"Senior Sister, go take the final step to shatter your core and form your nascent soul. Leave the rest to me!"
The man whose back was turned toward Canglong spoke with an undeniable calm and absolute confidence.
Canglong stared at his back with complex emotions. Within her autumn-water eyes, there was shock as well as a trace of reverence.
Against that third wave of heavenly lightning, which she had been utterly powerless to resist, he had obliterated it using nothing more than his bare fists.
The power he displayed here far exceeded anything she could have imagined.
The young man who had once needed her guidance and protection had unwittingly grown into a towering tree fully capable of sheltering her.
She did not doubt Luo Chen’s words, murmuring only a worried "Be careful" before floating down from the sky.
The Moonlight Ice Fort stood within the cave dwelling, and Canglong stepped inside.
Within her qi sea, the sound of cracking came from her golden core as fissure after fissure surfaced across it.
A vast surge of dense spirit qi from the outside world poured into her body. Gradually, a tender, pink baby girl stretched her tiny arm out from the golden core.
The three treasures united into one, shattering the core to form the nascent soul.
Once this step was crossed, another Nascent Soul True Person would be born into this world.
Meanwhile, in the outside world.
The moment Luo Chen revealed himself, an uproar resounded in all directions.
It was not that they recognized Luo Chen’s true identity—after all, he had disguised his appearance.
Rather, what Luo Chen had done simply shattered all common sense.
When a cultivator underwent tribulation, what was feared most was the "interference" of others.
This word "interference" did not merely mean an enemy attack.
Helping someone through tribulation was also interference, and its repercussions were far more severe than any hostile strike.
An enemy attack would only divide the tribulation-taker's focus and defenses.
Helping someone, however, would cause the heavenly tribulation to perceive that the cultivator was inadequate and attempting to cheat their way through, thereby dramatically escalating the lightning’s punitive fury.
Back when Luo Chen underwent his own tribulation, his foundation had been so terrifyingly profound that it drew a heavenly tribulation rarely seen in this world. Black King had wanted to intervene back then, only to be barked down by Han Zhan for precisely this reason.
Yet Luo Chen had clearly been involved from start to finish.
And against all odds, he had succeeded!
Those nine lightning bolts had each carried the force of a peak blow from an early Nascent Soul cultivator.
Yet beneath his fists, every single one had shattered.
This meant he possessed strength far transcending an early Nascent Soul cultivator.
Could he be even beyond the mid Nascent Soul stage?
Gazing at the back of the man standing proudly in the void and looking down on the oppressive tribulation clouds, countless onlookers swallowed hard, trying to soothe the pounding excitement in their hearts.
Such might could only belong to a grand cultivator!
Could this Nascent Soul old monster be one of the late Nascent Soul grand cultivators of the Eastern Desolation who had been renowned for centuries?
People analyzed his techniques, his demeanor, and his bearing, attempting to match him with known grand cultivators.
Yet no matter how they analyzed it, none fit.
At the height of its prosperity, the Eastern Desolation had boasted many grand cultivators. The Mingyuan Sect alone had openly claimed at least six or seven, while the other Nascent Soul upper sects collectively possessed another five or six.
However, following the two-century human-demon war and the destruction of the Mingyuan Sect, only a handful of ancient monsters remained renowned across the land:
The Grand Elder of the Dongyang Sect, Tianduzi of the Tiandu Sect, and Perfected Shenyuan of the Five Elements Divine Sect.
Yet not one of them matched the figure before them.
"Then who on earth is he?"
Amid the crowd's rampant speculations, the man moved.
Five rays of light flew out from his body, streaking straight into the thunderclouds.
Accompanying them was a copious flow of golden liquid.
The man’s fingers fluttered in rapid succession, continuously casting incantation seals. His posture was elegant and seasoned, his bearing calm and composed.
Someone murmured hesitantly, "Is he... refining artifacts?"
As soon as these words were uttered, the entire crowd erupted in commotion!
Normal cultivators avoided the punitive thunder of heavenly tribulations like the plague.
Not only had this old monster helped someone through their tribulation, but he was actually attempting to use the heavenly tribulation to forge treasures?
With such a heaven-defying act, was he not afraid of incurring the wrath of heaven and earth?
Just as the crowd thought, Luo Chen’s actions had utterly enraged the heavenly tribulation.
The thunderclouds, already unimaginably heavy, began to churn violently.
Silver-white arcs of lightning surged forth densely like spiderwebs, casting a snowy-white brilliance across the dimmed world.
Its fury was mounting; its terrifying might was rising!
Reflected in the lightning's glow, Luo Chen’s slightly pale face turned solemn.
*Helping Canglong cross the tribulation was already an act of defiance.*
*Now I've used this tribulation's power to temper five sword pellets, attempting to advance three of them to the level of True Artifacts so I can complete the Great Five Elements Sword Formation.*
*Judging by this, things won't end peacefully today.*
Luo Chen pursed his lips. Though his expression was grave, there was no fear in his eyes.
The bolder the man, the greater the harvest.
Without taking a bit of risk, how could he expect to reap three True Artifact sword pellets in one breath?
He had even poured in the Nine Yang Gengjin he had treasured for years. Failure was simply not an option this time!
At this moment, the five sword pellets darted through the thunderclouds like swift fish.
The Nine Yang Gengjin fused into them, rendering their edges incomparably sharp.
As the sword pellets extended and flexed, they shifted between flowing silk and taut steel wire, extraordinarily nimble.
The heavenly tribulation ignored these inanimate objects, focusing all its fury directly on Luo Chen.
After relentlessly gathering its strength, an anomaly finally manifested within the thunderclouds.
A claw slowly reached out from the depths of the clouds.
The claw had five talons, both savage and majestic.
The instant he saw the claw, Luo Chen’s heart leapt into his throat.
"A shapeshifting thunder beast!"
Before he could ponder further, a roar shook the thunderclouds in unison.
A streak of golden light burst forth from the black clouds, plunging toward Luo Chen with unimaginable speed.
It was a dragon!
It had no wings, but from its rabbit eyes and stag horns to its eagle claws and fish scales, any cultivator with even a shred of common knowledge would recognize it as the great dragon of mythical lore!
Moreover, it was a five-clawed golden dragon.
A five-clawed thunder dragon formed purely of golden lightning!
Facing this threat, Luo Chen was utterly fearless. The spell he had been gathering for so long unleashed abruptly.
"Roar!"
The same furious roar erupted from his own mouth.
A massive crimson dragon roared forth from his body, hurtling straight toward the golden thunder dragon.
Initially, the crimson flame dragon’s aura could not compare to that of the golden thunder dragon. But as it flew, an enormous quantity of worldly origin qi poured into it, causing its body to swell exponentially.
Particularly here in Shangyou Waste City, a vast amount of residual fire-attribute spirit qi lingered from Monarch Qixia’s wrathful strike.
Under the flame dragon’s pull, all of it gathered like a torrential tide.
Aided by the terrain, the flame dragon’s might surged, equaling the golden thunder dragon in the blink of an eye and even threatening to overpower it.
All of this took time to describe, but in truth, it transpired in a flash.
In less than a single thought, an incomparably dazzling halo exploded in the void.
Heaven's thunder met earth's fire, and destructive power rippled in all directions with unfathomable velocity.
The hundred li of land beneath Luo Chen's feet suffered a catastrophic blow.
*Boom!*
The already fragile ruins of the city suffered yet another devastating battering in the massive explosion.
Ge Wangji’s cave dwelling turned to powder in an instant.
Only the Moonlight Ice Fort stood firm amid the debris, emitting a hazy white glow.
Luo Chen glanced at the ice fort, his heart easing.
Then he looked back up at the heavy thunderclouds in the sky.
He beckoned with his hand!
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Like young swallows returning to their nest, five streaks of light flew back and were swallowed into his abdomen in a single gulp.
Then, Luo Chen watched the clouds with cold eyes.
This heavenly tribulation, just as he had expected, was ultimately judged based on the tribulation-taker’s strength.
Furthermore, Luo Chen’s true cultivation realm had only barely advanced to the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul stage after assimilating his comprehension of the fire origin.
With both factors combined, the intensity of the lightning tribulation just now had reached a level that only grand cultivators could handle.
Logically speaking, it should have been enough to obliterate both Canglong and Luo Chen.
Yet even though Luo Chen was merely at the sixth layer of Nascent Soul, the combat strength he could unleash was not inferior to an ordinary grand cultivator.
That was why the golden shapeshifting lightning tribulation had failed to harm him in the slightest.
"Is there more?"
Murmuring softly, Luo Chen remained intently focused, his divine sense tracking every shift within the thunderclouds.
Having come away empty-handed once more, the heavenly tribulation seemed even more infuriated.
Within the clouds, transformations churned unceasingly.
Beyond the golden lightning, flashes of purple and black electricity began to weave in and out.
Yet in the end—
*Whoosh...*
As a gust of wind blew across the sky, the vast thunderclouds slowly dispersed.
Beneath the clear and bright sky, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
Those low-stage cultivators hiding far in the distance felt as though they had witnessed an illusion.
A few reckless individuals even began rushing toward Old Monster Ge’s cave dwelling.
"I'm on fairly good terms with Old Monster Ge; perhaps I can latch onto his coattails."
"For an expert of this caliber to borrow an unclaimed land to cross tribulation, he must be a lone cultivator without a major sect. If I can enter his tutelage, I'll have someone to protect me when I make my push for the Nascent Soul stage in the future."
...
Luo Chen cared nothing for what they were thinking.
At this moment, Luo Chen had Canglong and Ge Wangji aboard the Frost Eagle Shuttle, soaring high above the azure expanse.
"Seniors, please talk among yourselves. Call on me if you need anything."
Ge Wangji bowed respectfully and took his leave.
Canglong glanced at his departing figure and clicked her tongue in praise. "He’s quite a good seed!"
"Anyone who can survive the human-demon war possesses some extraordinary traits. Even if it was just luck, that alone proves he has fortune on his side," Luo Chen said with a smile.
Then his expression turned solemn.
"I'm sorry, Senior Sister. You've only just broken through and haven't had time to consolidate your realm, yet you must travel with me."
"It doesn't matter; there's no rush."
Canglong brushed back a strand of hair from her cheek, revealing a gentle smile.
A turbulent aura of magic power radiated from her body—a sign that her realm had not yet stabilized, the barrier of her Purple Mansion was not fully formed, and her nascent soul was still softly resonating with heaven and earth.
Just as human breath creates faint currents of air, the resonance between a nascent soul and the outside world created ripples of magic power.
Whenever one broke through a realm, the most critical step was to consolidate it so that the fluctuations would settle.
Canglong knew that the ruins of Shangyou Waste City were hardly a suitable place to stabilize her foundation, but she wondered why Luo Chen had headed eastward instead of returning to the Alchemy Saint Blessed Land.
Facing her puzzled look, Luo Chen gave a flick of his wrist.
A jade slip was faintly pulsing with light.
"A transmission from an old friend. I must go see him."
"An old friend?"
"Yes. Old Fu of the Divine Talisman Sect. You've likely heard of him?"
"So it's that old gentleman! Not only have I heard of him, but I was fortunate enough to meet him once in my youth. I never expected your relationship with him would run so deep."
"When you interact often enough, the friendship naturally deepens. It's just that this reunion will likely be our final meeting."
Luo Chen sighed wistfully, his hand gripping the jade slip growing somewhat heavy.
Years ago, after the Luotian Sect's opening war concluded and before the Nine Spirits Sect and the Divine Talisman Sect began their own, Luo Chen had given Sovereign Jiuling and Old Fu each a transmission jade slip that could reach him directly.
They represented a promise: in times of dire peril, each could call upon him for aid once.
Sovereign Jiuling had used hers during the war in the Medicine King Domain.
As for Old Fu, his lifespan was drawing to a close, which was why he had contacted Luo Chen in hopes of seeing him one last time.
That message had arrived two years ago.
At that time, Luo Chen had only just comprehended the true meaning of law and was in the crucial phase of digesting origin qi and tempering his magic power, making it impossible to see him immediately.
Furthermore, he had also secretly harbored concerns that cultivators from the Tianyuan Dao Sect might use the occasion to lure him into the open.
Visiting two years later, he did not know if he would still be in time, but at least some risks could be avoided.
Canglong blinked, guessing the gist of the situation.
Knowing Luo Chen's deeply loyal and upright character, a so-called "final meeting" would never mean severing ties.
That meant Old Fu had likely reached the very end of his life.
That was the true meaning of a "final meeting."
She offered comfort: "This is simply the way of cultivation for our kind. No matter how magnificent your brilliance or how stunning your age, if you cannot attain longevity, you will ultimately end as a handful of yellow soil. There is truly no need to grieve."
Luo Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Senior Sister is right. I was being overly sentimental."
Hearing Luo Chen address her as 'Senior Sister' once again, Canglong could not help but feel helpless.
"Seeing how even that heavenly tribulation couldn't touch you, what realm are you actually in now?"
Luo Chen answered truthfully, "The sixth layer of the Nascent Soul stage. I broke through not too long ago."
Though she had suspected Luo Chen’s realm was high, she had never imagined it would be this high!
Canglong felt a momentary daze.
"Back when you left the Ice Fort, weren't you only in the Foundation Establishment stage?"
"During all those years I was asleep, just how much happened, and how much did you go through? Waking up feels like everything in the world has changed."
Luo Chen sighed emotionally. "Senior Sister..."
"Stop!" Canglong abruptly raised her hand, pressing a finger against Luo Chen’s lips. "Either call me by my name or call me Junior Sister. I can by no means bear the title of 'Senior Sister' from you anymore."
Feeling the warm breath from the man beneath her fingertip, Canglong suddenly realized how improper it was and instinctively withdrew her slender, jade-like finger.
She averted her gaze out the shuttle's window toward the magnificent sea of stars across the azure sky.
Luo Chen smiled faintly and said naturally, "Junior Sister, you followed my soul avatar out of that Dream Illusion Foam Shadow. Do you truly not know what I went through?"
Canglong shook her head. "It was too indistinct."
"Very well. The journey is long and there is nothing else to do, so let me tell you about my humble yet tumultuous half of a lifetime!"
With a touch of playfulness and a hint of nostalgia, Luo Chen began to speak of the past.
There were many things he could not tell those close to him, lest they worry.
Yet Canglong was different.
In the past, their relationship had been half teacher, half friend.
Now their roles were reversed, yet they remained both teacher and friend.
Speaking to her of memories long sealed away was no burden at all.
It would also give her a general understanding of the present state of the cultivation world.
"All of this has to start from the Luoyun Sect's opening war!"
...
Across the azure firmament, the shuttle drifted like a tiny firefly.
Beneath the starlight, the man and woman conversed in low, murmuring tones, enveloped in harmonious warmth.
Only when the moon sank and the stars faded did their quiet voices come to an end.
In its place arose an aged voice, long unheard over the passing years.
"You've finally come."
Chapter 927