“A living creature!”
Confronting that pair of blood-red eyes, Luo Chen recognized the foe in an instant.
It was not one of the ghostly entities roaming everywhere throughout the Netherworld Abyss, but a living, breathing creature. The imposing aura radiating from its frame was not in the least inferior to that of Black King.
If that had been all, Luo Chen would not have feared such an existence given his own strength.
Yet this was the Netherworld Abyss!
Once a battle broke out, it was bound to draw the attention of other terrifying entities, and Luo Chen’s fate would then become dire.
“How could any living creature still survive in such a desolate place?”
Puzzled, Luo Chen slowly backed away, indicating that he harbored no hostility.
Yet as he retreated, the creature pressed forward.
Surging waves rolled in as the owner of those blood-red eyes revealed its true form.
Its back was broad as a continent, greenish-yellow and thick, rounded overall yet distinct with hard edges and angles upon closer look.
It possessed a slender neck reminiscent of a giraffe, yet also like a colossal python.
*A tortoise and a snake combined?*
At the sight, Luo Chen froze.
A thought struck him. *Could it be...*
“It’s the Lu family’s black turtle from Mingyuan!”
In a single breath, Luo Chen recognized it.
At the same time, he understood why a living creature could endure in the Netherworld Abyss, where life could scarcely survive.
It was because this beast had grown up here since its youth. Due to the extreme environment, its metamorphosis had remained incomplete, preventing its tortoise and serpent forms from separating fully.
Right then, the colossal black turtle hurtled toward Luo Chen with overwhelming momentum, its eyes blazing with bloodlust.
This time, Luo Chen did not retreat.
Exhaling to gather his focus, he slowly pushed out a single palm.
*Boom!*
The two collided, and violent force erupted outward from the point of impact, tearing in all directions and churning up wave after fierce wave.
Yet these massive waves, capable of shattering mountains and crumbling boulders, were nothing more than light ripples before the two combatants.
Luo Chen pressed a single hand against the creature’s pointed, triangular head, horrifying strength bursting ceaselessly from his flesh and blood.
Unwilling to show weakness, the black turtle’s rigid head suddenly softened. Its long neck coiled with astonishing agility into the air, snapping down toward Luo Chen with gaping jaws.
It wanted to swallow him whole!
At that exact instant, Luo Chen’s aura surged without reservation.
His source blood roiled and the Xuanchen Armor materialized over his body, releasing an aura that shared the exact same lineage and origin as the black turtle.
“Junior, how dare you act so insolently!”
The roar of a superior echoed, causing the black turtle’s gaping maw to freeze midair.
In its blood-red eyes, caution, confusion, and a sudden awakening mingled together.
Suddenly!
*Wuuu...*
A ghostly wail detonated violently.
The piercing, shrill shriek was sharp enough to make anyone’s soul swoon into unconsciousness.
The next moment, a streak of pitch-black light darted out from the crown of the black turtle’s head, lunging straight for Luo Chen with blinding speed.
Throughout this assault, Luo Chen seemed utterly unaffected by the soul shock of the ghostly cry.
The Mountain Peace Crown upon his head shed a hazy golden glow, while the Xuanchen Armor around him cast a protective yellow energy barrier. In his eyes, illusions of Mirror Flower Water Moon and the towering shadows of spectral pavilions flickered.
Yet that black streak tore through with equal impunity, piercing through the golden light and the energy barrier in quick succession to reach Luo Chen’s flesh, slowed only for the briefest heartbeat by the illusions.
Yet that single heartbeat gave Luo Chen all the time he needed to react.
“Out!”
In the next instant, two flames erupted simultaneously from Luo Chen’s Purple Mansion.
One burned in hues of azure and white; the other blazed with pure, flawless gold.
*Boom!*
In a flash, Luo Chen transformed into a figure of pure fire.
As though it had witnessed the most terrifying sight imaginable, the black light recoiled frantically, desperate to flee.
After casting a terrified glance at Luo Chen, it plunged directly into the depths of darkness.
Only then did Luo Chen exhale a long sigh of relief, though the lingering dread in his heart refused to dissipate.
“That was...”
Luo Chen murmured hoarsely, “The Yuan-Devouring Beast?”
Although it possessed neither physical flesh nor a solid form, Luo Chen could never forget the aura it radiated.
It was unmistakably Gao Chang—the ghost minion unleashed by the ancient demon Di Tian to ravage the cultivation realm of the Eastern Desolation all those years ago!
Its original form was an exotic breed of desolate beast known as the Yuan-Devouring Beast, which fed on the worldly yuan qi and craved the dao fruits of cultivators above all else. Whether it was a Golden Core or a Nascent Soul, both were its favorite delicacies.
Countless Nascent Soul fellows had fallen into the belly of that ghost minion.
Jinling, who had once fought side by side with Luo Chen, had his Nascent Soul swept away and devoured by this very beast. Jinling’s abandoned body had subsequently been refined by Luo Chen into a surrogate puppet, which ultimately took the fatal strike from Ancestor Heize in Luo Chen's stead.
“Why would that creature be here?”
While Luo Chen pondered in bewilderment, the black turtle parted the waters and approached him.
Its triangular head leaned close, gently nudging him.
The gesture was tender and affectionate, as though currying favor with an elder.
Luo Chen looked down to see that its eyes had cleared completely, devoid of the blood-red frenzy from before.
“You were possessed by that ghost minion and forced to attack me, weren't you?”
The black turtle let out a low bellow, its tone filled with grievance.
Luo Chen reached out and stroked its smooth head. “It’s fine now. I don’t blame you. Going forward, you should...”
He trailed off mid-sentence.
The Ming Water in the Netherworld Abyss possessed immense corruptive power, and relying solely on his own mana would make crossing it an arduous trial.
Above the water, spatial rifts appeared unpredictably alongside heavenly thunder strikes, making the airspace even more hazardous than the abyss itself!
This beast had grown up here since its infancy and was entirely immune to the foul corruption of the Ming Water.
Long before Luo Chen’s arrival, it had served the cultivators of Mingyuan as the premier mount to ferry passengers between the two shores.
If he could use it for travel, crossing the Netherworld Abyss would save him vast amounts of strength and hasten his journey considerably.
“In that case, give me a ride!”
Luo Chen leaped onto the black turtle’s broad back.
“Take me back along the path I once came. Do you still remember it?”
The black turtle called out in an affirmative tone.
It retained a deep memory of Luo Chen, viewing him as an elder of its own clan who had simply pursued the human path of transformation.
Now that an elder requested its aid, it was only natural to comply.
Besides, its earlier offense had been exceedingly rude, and it felt a keen need to make amends.
The giant turtle whipped its neck around, churning up countless sprays of Ming Water, and carried Luo Chen toward the opposite shore.
By now, the pavilions, courtyards, and grand halls that had once rested upon its back were entirely gone, revealing its most primitive, rugged shell.
Luo Chen felt no discomfort, sitting cross-legged as he allowed the black turtle’s origin power to envelop him.
Deep in thought, his eyes drifted.
*In the battle of the Bikong Region, Di Tian fell and perished, Qinghe Xian was captured and brought back to Mingyuan to be suppressed, and the other participants in the negotiations fled or scattered.*
*I assumed Gao Chang had died there as well, but that was evidently not the case.*
*During its captivity, it was bound by the methods of a Mingyuan Sect ancestor—how could it possibly escape? Furthermore, rumors claimed Di Tian sought to cultivate this ghost minion to the Soul Formation stage to serve as his external incarnation. How could the Mingyuan ancestors remain indifferent to such a divine weapon? They must have brought it back here.*
*I can even guess which ancestor sought to refine it into an avatar—it had to be Ancestor Tianyuan, who was most adept in the dao of avatars.*
*Yet as Ancestor Tianyuan fed his body to the ghosts and triggered the Jade Shatter Restriction, the ghost minion unexpectedly gained its freedom instead.*
*Judging by its chaotic state, however, its sentience was likely erased by Ancestor Tianyuan, leaving only the raw instinct to attack cultivators.*
*Right now, it is like a blank sheet of paper. If it could be captured and refined into an avatar...*
At this thought, Luo Chen could not help feeling tempted.
Having experienced that brief clash with Ancestor Heize, he understood the value of an avatar better than anyone.
Such an asset could assist in cultivation, handle trivial matters, and provide unpredictable advantages in battle or when substituting for one’s life at critical moments.
Looking back along his cultivation journey, everyone who possessed an avatar boasted first-rate survivability.
Whether it was Han Zhan, the Blood Hermit, Shi Ju, Ancestor Tianyuan, or others.
It mattered not whether their avatars were puppets, Blood God Children, or forged through supreme divine abilities.
In short, an avatar was an invaluable treasure!
Yet Luo Chen held this thought for only a fleeting moment before forcefully suppressing it.
Setting aside how dangerous that ghost minion born of the Yuan-Devouring Beast was—forcing him to deploy both the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire and the Nirvana Holy Fire purely on instinct—the boundless abyss alone made finding its hiding place virtually impossible.
“A treasure that even almighty experts dreamed of... how could I covet it so easily at my current level?”
Luo Chen shook his head. Sitting on the turtle’s back, he took a sip of spirit wine to swiftly replenish his mana.
The journey ahead would hardly be peaceful; he needed to maintain his peak condition at all times.
***
Half a year later.
A dark-skinned young man clad in black robes stood before an expanse of ruins.
A look of disbelief filled his eyes.
“This is Shangyou Immortal City?”
A figure rushed out from within the ruins. Hearing the young man’s soft murmur as he dashed past, he came to an abrupt halt.
“Even the Mingyuan Sacred Land was destroyed, let alone a mere Shangyou City.”
The black-robed young man glanced at him, discovering that the newcomer was a Core Formation cultivator.
Conveniently, the mana fluctuation Luo Chen displayed at that moment was also suppressed to the Core Formation stage.
Cupping his hands, Luo Chen asked humbly, “I am Gui Xuan, a loose cultivator.”
The middle-aged man descended from midair, looking slightly surprised. “A loose cultivator at the Core Formation stage?”
After a moment, he let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
Indeed, with demon calamities and perilous wars raging throughout recent years, many towering sects and sacred lands had crumbled into dust. Vast numbers of loose cultivators who had previously suffered from a lack of cultivation resources had seized the opportunity to soar to prominence.
The Core Formation stage was no longer an unattainable peak.
Cupping his hands, he introduced himself: “Shen Qiuhua, of the Jianchuan Shen family.”
Luo Chen looked blank for a brief moment before seeming to recall something. “Could it be the Jianchuan Shen family situated next to Shenyuan City in the Dongyang Region?”
Surprised, Shen Qiuhua asked, “You actually know of my humble Shen family, Fellow Daoist?”
Luo Chen waved his hand. “The Shen family can hardly be called humble. Your family patriarch, Shen Qiubai, shone brilliantly during the war between humans and demons at Lingtian Pass. He was hailed as having great promise for the Nascent Soul stage and a boundless future. If Patriarch Shen breaks through, you will also have the hope of carving out a domain and founding your own sect in the future.”
The reason he remembered this was because Mount Shouyang Hermit of the Dongyang Sect had hosted the Shouyang Discourse years ago.
The majority of participants had not been Nascent Soul True Persons, but rather Core Formation experts gathered from across the lands.
Mount Shouyang Hermit often placed items that Nascent Soul True Persons could not trade away among the Core Formation cultivators to sell at listed prices. This not only resolved the awkwardness of Nascent Soul True Persons struggling to sell surplus goods, but also served to attract crowds.
Among them, Shen Qiubai’s name had reached Luo Chen’s ears as well.
He had been considered an outstanding figure among the Core Formation experts of that era.
“Shen Qiubai is indeed my elder brother!”
Mentioning his patriarch, Shen Qiuhua beamed with pride.
Then, gesturing toward the ruins behind him, he asked, “Is this Fellow Daoist Gui’s first time visiting?”
Luo Chen nodded. “I heard of great changes at the Mingyuan Sacred Land and wanted to assess the situation, never expecting that even the renowned Shangyou Immortal City would be reduced to ruins. I can hardly imagine what kind of power could possess such city-shattering might. After all, I heard this city was guarded by several Nascent Soul True Persons year-round.”
At this mention, Shen Qiuhua could not help but sigh.
“What other power could it be? It was merely the doing of the last ancient demon of the Eastern Desolation.”
“The last ancient demon of the Eastern Desolation?” Luo Chen feigned bewilderment.
Shen Qiuhua frowned slightly. How could this fellow daoist be utterly ignorant of news known across the realm?
Yet recalling the man’s status as a loose cultivator, he felt it was only natural for him to be ill-informed.
He explained, “Her name is Monarch Qixia, and her true form is the divine phoenix!”
Luo Chen feigned profound shock, though clarity washed over his heart.
*It truly was her!*
*To think that after leaving the Netherworld Abyss, she vented her fury upon Shangyou Immortal City.*
*Who knew how many low-tier cultivators had suffered such an unwarranted disaster?*
Curious, he asked, “I saw you emerging from within just now. What were you doing?”
Shen Qiuhua laughed wryly. “Just rummaging through the rubble for scrap. Nothing to boast about.”
Luo Chen chuckled. “I used to do such things often in the past. There is no need to feel embarrassed, Fellow Daoist.”
Shen Qiuhua gave a natural smile. In his understanding, loose cultivators indeed lived that way.
At this very moment, within the ruins of Shangyou, many low-tier loose cultivators were risking their lives to scavenge through the wreckage.
Perhaps someone might stumble upon the remnants of a mighty expert, using them to advance their cultivation or even break through their bottlenecks.
“Brother Shen, how much more do you know regarding Monarch Qixia?” Luo Chen asked with interest.
Shen Qiuhua was inclined to explain, but glancing at the sky, a look of hesitation crossed his face.
Seeing this, Luo Chen offered politely, “If it is inconvenient, then forget I asked.”
Shen Qiuhua pondered for a moment, scrutinizing Luo Chen once more.
“Fellow Daoist Gui Xuan, if you don’t mind, why not come to my Shen family as a guest? We can trim the lampwicks and talk through the night.”
Luo Chen paused. “Jianchuan? That must be three to five days’ journey from here, isn’t it?”
If he remembered correctly, the Shen family of Jianchuan was located beside Shenyuan City, the former stronghold of the Tianyuan Business Alliance in the Dongyang Region.
Though not excessively far, it was by no means close either.
Given the flight speed of a Core Formation cultivator...
At that moment, Shen Qiuhua’s expression darkened with sorrow. “The Shen family has long since left Jianchuan.”
“Oh?”
“That place—in fact, the entirety of the Dongyang Region—has been seized by the Tianyuan Dao Sect. Everyone, including the overlord of the Dongyang Region, the Dongyang Sect, has been driven out. We are nothing more than stray dogs now.”
Just as Shen Qiuhua expected, an expression of profound astonishment appeared on Luo Chen’s face.
It was an unvarnished shock, born of complete caught-off-guard disbelief.
Chapter 915