Torrential rain poured from the heavens, dense with spiritual qi.
Timid figures crept out from hiding, bewildered and at a loss before the vast celestial transformation.
A few Qi Refinement cultivators, possessing the fearlessness of newborn calves, boldly held out their hands to catch the falling rain.
The droplets felt cool, dissolving the moment they made contact, yet the spiritual power inside their bodies stirred slightly in response.
"It's spiritual qi!"
"This downpour is filled with rich spiritual qi!"
Shouts of delight washed away the lingering panic.
In an instant, rogue cultivators scrambled to produce bowls, flasks, and containers of every kind to catch the rainwater.
Discerning figures from smaller sects and clans also noticed the astounding phenomenon, but their methods were far grander. They parted their mountain-protecting arrays to channel vast amounts of the rain into their lands, enriching the foundations of their own spirit veins.
Of course, the Five Elements Domain was vast, and most of the deluge naturally soaked into its mountains, valleys, and grand rivers.
Even barren lands that had never possessed spirit veins absorbed the moisture of the downpour. Earthly currents gradually circulated, spiritual qi accumulated, and spirit caves were born. Before long, new spirit veins would naturally take shape across the realm.
Factions across the domain reacted in varying ways to this celestial upheaval.
Yet several Core Formation cultivators clearly recognized what had occurred.
How could heaven and earth ever bestow such a lavish gift without cause?
This spiritual rain was merely the tip of the iceberg—an outpouring of immense spiritual qi from the near-thousand-year-old Rank 4 spirit vein hoarded by the Five Elements Divine Sect.
Coupled with the violent turbulence of heaven-and-earth primordial qi from earlier, and the eerie spectacle that had blanketed the entire domain like an impending apocalypse, dark suspicions took root in many minds.
Full of apprehension, several powerful experts gathered their friends and cautiously made their way toward the mountain gates of the Five Elements Divine Sect.
Before long, stunned figures stepped through the gates.
Everywhere their eyes turned, heaven and earth lay overturned!
Mountains had collapsed, rivers had been diverted, and grand expanses of palace complexes had been reduced to rubble and broken walls.
"Just what kind of battle was fought here?" someone groaned.
They could not fathom what level of combat could produce such sheer devastation.
Even ordinary Nascent Soul experts could hardly muster a fraction of such destructive might, could they?
Yet no one answered him.
Because it did not matter!
What truly mattered were the breathless corpses lying among the ruins—and the Dharma artifacts, treasures, and storage bags scattered beside them!
"That's mine!"
"I clearly saw it first!"
"Damn you, give it back!"
A bloody storm erupted once more.
As more and more cultivators from the Five Elements Domain arrived seeking answers, the battle grew increasingly vicious as they fought over the legacy of the fallen sect.
Beneath the rain-drenched night, ferocious shouts and slaughter drowned out the sorrowful wailing of the ruins of this paramount sect.
***
When Shi Ju arrived with his entourage, that was the exact scene that met his eyes.
His lips curled in disdain.
Nothing more than flies fighting over rotting meat.
With a flick of his hand, the cultivators under his command fanned out.
"Investigate!"
"Find out who did this!"
The Shi clan experts complied and ventured deep into the sect's mountain grounds.
Any insignificant Eastern Desolation cultivators who dared show defiance were struck down on the spot without question.
Shi Ju sat within an ornate cloud carriage accompanied by beautiful consorts, yet his mood was sour.
Though he looked down on Eastern Desolation cultivators, Shenyuan had been a genuine late Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, renowned for centuries. Even within the expert-crowded Tianyuan Dao Sect, his name carried weight.
Not long ago, Shi Ju's subordinates had reported that Shenyuan might join the Tianyuan Dao Sect as a guest elder on Heaven and Earth Peak. Shi Ju had immediately recognized the opportunity. If he served as the intermediary and brought him into the Star Gate, the Shi clan would gain a powerful ally!
Great Cultivators were hardly common vegetables on the roadside; even the Shi clan possessed only one.
Once Shenyuan joined Heaven and Earth Peak through his hands, Shi Ju might eventually push him into the position of nineteenth elder of the Star Gate, vastly increasing his clan's influence on Heaven and Earth Peak.
Most importantly, there was another factor!
Rumor had it that Perfected Shenyuan and Luo Chen despised one another! The two had clashed repeatedly, even coming to blows in public.
The enemy of one's enemy was a friend, was he not?
Because of this, Shi Ju had invested considerable care into the matter, prioritizing it far above the sect's grand campaign to conquer the Eastern Desolation.
Yet disastrous news had struck without warning.
The Five Elements Divine Sect had been wiped out?
When he first heard the report, Shi Ju could scarcely believe it. His immediate thought was that the demon race had invaded and struck the sect. But the evidence clearly pointed elsewhere. Thus, he had personally led his followers to the Five Elements Domain today.
"If not the demons, which force in the Eastern Desolation possesses such strength? Who could possibly stand toe-to-toe with Shenyuan?"
"Supreme Elder Dongyang? That old man lacks both the temper and any grudge against Shenyuan."
"Tianduzi? No, he was summoned by the Ancestor; he couldn't have had the time recently."
"Then who?"
The Eastern Desolation's experts were unfamiliar to Shi Ju; he had only heard of a few preeminent figures. Try as he might, he could not think of anyone possessing such heaven-defying ability.
Before long, a streak of light sped toward the carriage.
"Young Master!"
"Have you found out? Which force slaughtered more than a hundred thousand disciples like cattle, without them offering the slightest resistance?"
The subordinate hesitated. "They... they do not appear to have been killed by an outside enemy, but rather perished beneath their own mountain-protecting grand formation."
"What?"
Shi Ju froze, swept aside the carriage curtains, and strode out.
Though continuous rain fell from the sky, he stood like a blazing sun, radiating a piercing glare.
The subordinate swallowed hard and hurried to add, "Furthermore, we discovered traces at the heart of the battlefield that hint at the invader's identity."
"Who was it?" Shi Ju demanded.
The subordinate's lips trembled, not daring to make an unfounded claim.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Shi Ju walked directly toward the battlefield on Shenyuan Peak.
The moment he arrived, an odd sense of familiarity washed over him—a feeling so strange it unsettled him.
"Remnant power of a law's true intent... and it's the source of fire, the very same attribute as mine!"
Befitting a prodigy of the Dao Sect, he deduced the invader's traces in mere moments.
The instant he realized this, the disdain in Shi Ju's heart vanished.
Anyone capable of comprehending the true intent of a law, regardless of cultivation realm, was an expert who could never be underestimated. Pedigree and lineage no longer mattered. Even if such a person were a rogue cultivator, they would still stand on equal footing with the finest geniuses of the Dao Sect!
Guided by his subordinate, he soon arrived before a massive crater.
At a glance, it looked merely like a lake filled with rainwater.
Yet as Shi Ju spread his divine sense to take in the lake's overall shape, a look of fury and shock spread across his face.
A five-fingered print, traces of azure fire, and a crushing, boundless palm force that seemed capable of suppressing all living beings.
The Qingyang Great Handprint!
In all the world, only one person could cast such a technique!
"Luo Chen!"
A low roar tore from Shi Ju's throat.
With every word, golden flames erupted from him, incinerating the water in the handprint-shaped lake and laying bare the scorched rock beneath.
The surrounding Shi clan cultivators retreated in terror, desperate not to draw their young master's wrath.
"Hoo..."
Drawing a deep breath, Shi Ju forced himself to calm his raging fury.
"I underestimated the hatred between Shenyuan and Luo Chen. To think he would dare appear and slaughter his nemesis at such a sensitive juncture!"
"Nor did I expect his strength to progress so rapidly that even a Great Cultivator is no longer his match."
Years ago, Shi Ju had already been inferior to Luo Chen.
He had believed that backed by the vast resources of both the Dao Sect and his clan, advancing to the mid Nascent Soul stage in mere decades and briefly standing against Great Demon Emperors like Bi Zheng meant he had completely surpassed his former enemy.
Yet Luo Chen's rate of advancement defied all mortal comprehension.
The rumors were true—Luo Chen really had fought three Great Demon Emperors simultaneously and survived!
If so...
Beneath the fury, a cold chill ran down his spine.
Was that man's talent simply too absurd?
Shi Ju was a blessed prodigy supported by the greatest faction in the Mountain Sea Realm and the entire wealth of his clan, yet he could not keep pace with him.
What was more...
"I clearly remember that the law intent he comprehended back in the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven was wood-attributed!"
Yet the remnant law intent lingering here was the origin of fire, the force Shi Ju knew best!
How could a Nascent Soul cultivator possibly comprehend two distinct law intents simultaneously?
If Luo Chen were allowed to keep growing, who would Shi Ju ever turn to for vengeance over the destruction of his lightning dao avatar?
"Find him for me!"
The command burst from him in a near scream.
Shaken, the Shi clan cultivators bowed and dispersed, deploying every technique at their disposal to collect traces of Luo Chen's aura.
Yet their harvest was next to nothing!
With Luo Chen's thoroughness, he had cleansed away every trace of his aura before departing. While others might identify his signature arts from the ruins of the battlefield, tracking him by scent or qi was impossible.
The only slight oversight was the lingering power of the fire origin.
Having only recently grasped that law intent, and constrained by his current realm, Luo Chen could unleash it far more easily than he could rein it in.
Shi Ju had only sensed it because he cultivated the same origin power.
Seeing his subordinates return empty-handed, Shi Ju flew into a rage. "A pack of useless fools!"
Soaring into the clouds, he took a rough bearing and sped off southward in vague pursuit.
Yet he had not flown far before a divine sense transmission halted him.
"Rally the Shi clan cultivators. Prepare to launch an active offensive against the demons!"
Shi Ju pulled up in shock, countless questions flooding his mind.
The Tianyuan Dao Sect had arrived in the Eastern Desolation to conquer this vast continent while the Mingyuan Sect was in ruins. The Eastern Desolation's cultivation world alone would take the Dao Sect considerable time to digest; the Million Mountains were not part of the initial plan.
Why attack them now?
Yet he dared not disobey the Ancestor's orders. He had no choice but to turn back.
Glaring in the direction he had been tracking, Shi Ju spat out a harsh parting threat to the empty air.
"Consider yourself lucky!"
Then he turned and sped back at full throttle.
Yet had anyone watched him fly, they might have detected a faint trace of relief in his swift retreat.
Could the current Shi Ju truly contend with a man capable of destroying an entire sect single-handedly and walking away unscathed?
Others might not know the answer, but Shi Ju knew it all too well in his heart.
His pursuit had merely been a reckless impulse born of rage, fueled by the terrifying fear that Luo Chen would pull even further ahead in the future.
On the way back, Shi Ju gradually regained his composure.
As he landed among the ruins of the Five Elements Divine Sect, a subordinate hurried forward.
"Young Master, why have you returned so quickly?"
Shi Ju shot him a glare, and the newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator hastily sealed his lips.
Shi Ju snorted. "The Ancestor has commanded that we not linger here. What are you dawdling for?"
Though this cultivator possessed a Nascent Soul cultivation, he had only recently broken through and had once been a servant of the Shi clan.
He bowed deferentially. "I heard the Five Elements Divine Sect's secret arts were exquisite, considered peerless in the Eastern Desolation. Now that I have attained the Nascent Soul stage, I am qualified to establish my own branch. I hoped to gather a few of the Divine Sect's secret arts to lay a foundation for my future clan."
"Pfft..."
Shi Ju sneered dismissively.
Exquisite secret arts?
The techniques of the Tianyuan Dao Sect stood second to none in the world. Why would anyone care about the heritage of such a minor sect?
Yet just as he turned to leave, a thought struck him.
Luo Chen had possessed no grand background, and his heritage was practically nonexistent. Yet step by step, he had surpassed Shi Ju and carved out a towering reputation.
Could there truly be profound secrets hidden within the unorthodox paths Shi Ju had always overlooked?
He held out a hand.
"How much have you gathered? Let me see!"
The subordinate froze, clearly unprepared for the demand.
Shi Ju's brow furrowed. "I only wish to browse them. Do you think I would covet mere unorthodox techniques?"
The subordinate waved his hands frantically. "This servant would never dare think such a thing! It's just... I searched for half a day and found almost nothing. The heritage of this entire grand sect has vanished without a trace."
Shi Ju stared blankly.
Then the thought struck him—could Luo Chen have swept them all away?
***
High above, endless clouds stretched for ten thousand li without a trace of man.
A black streak of light sliced through the sky, trailing plumes of mist and wind.
Luo Chen sat cross-legged on the black dragon's back, a medicinal pill nestled under his tongue as he quietly regulated his breathing.
In his battle with Shenyuan, he had emerged without a scratch.
Though it seemed effortless, only he knew the harrowing danger involved.
Whether in spells, soul arts, or the mastery of Dharma treasures and True Artifacts, Shenyuan was undoubtedly an apex figure among Great Cultivators. Even beings like Huang Man and Bi Zheng could not compare.
Yet his greatest flaw had been his physical body!
Back during the battle of Mount Cangwu, Shenyuan's original body had been destroyed by the Nirvana Holy Fire left behind by Monarch Qixia. The body he used afterward had been refined by his own hand, never truly matching his divine soul. Thus, faint discrepancies inevitably surfaced during combat.
Both men could cast spells instantaneously, but while Luo Chen's manifested at a thought, Shenyuan had to accommodate his body's limitations, resulting in a slight lack of fluidity.
Before a Qi Refiner nurtured a Primordial Spirit, the physical vessel remained an indispensable boat for navigating the Great Dao.
Even so, Luo Chen had only managed to slay him by risking severe depletion of his magic power and a potential drop in realm—testament enough to Shenyuan's terrifying strength.
"At last, the nemesis is gone, and my mind is clear!"
Murmuring softly, Luo Chen opened his eyes.
The depletion of his magic power could not be swiftly restored with a few pills. Even Golden Wind and Jade Dew wine would damage his meridians if consumed in excessive quantities. Only by locating a quality spirit land could he restore himself to his peak without worry.
Luo Chen was in no hurry. With the small amount of power he had already regained, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators could not harm him.
Gazing out into the boundless expanse ahead, he sighed. "The journey to the Southern Border is long, and the Demonic Heart Gu Emperor is elusive as a dragon in the clouds. I know not where to begin."
With Shenyuan—the great foe that had weighed on his heart—finally removed, Luo Chen had only one task left.
To fulfill his duty as a father!
He needed to track down the Demonic Heart Gu Emperor and claim a Rank 4 Demonic Heart Gu from him, thereby resolving the affliction inside Luo Lingxi and allowing the boy to truly begin cultivating.
As for whether the Demonic Heart Gu Emperor was benevolent or wicked, or whether he would willingly surrender the Rank 4 Gu?
Luo Chen did not care in the slightest.
Yet where should he start?
Recalling the letter from Perfected Tianshan, the advice left by Valley Immortal Fengjiang, and the intelligence on the Southern Border he had quietly gathered over the years, Luo Chen felt his heart grow heavy once more.
Suddenly, the Black King's eager voice sounded beside his ear.
"Master, I have some fine treasures here. Would you like to take a look?"
Chapter 933