"Is that all?"
At this moment, Luo Chen truly had reached the end of his rope.
Taking a direct blow from three Great Demon Sovereigns had shattered his protective treasure armor and severely damaged his natal magic treasure.
In the intense battle that followed, whether casting divine abilities and spells or unleashing the Yuantu Sword, all of it had drained his magic power on a massive scale.
In particular, the execution of the Wither-Bloom Dao Finger and the two releases of the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire consumed a terrifying amount of magic power, far beyond what those two jars of Golden Wind and Jade Dew could replenish.
At this point, was he any different from being trapped in an absolute dead end?
Yet Heaven never sealed off every path; Luo Chen still had one last card to play!
Yuantu transformed into a streak of bloody light and merged into his right arm, a faint cry of defiance echoing from the awakened sword spirit within.
Luo Chen paid it no mind, crossing his legs and sitting flat on the ground.
Qingshuang was startled. Before she could react, a colossal, bloody maw surged skyward from the snow, swallowing Luo Chen's body whole.
Was that the black dragon?
Wasn't that black dragon Luo Chen's spirit pet? Why would it turn on its master at a moment like this?
Having swallowed Luo Chen, Black King shot a cold glance at Qingshuang, its eyes brimming with madness—as if it were Luo Chen himself staring at her.
Rumble...
With a flexing heave of its body, Black King plunged deep into the earth with Luo Chen.
Qingshuang smiled wryly.
Even Luo Chen's exquisite Fire Escape had failed to elude her tracking; how could the crude Earth Escape of a desolate beast possibly succeed?
With a single step, Qingshuang crossed hundreds of zhang and stomped down heavily.
"Come out!"
Buzz!
An uncanny pulse rippled invisibly outward, centered on her golden lotus-shod feet.
The earth surged, and the snow banked upward into the sky like a tidal wave.
Beneath the force of that stomp, three adjacent great snow mountains collapsed instantly, crashing down with overwhelming momentum.
Crack, crack, crack...
The earth split open, revealing Black King's form. It was frozen deep underground, as though someone had pinned it down right at its vital inch.
It looked up at Qingshuang, panic shining in its eyes—though this time, the expression belonged entirely to the beast itself.
As for Luo Chen?
Boom!
A phoenix wreathed in cyan-white flames burst forth from Black King's maw, hurtling toward Qingshuang.
Wherever it passed, hard rock melted like snow, and the massive wave formed from tens of thousands of zhang of snow was instantly reduced to murky sludge.
The moment she saw the phoenix, Qingshuang was quite surprised, yet not afraid. She struck out with an unadorned punch as before.
Merely a spell...
Yet the next moment, before making contact with the phoenix, Qingshuang abruptly withdrew her hand.
Without hesitation, she pulled back and retreated.
Unlike the fourth-rank Fire Phoenix Prairie Blaze that Luo Chen usually cast, this phoenix seemed imbued with genuine sentience, crying out frenziedly as it charged Qingshuang.
Listening closely, one would notice that the phoenix's cry sounded identical to Luo Chen's furious roar.
Its sudden surge was so swift that an ordinary onlooker could hardly have reacted.
Even Qingshuang was caught slightly off guard, but she managed to retract her strike in the nick of time and melted into the void an instant later.
Boom!
The phoenix exhaled a plume of breath, warping the surrounding void with scorching heat!
Amidst that terrifying breath, faint, pitch-black fissures even flashed into existence within the void.
Yet within those spatial rifts, there was no sign of Qingshuang.
The phoenix hesitated, not daring to enter them.
It circled among the snowy peaks, the three collapsed mountains around it completely evaporated by the searing heat.
Its eyes brimmed with madness and ferocity.
Yet it could not find her!
It could find no enemy!
Possessing immense might, yet having nowhere to unleash it!
From the unseen depths, a sigh rang out.
"Why resort to such a suicidal act?"
"By merging your Nascent Soul into a fifth-rank divine fire, you may direct the attack, but you still cannot find me."
"Come with me to Cangwu. Sister wishes to see you. Rest assured, you will not be harmed."
Sister?
In all the world, who else could Qingshuang refer to as "Sister"?
None other than Monarch Qixia!
Hearing those words, the ferocity in the fire phoenix's eyes gradually faded.
Having forcibly unleashed the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire, the robust little Nascent Soul now appeared languid and frail, looking as though it might collapse at any moment.
In silence, the fire phoenix suddenly plunged back into the depths of the earth.
Moments later, Black King climbed out from the ground, opened its maw, and vomited forth Luo Chen, who stumbled out.
His expression was pale, as if he had suffered a severe drain on his vitality.
Yet his eyes remained exceptionally bright.
Ripples disturbed the void, and the woman in cyan robes stepped forth.
Luo Chen looked over instantly, feeling powerless in his heart.
He said in a low voice, "Why does the Monarch wish to see me?"
Qingshuang said calmly, "She is very interested in you."
Luo Chen gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Does my reputation as an Alchemy Grandmaster carry weight even with the Master of Mount Cangwu?"
Qingshuang shook her head. "No. She merely wants something on you."
Something on him?
Luo Chen was stunned and instinctively asked what it was, but Qingshuang refused to elaborate.
Right then, a splendid flying boat pulled by a three-headed flood dragon flew over from the distance.
The vessel came to a sudden halt, and a young man walked down.
Wearing a white-bone Daoist robe and a high skull crown, his deportment was overflowing with sinister aura.
Yet in front of Qingshuang, that sinister air turned entirely into reverent deference.
"Hall Master, everything is prepared."
Qingshuang nodded, gesturing invitingly to Luo Chen.
"Let us head to the White Bone Dao Palace first. There is a teleportation formation there."
Luo Chen frowned and looked at the newcomer.
He recognized the man; in fact, they had met once before.
Back when Canglong underwent her heavenly tribulation, this was the very person who had stepped in to obstruct her.
The Master of the Great Snow Mountain, the White Bone Mysterious Snake!
Faced with Luo Chen's scrutiny, the White Bone Mysterious Snake gave a sinister smile, even extending his long tongue to lick his lips.
"Hmph!"
Luo Chen snorted coldly and stepped onto the flying boat pulled by the three-headed flood dragon.
The White Bone Mysterious Snake curled his lips. Where did a defeated foe get off acting so haughty?
Qingshuang also walked toward the boat. As she passed the White Bone Mysterious Snake, her delicate, pale lips parted slightly.
She then brushed her arm, and the previously charred patch vanished in an instant before she sat down beside Luo Chen on the boat's divan.
Behind them, the White Bone Mysterious Snake's expression darkened uncertainly.
The words Qingshuang had just spoken still echoed in his mind:
"You are no match for him."
How could that be?!
He was the dignified White Bone Demon Sovereign, the Master of the Great Snow Mountain, the gatekeeper of Mount Cangwu, having attained the Dao nearly a thousand years ago. It was understandable that he was no match for Qingshuang—after all, Hall Master Qingshuang was a peerless prodigy personally tutored by Monarch Qixia.
But what was Luo Chen?
That kid had cultivated for less than three hundred years. How could he, the White Bone Demon Sovereign, not be his match?
He glared viciously at Luo Chen, but Luo Chen had already closed his eyes as though resting, completely ignoring the glare.
Taking a deep breath, the White Bone Demon Sovereign boarded the flying boat. Standing at the bow, he yanked the reins around the neck of the three-headed flood dragon, which had been shivering timidly ever since Qingshuang boarded.
"Move!"
Only then did the three-headed flood dragon dare to stir, pulling the splendid flying boat beneath the moonlight into the depths of the snow mountains.
By dawn, the flying boat landed before a white-bone Dao palace.
Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes. Some color had returned to his pale face, though whether it was the reflection of the morning glow or his recovery, one couldn't tell.
Qingshuang glanced at him and nodded inwardly.
Back then, she had discerned that he possessed a remarkable foundation in body refinement, but she never imagined that after a mere century or so, he would have grown to such an extent.
In just half a night, his physical body had almost completely recovered from the tremendous exhaustion of an intense battle.
His vast vitality and physical toughness rivaled even her Cyan Luan Divine Physique.
It was only because he lacked the means to pierce the void that her previous fight had been so easy.
A century ago, if a Nascent Soul cultivator disrupted the worldly spiritual qi, it might have hindered her from melting into the void. But through a hundred years of relentless cultivation, she had already overcome that weakness.
Now, unless a Deity Transformation almighty personally disrupted the worldly origin qi of an entire domain, no Nascent Soul cultivator under heaven could do anything to her.
Luo Chen did not know what she was thinking. Led by the White Bone Mysterious Snake, he walked step by step to the teleportation formation inside the White Bone Dao Palace.
Looking down at the vaguely familiar array markings, Luo Chen felt a slight stir in his heart.
Back when Han Zhan attempted to use Mount Cangwu's super-large teleportation formation to flee, the coordinates had been locked on the White Bone Dao Palace in the Great Snow Mountain. But due to Mount Cangwu's Great Void Shift, the transmission had gone awry, causing the two of them to end up in the Northern Sea instead.
Later, Han Zhan calculated that the mishap had not only been caused by Mount Cangwu's shift, but also because the teleportation formation at the White Bone Dao Palace had been damaged.
Had it already been repaired?
Weren't they afraid that human grandmasters might trace the formation and infiltrate Mount Cangwu once again?
A moment later, Luo Chen found the thought laughable.
With Monarch Qixia guarding Mount Cangwu, which Deity Transformation grandmaster would dare invade her mountain?
That is, if this Qixia was indeed the Qixia of his conjecture!
"Let us go."
Qingshuang stepped onto the teleportation formation. In silence, Luo Chen followed. The man and woman stood side by side, nearly equal in height.
The man was young and handsome; the woman, tall and aloof. Standing together, they resembled a golden youth and jade maiden, harmonious in every way.
No one would ever imagine they had just been locked in a life-or-death struggle.
Buzz!
Following a pulse of the array, the two figures vanished.
The White Bone Mysterious Snake lingered for a moment before reluctantly leaving the teleportation hall.
In the end, he was merely a gatekeeper.
...
Buzz!
The light of the array flashed and faded, yet the boundless surge of magic power alerted the guards outside.
Before those cultivators could investigate, a figure suddenly flew out.
The cultivators looked at one another in dismay.
"Who was that just now?"
"Could it be one of our sect's Great Cultivators?"
"No, even a Great Cultivator could hardly stir such boundless magic power, let alone rein it in so instantly. Not even Martial Uncle Lei Daozi could achieve that."
"Hiss... Could it be that an ancestor has arrived at Lingtian Pass?"
The great war between humans and demons was drawing to a close, with only the Far East Six Domains left unrecovered.
The main forces of the Mingyuan Sect had largely returned to the sect, and those remaining outside had designated duties; rarely did anyone travel long distances via teleportation formations.
Under such circumstances, why would an ancestor suddenly pay a visit?
In a quiet chamber, Castellan Lingtian, who was silently cultivating to recover from his injuries, suddenly sensed something and his expression changed slightly.
He instinctively went to stand up, but quickly realized something.
"Master?"
A figure slowly manifested in the quiet chamber without alerting any formations.
Ancestor Tianyuan looked at Castellan Lingtian and nodded with a smile.
"It seems you have recovered reasonably well."
Castellan Lingtian gave a wry smile. "Confronting a Deity Transformation almighty with a Nascent Soul body—even an enlightened spirit beast with weak combat methods—is not something we can easily withstand. Were it not for Master's benevolence in leaving healing pills before departing, this disciple would likely have needed another decade to fully recover."
Ancestor Tianyuan shook his head. "Those pills are indeed excellent; after all, Chu Yan left them behind before her departure."
At the mention of Chu Yan, Castellan Lingtian fell silent, not daring to chime in.
This junior sister had once enjoyed immense renown in the Mingyuan Sect, far eclipsing even the three Deity Transformation ancestors.
Inside and outside the sect, virtually everyone knew her name.
Yet after she left the Eastern Desolation to join the Tianyuan Dao Sect, she became a taboo topic within the Mingyuan Sect.
Disciples might discuss her privately, but few dared mention her before the ancestors.
After pondering for a while, he tentatively asked, "Master, why has your... avatar suddenly paid a visit?"
"Oh? You can tell my avatar from my true body now? You've made considerable progress!" Ancestor Tianyuan laughed heartily.
Castellan Lingtian smiled wryly once more. "Having clashed with an almighty being like Immortal Qinghe, I can naturally discern the difference between an avatar and Master's true body."
Ancestor Tianyuan stroked his beard, satisfied. "It seems Senior Brother Yuming was right to have you join that battle. Closing oneself off behind closed doors yields no progress, and fighting weaker opponents only breeds arrogance. Only experts a realm above can spur your growth under immense pressure. Through this battle, our Mingyuan Sect might truly produce a few seeds for Deity Transformation."
Waving his hand, Ancestor Tianyuan turned to business.
"Master came personally today for the successor of your Alchemy Saint junior sister."
"Successor?" Castellan Lingtian looked puzzled, but soon caught on. "You mean Luo Chen?"
The Alchemy Grandmaster about to assume leadership of the Alchemy Saint Hall—who else could be the Alchemy Saint's successor?
Ancestor Tianyuan nodded. "Indeed, him!"
As the two spoke, Castellan Lingtian's expression shifted, showing hesitation.
Ancestor Tianyuan sighed. "Good news rarely leaves the door, but bad news travels thousands of li. It seems word has arrived."
Understanding his elder's meaning, Castellan Lingtian waved in the voice transmission talisman held outside the ward.
Infusing magic power into it, an urgent voice immediately rang out:
"Something happened to the Alchemy Grandmaster!"
Castellan Lingtian's pupils contracted. The transmission came from Gu Hong in the Piaomiao Region, which bordered the Luotian Sect—its credibility was beyond doubt!
He looked instinctively at Ancestor Tianyuan.
The latter acknowledged with a hum, turned, and walked outside.
"Come with me. If any mishap arises, you can lend a hand."
Without hesitation, Castellan Lingtian followed him out, though he was inwardly shaken. What sort of mishap could make even Master so solemn?
Then again, if something had happened to the Alchemy Grandmaster whom the Mingyuan Sect specifically requested, the gravity of the situation had certainly surpassed the level of ordinary Nascent Soul True Persons.
The two figures quietly exited the pass.
Passing by the Bikong Region, Ancestor Tianyuan paused as he gazed at the environment, permeated with golden light and radiating chilling cold to the touch.
"We departed in haste before and lacked the time to clean up this battlefield. I did not expect the aftermath of Di Tian's fall to keep spreading."
"Once Immortal Qinghe is preliminarily refined, I will have to step in and purge the lingering True Meaning of the Law here. Otherwise, within a century, it will likely spill over into the surrounding areas."
Castellan Lingtian asked curiously, "Why not follow Junior Brother Zhang's example and dispatch a disciple cultivating a Metal-attribute technique to comprehend the True Meaning of the Law here? I think Junior Brother Chongxuan would be quite suitable, and this would be a great blessing for him."
Ancestor Tianyuan frowned. "That is an opportunistic path. Comprehending the True Meaning of the Law through such means makes future ascension to Deity Transformation exceptionally arduous."
"But what about Junior Brother Zhang?"
"He is different. He originally belongs to Bai Ye's lineage; their cultivation techniques share the same origin, converging in the Great Dao. Not only was his comprehension smooth as a fish in water, but the bottleneck he faces in future breakthroughs will also be relatively smaller. Even so, it will still be far more difficult than comprehending the True Meaning of the Law through normal means."
At this point, Ancestor Tianyuan turned back to Castellan Lingtian and offered earnest advice:
"Little Ye, you must not take shortcuts!"
Castellan Lingtian's original name was Ye Lingtian, but leave aside calling him "Little Ye"—for so many years, few even dared address him directly by name.
Only his master could call him that.
Yet this also showed his master's heartfelt desire to instruct him.
Castellan Lingtian bowed respectfully. "Little Ye will remember."
Ancestor Tianyuan stroked his beard in gratification. Among his many disciples, Ye Lingtian was not the most gifted, but his character and temperament were the finest.
Coupled with his open, magnanimous conduct and enthusiasm for making friends, over the years he had not only attained the late Nascent Soul stage, but also enjoyed immense goodwill both inside and outside the sect.
Once things settled at Lingtian Pass, he might be allowed to return to the sect for secluded bitter cultivation to make an attempt at the Deity Transformation realm.
Once successful, Senior Brother Yuming would likely pass the position of Sect Master to Ye Lingtian!
Unlike ordinary forces, the position of Sect Master in the Five Great Sacred Grounds of the Mountain Sea Realm was almost always held personally by Deity Transformation almighties, rarely delegated to low-stage cultivators.
Because they possessed immense lifespans and formidable power, retaining the position of Sect Master over the long term brought greater stability both within and beyond the sect.
For the sacred ground of a continent, stability took precedence over everything!
"Let us go. First, we head to the Luotian Region. Lin Yonghua and Gu Hong have already been notified and are waiting for us there."
"I heard Luo Chen even had a son?"
Chapter 883