When Perfected Shenyuan's physical body was destroyed and his Nascent Soul forcibly initiated Soul Formation, countless strands of heaven-and-earth primordial qi were drawn toward him, coalescing into a surging tide that converged upon his being.
Wherever the tide swept, the void trembled and the earth convulsed like a churning dragon. Ancient formations binding the spirit veins shattered one after another, unleashing vast currents of pure spiritual qi into the swelling tempest.
High above the nine heavens, sudden fierce gales tore through endless banks of clouds.
Caught in the tempest, the Frost Eagle Shuttle tossed and swayed like a lone skiff adrift on a boundless ocean, battered by howling winds and violent surges.
Inside the shuttle, Canglong's face went deathly pale, disbelief filling her eyes.
Could a Nascent Soul cultivator truly unleash such a celestial upheaval?
Having only recently formed her Nascent Soul, she had not even had time to stabilize her realm; her understanding of this stage was still too shallow.
Yet even a veteran Nascent Soul cultivator like Old Fu was shaken to the core at this sight.
"Madness!"
"Shenyuan has gone mad!"
"Even with his body destroyed and his Nascent Soul shattered, he still had a chance to tread the path of a ghost cultivator. By recklessly gorging on heaven-and-earth primordial qi, his Nascent Soul will inevitably be assimilated by the world itself. When that happens, his soul will dissolve into utter nothingness—not only barring him from the ghost path, but severing any hope of entering the cycle of reincarnation!"
Canglong asked hoarsely, "What is he seeking, then?"
Ordinary people could hardly fathom Shenyuan's mind.
Someone like Old Fu, facing the end of his longevity, felt regret, yet his sorrow was only for the uncertain future of his sect. Toward death itself, he was relatively at peace.
But for Shenyuan, calmly accepting the end of his lifespan and sitting into death was utterly unthinkable!
Only those born with spirit roots in this world could cultivate.
A single spirit root was hailed as Heaven's darling; dual spirit roots were deemed cultivation prodigies; triple spirit roots were merely ordinary; and when it came to quadruple spirit roots, they were often labeled "pseudo spirit roots," holding little promise on the Great Dao.
Five spirit roots ranked even below four!
They were known as waste spirit roots!
Whether breathing in qi to cultivate, breaking through bottlenecks, or simply searching for a suitable cultivation art, every step was several times—even dozens of times—harder than for ordinary cultivators.
And Perfected Shenyuan possessed precisely such a waste root constitution.
Yet despite this, he had clawed his way step by step to the Nascent Soul realm, and had elevated an obscure, nameless sect into one of the top powers in the Eastern Desolation.
To call him a peerless marvel was no exaggeration in the slightest!
How could such a figure, standing on the threshold of the Soul Formation stage, not harbor wild ambition? How could he not covet it? How could he not possess an unyielding obsession?
For this goal, he had plotted far too much.
Spirit grounds, medicinal pills, cultivation arts, secret techniques...
He was willing to bow and scrape before a Soul Formation sacred ground above, and stoop to connive against Luo Chen back when the youth was a mere nobody below; he had no qualms about sacrificing his own disciples and grand-disciples, nor about striking covert deals with formidable demon race powerhouses.
Yet in the end, he had stumbled at the final threshold!
Perhaps in the entire Mountain Sea Realm, the only person who truly understood that obsession was Luo Chen, who shared the same five spirit root constitution.
To achieve Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen had studied countless methods—blood Foundation Establishment, soul Foundation Establishment, pill Foundation Establishment...
To break through to the Golden Core stage, he had scrutinized every Core Formation secret technique from every angle, going so far as to create the Micromote Origin Art tailored solely for himself.
To break through to the Nascent Soul stage, he—a man so cautious that in his youth he would not even step into a nearby Golden Core ruin—had dared to brave the perilous Land of the Fallen Demon.
Every breakthrough into a major realm was excruciatingly difficult for someone with five spirit roots.
Because of that, people like them treasured their hard-won cultivation far more deeply than anyone else.
When there was nowhere left to advance, even if only a single desperate path remained, they would stake their lives on that final gamble.
Floating clouds may veil the sun, yet cannot obscure its light; in seeking the Dao, though death awaits, the heart remains iron!
Beneath Perfected Shenyuan's frenzied, dead-end desperation, this was the essence Luo Chen saw.
With his divine sense, Luo Chen could perceive the scope of the raging primordial qi. It stretched roughly ten thousand li across, blanketing the entire Five Elements Divine Sect.
Such a spectacle might not rival that of a Soul Formation grandmaster, who could casually draw upon the primordial qi of four or five entire domains.
Yet within the bounds of the Nascent Soul realm, this far surpassed anything an ordinary cultivator could muster.
Perhaps only Lei Daozi, before his fall, when he had mobilized the full might of the Mingyuan Sect's grand array, could have compared to it.
Caught within its expanse, Luo Chen knew he could not flee.
He had been completely locked down by this pocket of heaven and earth!
At this moment, Perfected Shenyuan's colossal Primordial Spirit was still swelling. He was gradually fusing with heaven and earth, striding down the path of complete assimilation.
Yet across that gigantic form, faint and blurred faces began to surface.
True Person Linmu, Old Ghost Motian, Qi Emei and her two peers...
And countless others whom Luo Chen did not recognize.
These faces were babbling, raging, roaring.
Though scattered and chaotic, their collective wills allowed Shenyuan to barely resist the process of being assimilated by heaven and earth.
The colossal visage glared venomously at Luo Chen, refusing to let the chief culprit who had forced him to this point escape.
"Luo Chen, it's your turn!"
A voice boomed forth, laden with countless overlapping tones, as though tens of millions of people were speaking in unison.
The sole common thread among them was boundless, inextinguishable hatred!
Luo Chen halted in his tracks, no longer attempting to flee.
He could not escape anyway; these ten thousand li had become the enemy's domain, the enemy's world.
The only choice left was to face it head-on!
Magic treasures were useless!
Spells would likely accomplish little as well.
The Wither-Bloom Divine Fire could incinerate all things and devour vitality, but the enemy no longer possessed a physical body.
What about the Nirvana Holy Fire?
He had not, after all, completed the soul nirvana among the Nine Tribulations and Three Nirvanas; the Nirvana Holy Fire could do little against a Primordial Spirit.
Then the only way to break this deadlock was...
As the colossal Primordial Spirit lunged forward and swallowed Luo Chen whole, Luo Chen slowly raised his fingers, forming an incantation seal beneath his nose.
Thump!
The void shuddered. The massive Primordial Spirit formed by Perfected Shenyuan froze in midair, seemingly pouring all its strength into devouring Luo Chen's soul.
Yet the process was far from smooth.
Under the protection of the Prison-Suppressing Soul Art, Luo Chen had plenty of time to react.
In response, an even greater surge of heaven-and-earth primordial qi came rolling in like thunder.
Shenyuan's lingering obsession suddenly felt something amiss.
Controlling the primordial qi across ten thousand li was already his absolute limit; any more would burst him apart alive!
He tried to stop.
Yet no matter how he reined in his divine sense, he could not halt the flow.
"Why is this happening?"
"I calculated this step countless times! Using my natal Primordial Spirit as an anchor, tethered by the souls of countless cultivators like mooring cables, I should have prevented myself from getting lost in the assimilation, gradually harmonizing everything into a true Primordial Spirit to step into Soul Formation."
"Why can't I stop it now?!"
Suddenly, he thought of the man he had just swallowed—Luo Chen!
"Get out!"
With a furious roar, countless strands of divine sense surged toward the hazy, white-robed figure.
Yet Luo Chen stood motionless amidst the assault like a reef in the sea, unshaken no matter how fiercely the waves crashed against him.
He simply held that incantation seal firm and unyielding!
Shenyuan suddenly found the hand seal eerily familiar.
"It's that divine ability!"
"During the battle in the Taihu Domain, he used this exact divine ability!"
"No, that doesn't seem right..."
"Yes, it is! It definitely is!"
Confused thoughts and mounting panic left Shenyuan deeply agitated, an overwhelming premonition of danger rising constantly within his soul.
He could not even discern what technique Luo Chen was actually employing.
Still less could he find a way to stop him.
Time ticked away, and the turbulence of heaven-and-earth primordial qi gradually spread across the entire Five Elements Domain.
Vast reserves of spiritual qi flooded in, causing Shenyuan's Primordial Spirit to swell ever larger, towering across the world like a primordial giant from the dawn of creation.
Yet that bloated, hollow Primordial Spirit was like a water balloon filled to bursting. Anyone could imagine what would happen once it reached its breaking point.
Terror consumed Shenyuan completely, and cries for mercy began to spill from him.
"Luo Chen, stop!"
"Stop this at once!"
Within the Primordial Spirit, Luo Chen finally opened his eyes.
Ignoring his enemy's pleas, he focused entirely on his Wither-Bloom Dao Finger!
Yes, it was still that self-created divine ability!
Only, unlike an ordinary Wither-Bloom Dao Finger, he had reversed the technique!
Normally, the Wither-Bloom Dao Finger used Luo Chen's magic power as a guide to draw upon the boundless vitality of nature, relying on the Wither-Bloom true intent to transmute it into deathly intent. Striking an enemy, it would shatter their treasures, drain their blood and qi, and rot their very soul. Against opponents harboring hidden injuries, it was all but impossible to withstand.
Yet the present Shenyuan possessed no physical flesh. Even his Nascent Soul had transformed into a Primordial Spirit tied to an entire world; Luo Chen could not possibly cause an entire realm to wither away.
Thus, he reversed the Wither-Bloom Dao Finger!
He no longer sought to conjure deathly intent, nor did he try to weaken the enemy's Primordial Spirit.
Instead, he aided its growth, helping it gorge on even more heaven-and-earth primordial qi.
Luo Chen saw with utter clarity that Shenyuan's current state was nowhere near that of an ordinary cultivator undergoing Soul Formation.
He could not even preserve his original heart; merely suppressing the chaotic thoughts of the other souls inside him consumed the vast majority of his mental energy.
Where would he find the strength to resist the assimilation of heaven and earth?
Sure enough!
As primordial qi far exceeding Shenyuan's limit came pouring in, the endlessly ballooning Primordial Spirit spun entirely out of control.
Facing this spectacle, Luo Chen's scarlet-gold pupils had already foreseen the end.
His lips parted slightly, and he spoke in a soft murmur:
"Fellow Daoist Shenyuan, have a safe journey."
In the next instant—
Boom!
Like a thunderclap tearing the sky asunder, the towering Primordial Spirit abruptly disintegrated.
Endless primordial qi raged like untamed wild horses, roaring as it vented across the entirety of the Five Elements Domain.
A torrential downpour composed entirely of spiritual qi poured from the heavens!
Shenyuan himself had long vanished without a trace, leaving behind not even a wisp of a remnant soul.
The souls of the low-level disciples dissolved into nothingness in an instant.
By contrast, the remnant souls of seven Nascent Soul cultivators flickered faintly in the void.
Qi Emei, Yao Hong, and the unfamiliar male cultivator of their generation looked on in terror and bewilderment, watching helplessly as their own remnant souls dissipated beneath the sheet of rain.
Old Ghost Motian cast a complicated glance at Luo Chen before fading away with the downpour.
An elderly cultivator who looked somewhat familiar to Luo Chen wore a look of release. He turned toward Luo Chen and offered a slight bow.
"This old man is Linmu. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
Luo Chen immediately understood where the familiarity came from. This was the true True Person Linmu, formerly one of the five peak masters within the Five Elements Divine Sect.
One does not strike a smiling face. Luo Chen returned the courtesy.
"I am Luo Chen. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
True Person Linmu gave a wistful smile. "I know. I have known of you for a long time. Back then, I never agreed with Senior Brother's designs on you. So when he brought the Luotian Sect cultivators into our fold, I made an effort to protect your disciples. Sadly, things still came to this in the end."
Was he claiming credit?
Did he hope Luo Chen would gather his remnant soul out of gratitude for that past kindness?
Luo Chen frowned, only to realize that was not the case.
True Person Linmu gazed with emotion at the gate of the Five Elements Divine Sect beneath the endless downpour, and out toward the distant Five Elements Domain.
Nearby, the remnant soul of a female cultivator was conversing with Shenhuo, who sat slumped on the ground.
"Junior Sister Qingchi, it's ruined... all ruined!"
"Senior Brother, you did your best. We all saw it."
"But they're all gone! Emei, Yao Hong, your disciple Ding Baifan... even the entire sect is gone!"
By the end, the dignified sect master of a divine sect broke down in choking sobs.
True Person Linmu watched it all, feeling utterly lost.
"The Divine Sect rose because of Senior Brother, and fell because of Senior Brother. In the end, it was all an empty dream."
He spoke no further to Luo Chen, waving instead to the female cultivator and another slightly dazed male cultivator.
"Junior Sister Qingchi, Junior Brother Heiyan, let us go!"
Amidst the drifting wind and rain, the three remnant souls scattered with the breeze.
They should have passed away long ago, held forcefully inside Shenyuan's form only by his perverse methods.
When Shenyuan attempted to force his Nascent Soul to absorb heaven-and-earth primordial qi and transform into a Primordial Spirit, they too were assimilated by the world.
The dissolution of their souls had only ever been a matter of sooner or later.
Luo Chen stood quietly in the void without raising a protective barrier of magic power, allowing the drops of spiritual rain to wash over him.
At this moment, his magic power was completely drained and his Nascent Soul looked somewhat withered, yet his heart felt exceptionally open and serene.
"The primary spirit veins of the Five Elements Domain have been destroyed by Shenyuan and me, and a fourth-rank spirit vein will never arise here again. But once this torrential rain of spiritual qi settles, spirit veins will blossom everywhere. Cultivation will become possible across every mountain and river."
"Major powers won't look twice at it, but small sects and wandering rogue cultivators will covet it beyond measure."
"This domain might very well become a sacred haven for rogue cultivators!"
Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen descended from the void and arrived before Sect Master Shenhuo.
The old man remained oblivious, still immersed in grief.
Pursing his lips, Luo Chen extended a finger and tapped the center of the old man's crown.
Spurt!
A bloody hole appeared. Sect Master Shenhuo's eyes turned lifeless, and he slumped slowly to the ground.
This was the easiest Nascent Soul cultivator Luo Chen had ever slain.
Yet he felt no joy in it, having merely granted the man an end to his suffering.
A wisp of flame flared, reducing the corpse of this fellow practitioner of the fire path to ashes. Lingering no longer, Luo Chen leapt upward, soaring straight into the nine heavens.
***
Inside the Frost Eagle Shuttle, Old Fu and Canglong watched Luo Chen's return with faint reverence.
Even though he had scarcely any magic power remaining, the quiet strength emanating from him commanded deep respect from the bottom of their hearts.
This was Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen!
Amidst the silence, Luo Chen spoke softly.
"The drama has drawn to a close. Let us part ways for now."
"Canglong, take those juniors back to the Luotian Sect aboard the Frost Eagle Shuttle. Xiao Bai will pilot the Black Tortoise to receive you personally."
Canglong looked at Luo Chen with concern. "Your current condition isn't good. Wouldn't you prefer to recover for a while first?"
Luo Chen waved his hand. "No matter. Black King is with me; petty scoundrels pose no threat."
He then turned to Old Fu.
The old man offered a wry smile. "I shall return to the Divine Talisman Sect to quietly await the end of my days. Only, once we part, I know not when we shall ever meet again. Luo Chen... can cultivators like us truly reincarnate and cultivate anew?"
"I don't know." Luo Chen shook his head, then hesitated. "I suppose... it should be possible?"
He could not be certain, yet Old Fu seemed to draw a sliver of solace from the words.
Perfected Shenyuan's desperate bid to force a breakthrough to the Soul Formation stage even in the face of death had deeply moved him.
Were it not for the constraints of his remaining lifespan, a spark of desire for cultivation might truly have rekindled within his chest.
Now, he could only place his hopes on his next life.
As the moment of departure arrived, a tinge of melancholy settled over them.
Luo Chen consoled him, "If there truly is a chance to reincarnate and cultivate anew, Old Fu, remember to seek out my Luotian Sect! I believe it won't be long before my Luotian Sect can throw open its mountain gates for all to see, standing proud in the cultivation world of the Eastern Desolation!"
"I believe that day will come as well!" Old Fu had little faith in the Luotian Sect itself, but he had absolute faith in Luo Chen. Then he shifted his tone with a chuckle: "Though when the time comes, this old man won't be joining your Luotian Sect. I'll be returning to the Divine Talisman Sect, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
Luo Chen froze for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
"I won't forget that presumptuous request of yours!"
With that laughter, the somber atmosphere of parting dissipated considerably.
A moment later, Luo Chen exited the Frost Eagle Shuttle. A streak of black light surged up from below, lifting him as he sped off toward the south.
Old Fu headed east, returning to the Divine Talisman Sect, where he sat into death three days later, leaving the entire sect weeping in mournful grief.
The Frost Eagle Shuttle flew westward, entering Mingyuan to return to the blessed land.
Chapter 932