At the very heart of the Medicine King Domain.
This land had once been the mountain gate of a regional hegemon, the Medicine King Sect.
Yet after repeated devastation from demonic uprisings and human strife, it had long since fallen into ruin.
Now, as Nascent Soul powerhouses clashed over the Void-Accumulating Flower, thousands of li in all directions had been leveled flat, leaving behind not a single lesser creature.
When weighed against a chance at breaking through to the Soul Formation stage, the so-called opening war had ceased to matter.
Low-rank demon beasts and low-tier cultivators had retreated, leaving the stage entirely to these living legends.
A grand array sprawled ten li across, sealing off everything within.
Inside, a rolling river of nine-colored light surged and dashed to the left and right, yet no matter how fiercely it struck, it could not breach the defensive perimeter woven from terrifying magical power.
Outside the array.
Three Nascent Soul experts stood together, their expressions exceptionally grave.
With his narrow cheeks and high, domed skull, the Crane Sovereign murmured, "This array is bound together by pure, unadulterated magic power. It isn't particularly intricate, but its genius lies precisely in its unadorned simplicity. Unless someone possesses magic power exceeding the combined might of the five Demon Sovereigns within, breaching it from without is practically impossible."
Master Xianhe placed immense trust in his companion, and facing this seemingly insoluble deadlock, he could not help but sigh.
Had it merely been five ordinary Demon Sovereigns, that would have been one thing.
Yet presiding over the array was Commander Niugui, who possessed the realm of a Great Demon Sovereign!
What ordinary Nascent Soul True Person could surpass him in magic power?
Even a Great Cultivator facing him directly would have to consider the severe backlash from a formation channeling the combined power of Niugui and four other Demon Sovereigns.
Xianhe lamented, "Why must Fellow Daoist Jiuling be so stubborn? The Void-Accumulating Flower isn't even fully ripe yet—what use is snatching it now? It will only cost him his life!"
Qin Baixiang clenched his fists. If his Dusk Monkey were still alive, perhaps he could have attempted to shatter this formation.
Alas, the Dusk Monkey had perished in the war between humans and demons over a decade ago.
He had originally come to assist Sovereign Jiuling in this territorial opening, hoping to use the sovereign's aid to capture and raise one or two demon beasts with superior latent talent. He had never imagined that Sovereign Jiuling would end up trapped like this.
"By the way, where is Lingfengzi?"
Master Xianhe hesitated at the question. "After emerging from the Void-Accumulating Secret Realm, Lingfengzi contacted Danzong and asked him for reinforcements. Now that he's disappeared, could it be..."
Before the words could fully settle, the three turned their heads in unison.
Between heaven and earth, a colossal palm suddenly descended, blotting out the sky.
It was deep azure, its five fingers massive.
Every line and vein was rendered with uncanny vividness, no different from a mortal hand.
To execute a spell to such perfection demonstrated an astonishing level of mastery!
Master Xianhe blurted out, "Danzong is here!"
He could never mistake that familiar aura of magic power!
Watching the titanic handprint roll forward, Qin Baixiang recalled a certain rumor.
Back when Castellan Lingtian had led the six True Persons on a raid into the Blade Dominance Domain, Danzong Luo Chen had used a terrifying palm print as his vanguard.
Wherever it swept, all who stood before it were scattered like dust!
Could this be that very spell?
Probing with his divine sense, Qin Baixiang nodded inwardly. The technique was indeed extraordinarily potent; an ordinary Nascent Soul True Person would find it difficult to withstand head-on.
A moment later, however, he shook his head.
"It's still not enough!"
The Crane Sovereign of the White Crane Sect frowned as well. "Indeed, it falls short. Though this spell is grand and imposing, no matter how powerful it is, it cannot overpower an array erected by five Demon Sovereigns led by Niugui."
Master Xianhe ventured hesitantly, "I heard from Fairy Fenghua that Danzong is somewhat versed in formations. Perhaps he only intends to use this spell to test the depth of the five demons' array?"
Merely testing the waters?
The Crane Sovereign and Qin Baixiang found the explanation plausible.
However!
As the colossal palm surged eastward, vast clouds of spiritual qi swarmed into it like moths to a flame, causing its coercive pressure to grow heavier by the moment.
It covered distance with breathtaking speed—ten li, a hundred li, a thousand li.
A span of three thousand li was crossed in mere dozens of breaths.
When the Qingyang Great Handprint passed over the heads of the three Nascent Soul cultivators, the fierce wind sent their hair and beards whipping wildly. The terrifying pressure caused all three faces to drain of color.
"This palm!"
"It's a technique that builds momentum, growing stronger with every li!"
"Having gathered force for so long, it carries the full weight of a blow from a Great Cultivator!"
Yet could a single strike from a Great Cultivator crack an array formed by a Great Demon Sovereign commanding four ordinary Demon Sovereigns?
The three harbored no doubts about the technique's might, but they doubted the ultimate outcome.
Within the array, the five Demon Sovereigns maintaining the barrier naturally sensed the disturbance outside.
Some grimaced, while others stirred restlessly.
Their leader was a burly, middle-aged man. Casting a cold, indifferent glance upward, he said, "Do not panic. This strike cannot break the formation!"
At these words, the others regained their calm.
Niugui returned his attention to the nine-colored river within the barrier, his brow furrowing once more.
"To think that fusing firmament qi into magic power would grant such power!"
That nine-colored river was born of pure magic power merged with firmament qi.
Its lethal force was staggering; in their first exchange, it had obliterated a mid-stage fourth-rank Demon Sovereign under his command.
Yet as he observed it now, this spell possessed not only immense destructive power, but formidable defensive capabilities as well.
A supreme art uniting offense and defense!
Niugui was sorely tempted. If he could refine Sovereign Jiuling, he would claim not only the Void-Accumulating Flower, but also the cultivation method for this grand technique.
Still, Sovereign Jiuling's magic power was exceedingly profound, barely inferior to his own. To fully refine him would require another day or two.
To prevent unforeseen complications, Niugui decided to press for surrender.
"Fellow Daoist Jiuling, if you willingly hand over the Void-Accumulating Flower and impart the cultivation method of this nine-colored river to me, I will grant you a path of life. Not only that, but I can cede this Medicine King Domain to you, allowing your Nine Spirits Sect to claim this vast territory without shedding another drop of blood!"
From within the river of nine-colored light, Sovereign Jiuling sneered.
"Daydreaming fool! You had better think about how you will withstand Danzong's strike instead!"
"Danzong?" Niugui blinked. The newcomer was Danzong Luo Chen, the one who had wounded Commander Qixi?
In that split second of hesitation, his expression shifted abruptly into shock and fury!
The Qingyang Great Handprint came crashing down!
A proud technique, continually refined and perfected after reaching great circle mastery.
Executed with unhurried composure through hand seals.
Gathering immense momentum across a three-thousand-li journey.
High above the array, Luo Chen slowly pressed down his right palm.
Fused from boundless magic power and spiritual qi, the colossal handprint descended in tandem with his motion.
The thick barrier sealing off the interior groaned with a grating, ear-splitting shriek, as though bending beneath an intolerable weight.
Yet the barrier remained remarkably resilient. Even after being depressed a hundred fathoms deep, it refused to shatter.
Did it still fall a fraction short of breaking through?
Luo Chen's expression remained serene. His pale golden eyes swept over the surroundings, taking in every minute detail of the array.
His free left hand formed a seal and rested casually against his right forearm—a movement almost graceful in its execution!
Bringing two fingers together like a sword, he swept his left hand down the length of his right arm.
Empowered anew, the Qingyang Great Handprint suddenly grew nimble, shifting slightly off-center.
"Break!"
The white-robed Daoist exhaled, his voice ringing out clear and resonant.
The formation's radiant barrier cracked in response, tearing open a massive rift.
The terrifying palm drove straight into the heart of the stronghold!
Boom!
A thunderous roar erupted, mingled with a panicked, agonized shriek.
"Ahhh—!"
A cloud of bloody mist exploded as the weakest of the fourth-rank Demon Sovereigns bore the full brunt of the strike alone.
With that demon's death, the array collapsed instantly.
Released from Luo Chen's control, the vast spiritual qi within the Qingyang Great Handprint burst outward in all directions.
Heaven and earth trembled violently. Through the billowing smoke and haze, several streaks of escape light shot forth.
One streak of nine-colored light flew straight toward Luo Chen, pursued closely by the remaining four demons.
Qin Baixiang, Xianhe, and the others, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer sit still. They sprang into action, unleashing a barrage of spells and magical treasures like driving rain.
Boom!
Bang!
Clang!
Vicious clashes echoed through the void as combatants met at close quarters.
When the dust finally settled, Sovereign Jiuling stood with a severely depleted aura, shielded in the center by Lingfengzi and the three others.
At the very epicenter of the battlefield, two figures stood facing each other.
Niugui rose to his feet. Even in his transformed humanoid form, he stood a full zhang tall.
He glared down at the handsome, young, white-robed man before him, his expression turning solemn.
"You are Danzong Luo Chen?"
Luo Chen withdrew his divine sense from Sovereign Jiuling. The sovereign had merely depleted an excessive amount of magic power; his injuries were not grave.
Looking up at the towering Niugui, Luo Chen smiled faintly.
"Now that the demon race has been defeated, why cling so stubbornly to this place? The Medicine King Domain was originally human territory. Today, it is time to return it."
A flash of rage crossed Niugui's face. "My race was never defeated! It was your treacherous human race that launched a cowardly ambush on Lord Di Tian during the peace talks at Mount Biyou! Furthermore, this Medicine King Domain—and indeed the entire Eastern Desolation—has belonged to our demon race since ancient times. You are the ones who should yield!"
Luo Chen shook his head. Arguing over this was pointless.
When all was said and done, the cultivation world was governed by nothing other than the law of the jungle!
His white robes stirred without a breeze as Luo Chen slowly rose into the sky, his gaze chilling. "So, do you still wish to fight?"
Not backing down an inch, Niugui unleashed the terrifying domain unique to a Great Cultivator, pressing it down toward Luo Chen.
"Have Sovereign Jiuling hand over the Void-Accumulating Flower!"
Behind Luo Chen, a small white flower was tucked into Sovereign Jiuling's belt.
It looked plain and unassuming, yet the latent power within was unforgettable after even a single glance.
This was the ancient, miraculous flower—Void-Accumulating!
To survive, it grew in shattered spaces, feeding on the primal energy within spatial turbulence.
Consequently, sealed storage spaces could not contain such a treasure.
Sovereign Jiuling had been forced to carry it at his waist.
Luo Chen did not look back. Facing the Great Demon Sovereign's Nascent Soul domain, he remained unmoved, his frigid gaze sweeping over Niugui and the three other demons.
"There are four of you now, and six of us. The tables have turned, and the advantage is ours. If we truly fight to the bitter end, it will only result in mutual destruction."
"Yet if you wish to fight, this master will gladly accompany you!"
Niugui laughed in sheer fury. "A mere mid Nascent Soul cultivator dares speak such arrogance! Today, I shall teach you that before a Great Demon Sovereign, numbers are meaningless!"
Before the words had completely left his mouth, Luo Chen struck first.
"Kill!"
A brilliant radiance erupted from the ground as chilling sword qi tore through the earth, transforming into an immense sword array that encircled Niugui.
At the same time, a massive cauldron bore down from the heights of the sky.
Coupled with Luo Chen's own Nascent Soul domain, his self-created Triple Prison manifested once more!
Terrifying sword qi sliced across the four quarters.
Niugui's expression changed. When had this man laid down such a sword array without a sound?
Could it have been when he broke the formation earlier?
With no time to ponder, he let out a furious roar.
"Die!"
A staff of pale bone appeared in his hands, sweeping across to meet the horrifying sword qi rushing at him.
The other three Demon Sovereigns moved as well.
Yet compared to Niugui, their situation was far less comfortable.
Lingfengzi and Qin Baixiang joined forces to hold off one.
Master Xianhe and the Crane Sovereign teamed up to intercept another.
The final Demon Sovereign, who was at the mid fourth rank, was engaged by Sovereign Jiuling, who still retained the strength to fight.
Though Sovereign Jiuling could no longer sustain the Great Nine Heavens Firmament River, his other methods were by no means ordinary.
After locking down his opponent, his sharp eyes swept over the other three battlefields, his resolve set.
"Fellow Daoists, dispatch your foes quickly, then lend Danzong your aid!"
Even without his reminder, Lingfengzi and the others could see that with Luo Chen wielding a blood sword and charging personally into the sword array, fighting Niugui was putting immense pressure on him.
The only course was to finish their own opponents as swiftly as possible so they could turn their attention to supporting Luo Chen.
The Medicine King Domain, having already suffered countless devastations, was engulfed in another calamity today.
Compared to past conflicts, this clash was fiercer still.
The four battlefields began spreading outward; even the peripheral shockwaves were far beyond what ordinary creatures could endure.
If the battle continued, regardless of who emerged victorious, the Medicine King Domain itself would be torn apart.
It might very well become the next Blade Dominance Domain!
...
High in the nine heavens.
Two figures stood within the cloud bank, one slightly behind the other.
The foremost figure was robed in black, his magical fluctuations flickering faintly.
True Person Shenhuo stood half a step behind, looking down with terror etched across his face.
"To think Luo Chen is truly this formidable—holding his own head-on against an enraged Great Demon Sovereign!"
Cloaked in black, Perfected Shenyuan let out a low chuckle. "Did you think anyone who could survive a blow from this old man was merely lucky?"
True Person Shenhuo swallowed hard.
In truth, that had been precisely what he thought before.
Many had believed the same, assuming Luo Chen had merely mastered a single potent divine ability.
Aside from that one ability, they had thought him nothing more than a somewhat capable mid Nascent Soul cultivator, hardly someone who could rival a Great Cultivator.
Yet seeing this unfold, reality proved entirely otherwise.
Simultaneously controlling five sword pellets to deploy a sword array, driving a massive cauldron, and wielding a blood sword—the sheer depth of magic power and foundational strength of soul displayed in these maneuvers far exceeded anything an ordinary mid Nascent Soul cultivator could achieve.
True Person Shenhuo parted his lips, murmuring anxiously, "If this continues, doesn't that mean Luo Chen and his side are certain to win?"
Perfected Shenyuan shook his head. "We are both standing here, so where do you suppose Bi Zheng is?"
Shenhuo's eyes went wide!
"Bi Zheng is going to make a move against Luo Chen?"
"Ao Kuang handed down the order long ago that Luo Chen, having ties to Han Zhan, must be slain to avenge his descendant Ao Xiao. Bi Zheng has followed Ao Kuang the longest. Before retreating to the Million Mountains, he would never let this opportunity slip by."
Perfected Shenyuan spoke indifferently, his eyes fixed on Luo Chen as a look of avarice resurfaced on his face.
"Furthermore, there is someone else who ended up the most frustrated and desperate after the human-demon war!"
Shenhuo trembled all over. By his senior brother's words, was yet another person preparing to strike?
Yet what did any of this have to do with them?
Perfected Shenyuan suddenly pulled back his hood, revealing a face familiar to Shenhuo.
Yet compared to a year ago, that face now bore several traits belonging to Old Ghost Motian.
Shenhuo lowered his head, not daring to look closely.
Perfected Shenyuan let out a mournful sigh. "You must have guessed it back when we were in the Taihu Domain. In truth, Jinling realized it even earlier than you. But absorbing the Nascent Souls of Linmu and the others was an act of absolute necessity. During the battle of Mount Cangwu, my physical body was destroyed by the Nirvana Holy Flame, and my Nascent Soul was on the verge of fading away. Only by absorbing the Nascent Soul magic power of my junior brothers from the same sect could I barely sustain my life."
Keeping his head down, Shenhuo clamped his mouth shut, absolute terror in his eyes, yet he dared not utter a single word.
He was terrified!
Terrified that he would be the next victim!
Perfected Shenyuan's voice droned on.
"Yet after absorbing the Nascent Souls of so many junior brothers sharing my lineage, I have become less and less like myself. Because my magic power has grown impure and chaotic, I have been forced down the path of assimilation into heaven and earth."
"If this continues, I will die!"
"Unless, before my Nascent Soul perishes, I can charge directly into the Soul Formation stage in one breath."
"Yet before I can forcefully attempt that breakthrough, I need a physical body! A truly powerful body!"
"Luo Chen is my perfect vessel!"
"Though I don't know why his five spiritual roots have vanished, leaving only the Fire Spirit Body on display, his physique is the only one in this world capable of bearing my vast and turbulent magic power."
"Now, by using the demon race to deal with him, even if the Mingyuan Sect investigates later, their wrath will not fall upon me."
"As for afterward?"
Perfected Shenyuan cut his words short, shifting his gaze into the distance.
Two streaks of escape light had shed all concealment, their surging auras permeating the heavens as they plunged toward the earth below.
On the ground.
Inside the sword array, Luo Chen was locked in fierce combat with Niugui.
Relying on the Triple Prison, he remained unhindered by his opponent's domain.
Working in concert with the Hunyuan Cauldron, the Yuantu Sword, and the Great Five Elements Sword Array, he managed to battle to a temporary standstill.
This confirmed his earlier deduction: even without employing the Wither-Bloom Dao Finger, he truly possessed the strength to contend against a Great Cultivator.
However, with his magic power draining away at a terrifying rate, he could not maintain this state for long.
No matter!
As soon as Sovereign Jiuling freed his hands, the pressure would ease dramatically.
When that time came...
Luo Chen suddenly sprang backward.
Ignoring the sword qi slashing toward him, Niugui slammed his bone staff violently into the ground and threw his head back in a deafening roar.
Before Luo Chen's very eyes, the demon's body began to shift.
Sharpened horns, a massive ox head, and jagged white bones erupted outward in wild profusion.
"Revealing his true form?"
Luo Chen's brow furrowed tightly. "Did I truly press him that hard?"
In the next instant, his expression changed completely.
Countless white bones surged up from the earth, assembling into a mountain of bone.
In a flash, it shattered his Great Five Elements Sword Array, sealing him inside.
As Luo Chen retreated frantically, the bones continued to sprout, thrusting at him from all directions.
Shifting his massive, bony frame, Niugui reached out and clawed toward him from afar.
Within the mountain of bone, a colossal skeletal hand burst through the ground, grasping at Luo Chen as he darted and wheeled through the air like an evasive bird.
At the same moment, outside the mountain of bone, two overwhelming strikes came crashing in together!
The sudden upheaval brought the intense clashes across the other three battlefields to an abrupt halt.
Sovereign Jiuling, Lingfengzi, and the others looked on in horror, their eyes fixed on the solitary white figure tossed amidst the turbulent storm within that mountain of bone.
Chapter 879