she had felt that Luo Chen had changed too much, becoming unfamiliar. Yet now, this scene resonated with the memory of Luo Chen leading his host to storm the Yan Alliance all those years ago. "He hasn't changed. He has always been like this!" "Toward those whose strength and influence surpass his own, he holds reverence, but never fear." "And toward those who harbor enmity against him, he never withholds vengeance." "So... just what deep-seated enmity lies between him and Perfected Shenyuan?" Tao Wan tilted her slender neck, gazing from afar at that silhouette. The figure took two more steps forward and raised a single finger high. "One move!" "Shenyuan, how about one move from each of us?" "Or do you dare not even accept that?" After a momentary dead silence, an endless uproar erupted. Amid the clamor, Perfected Shenyuan halted his steps and turned his head to look back at the man who wore a smile, yet whose eyes were like cold, abyssal pools. Beside him, Old Ghost Motian urged repeatedly, "Fight him! Fight him and kill him! This Motian Domain was meant to be your sect's base for opening the Five Elements Domain. Now that the Luotian Sect has claimed it, who knows how high a price your noble sect will have to pay later to gain a foothold? Shenyuan, are you truly willing to yield it so meekly?" Daoist Pengxiang of White Deer Grotto consoled, "There is no need for this. Dan Sect is currently a talent specifically demanded by Mingyuan Sacred Ground. Unless you intend to slay him in full view of everyone and offend the sacred ground, this battle is meaningless." True Person Shenhuo, who had remained quiet all along, moved his lips hesitantly and said, "Senior Brother, our sect's return is imminent. There is no need to court unnecessary complications!" Facing the conflicting voices around him, and facing the countless questioning gazes drawn by his lingering silence, the corners of Perfected Shenyuan's mouth, concealed beneath his black robe, slowly curved upward. "Granted!"