Amidst the billowing yellow winds, a figure drifted erratically, leaving scarcely a trace to be found.
Yet his gaze remained fixed intently on the distant battlefield.
"Of the seven, the three Great Cultivators are the most troublesome. As for the remaining four, whether it is Lord Baixuan, Marquis Ziyi, or the Hidden Sword Tower Master, all are renowned experts who made their names years ago.
"Only this man has an unfamiliar face and unknown origins.
"Judging by his sequence of actions upon entering the Yin-Yang Realm earlier, he specializes in body cultivation and exerted an immense amount of strength when forcing open the replica Gate of Life and Death.
"A body cultivator whose strength is severely spent..."
Repeating these thoughts to himself, the Golden Lion Second Ancestor gradually grew confident.
Striking at this man first should be the easiest path.
Afterward, he could concentrate his power to awaken even more Golden Dragon Lions to deal with the others.
Yet as he watched, the situation within the Yellow Wind Formation began to feel somewhat amiss.
"Isn't this man a bit excessively strong?!"
***
The Life-Snatching Golden Plumes were primarily meant for piercing.
Yet now, wielded in Luo Chen's hands, they struck out like a long whip, exceptionally sharp.
Amidst crackling snaps, they moved as agilely as swimming dragons, whistling sharply through the air.
With every lash, cracks spiderwebbed across a Golden Dragon Lion's body, and the moment the golden plume pulled away, the stone beast shattered inch by inch like porcelain.
Two blurred streaks danced across the earth. No matter how many Golden Dragon Lions swarmed forward, they could not harm him in the slightest.
As Luo Chen wielded the Life-Snatching Golden Plumes, his focus was dialed to the absolute peak, constantly monitoring every shift in the surroundings.
His formidable divine sense silently unfurled, capturing every transient opening.
*He hides that well?*
Luo Chen's heart stirred. Seeing the Golden Dragon Lions multiply, he understood the hidden enemy's intention.
Once awakened, these dragon lion statues were not truly as pathetic as they seemed.
A thousand feet in stature was proof enough!
Among the demon race, exceptions aside, true body size was often a straightforward measure of realm.
A thousand feet was already the baseline for Tier 4.
These dragon lions had little intelligence and possessed neither demonic arts nor treasures to rely upon, fighting purely through brute physical strength, which made their threat manageable.
Yet even if they could not compare to Tier 4 Demon Emperors, the power they unleashed was still roughly at the late Tier 3 level.
In just a single incense stick's time, the number of Golden Dragon Lions had surpassed a hundred, seemingly endless.
For any ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, facing such an attrition battle fought without regard for cost would have depleted more than half their magic power.
If it were a standard body cultivator with limited means forced into frontal combat, the consumption would likely be even worse.
The hidden foe had calculated well, aiming to grind down Luo Chen's strength.
Yet he had miscalculated one thing!
Luo Chen's might far surpassed these Golden Dragon Lions!
How could things he could destroy with a casual flick of the wrist halt his advance?
However!
Luo Chen abruptly withdrew the golden plumes and slowly drifted backward, as though his strength were faltering.
Only when the surrounding dragon lions gathered to over ten in number did he stop retreating. Leaping forward instead, he struck decisively.
His hands formed incantation signs, and the Nascent Soul magic power he had kept restrained for days poured out in a torrential flood.
A vivid, lifelike phoenix soared from behind his back, letting out a resounding cry.
Its wings quivered, shedding a storm of sparks.
Then...
"Go!"
He thrust two fingers forward like a sword.
The fire phoenix circled once above Luo Chen's head, then swooped down with a roar toward the dozen-odd dragon lions on the ground.
Wherever it passed, the previously imposing Golden Dragon Lions instantly disintegrated into ash.
Even then, it did not stop.
Carrying boundless majesty and an indisputable momentum, the fire phoenix began a frantic sweep of the surroundings with Luo Chen at the center.
Even the billowing yellow winds could not suppress its flight.
Ten li, twenty li, thirty li...
Only when it reached a radius of a hundred li did the fire phoenix finally disperse.
Yet that was already enough!
"Little rat, haven't you hidden your tail long enough?!"
A golden plume thrust out abruptly from the void.
*Clang!*
The Golden Lion Second Ancestor tumbled out unsteadily, revealing his true form.
His face was filled with terror; he clearly had not anticipated that his opponent possessed such methods.
"A spell? A divine ability?!"
The power of that fire phoenix spell was terrifyingly vast—so formidable that even the Yellow Wind Formation laid down by Lord Youli could not suppress it.
Worse, in the midst of his shock, it had forced him out into the open.
What shocked him even more was that a figure capable of unleashing such heaven-defying means could never be a mere body cultivator!
*A dual cultivator of magic and body!*
The moment this thought emerged, the Second Ancestor realized the man before him was far from a pure body cultivator.
In terms of sheer difficulty to handle, he was likely above the other three mid Nascent Soul cultivators!
"Retreat!"
Without a second thought, he tried to melt back into the Yellow Wind Formation.
Yet the man in the distance merely sneered.
"Trying to run now? Too late!"
Luo Chen's hands flashed in incantation seals, consecutively projecting restrictions into the empty air.
*Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!*
Strange hums resonated from the void, as though something was being frozen in place, or severed apart.
All at once!
"Ten Earths Sealed, Hundred Li Void Forbidden!"
The endlessly churning yellow winds abruptly vanished at that instant.
Not only that, but as the Second Ancestor tried to slip into the Yellow Wind Formation, he found himself slamming into an invisible wall.
His body, which had already phased more than halfway in, was forcefully jarred back out.
Shock colored the Second Ancestor's expression as he blurted out, "A spatial restriction art?!"
"Good eye."
Luo Chen gave a soft chuckle, brushing his hands over the Mountain Peace Crown atop his head. The two Life-Snatching Golden Plumes returned to their original positions.
What he had just employed was indeed a spatial restriction.
In the past, he had not delved deeply into spatial formations, which was something most ordinary formation masters were likewise not proficient in.
Even back when Tianyezi forged his natal treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron, he had specifically asked Qingshuang to assist in covering the deficiency in spatial restrictions.
Luo Chen had been able to execute such a technique so calmly just now entirely because of his meticulous observations and study of numerous natural spatial restrictions during his time at Mount Mijie.
As for whom this spell was secretly tailored against, it went without saying.
Whether it would actually prove effective when facing that person remained unknown to Luo Chen.
Yet for now, at least this Nascent Soul ancestor of the Golden Lion Empire had no countermeasure in the short term.
With a composed demeanor, Luo Chen stepped toward him one pace at a time, an extraordinary luster shining in his eyes.
"Name!"
The Second Ancestor swallowed hard and subconsciously replied, "Kuang Nanzi, Second Ancestor of the Golden Lion Empire, disciple of the Gate of Life and Death."
"Since you are a cultivator of the Gate of Life and Death, why lurk in this realm?"
Kuang Nanzi answered, "An anomaly occurred during our sect ancestor's cultivation. The Blessing Gu ran amok, causing the ocean of origin qi to sink and turning blessing into calamity."
"What secret does this realm hold?"
Without hesitation, Kuang Nanzi stated, "This is the place where Patriarch Yinyangzi fell. It holds a vast amount of his lifetime research on Gu dao, and countless formidable entities have mutated here. The Yang Realm was established specifically to suppress the powerful beings of the Yin Realm."
"Why attack me?"
"Divide and conquer, defeat you one by one..."
Halfway through his words, Kuang Nanzi's body suddenly shuddered, his face twisting in horror.
"An illusion art!"
Having stepped within a hundred feet of him, Luo Chen let out a muffled grunt, an unnatural flush flashing across his face.
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, he praised, "As expected of a disciple from a sacred ground. To break free from my Mirror Flower Water Moon in such a short time."
Witnessing this, Kuang Nanzi felt terror swell even deeper within his chest.
Not only was this man a dual cultivator of magic and body, but his soul foundation was unimaginably profound.
To think he had caught Kuang Nanzi in an illusion art without his notice during that brief moment of shock earlier!
The compliment of 'as expected of a disciple from a sacred ground' praised Kuang Nanzi, but did it not also praise the man himself?
For a sacred ground disciple to fall prey without sensing a thing proved not only the terrifying depth of his soul foundation, but that his attainments in illusion arts had reached the peak of perfection.
Above all!
When Kuang Nanzi broke through the illusion's suppression, the man had clearly suffered a significant backlash, yet he suppressed it with effortless ease.
This was merely the tip of the iceberg of his true strength.
Such a figure was not merely superior to Marquis Ziyi, Lord Baixuan, and the Hidden Sword Tower Master—he was likely on par with Heavenly Master Li and the other two Great Cultivators.
No!
Even those three might not have pushed him into such a wretched state.
Facing the steadily advancing Luo Chen, Kuang Nanzi could not suppress the rising terror in his heart, subconsciously retreating.
"A misunderstanding!
"It was all a misunderstanding!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly. His gaze swept across the surrounding ground, pausing briefly on several patches of red liquid before retracting his eyes and asking, "Summoning so many Golden Dragon Lions to surround and kill me, and you call it a misunderstanding?"
Kuang Nanzi waved his hands frantically. "As long as you are magnanimous enough to forgive an inferior, then this is all just a misunderstanding!"
"A reason. Give me a reason to be magnanimous and forgive you." Luo Chen maintained his steady, measured pace.
Hemmed in by the spatial restriction, Kuang Nanzi had nowhere left to retreat.
He swallowed dryly, bluffing with fierce words despite his internal panic. "If we fight to the death, even if I perish, you won't have an easy time of it!"
As he spoke, he raised an object resembling a crystal orb.
"This is the core of an ancient desolate beast Golden Dragon Lion, controlling every dragon lion statue within ten thousand li! If you push me too far, I will destroy it directly. Tens of thousands of Golden Dragon Lions will come roaring in, and suppressed by the Yellow Wind Formation, you will never walk away unscathed!"
Luo Chen halted his steps.
He stroked his chin, speaking thoughtfully, "What you say does make some... relying on these pieces of trash?"
Abruptly, Luo Chen moved in an instant.
Like lightning, he flashed across the space.
Appearing behind Kuang Nanzi, he struck out with a palm.
*Boom!*
The afterimage dissolved, and Kuang Nanzi reappeared on the other side.
Shocked and furious, he shouted, "Despicable!"
Immediately after, he could not stop himself from coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Under that palm wind, even though he had dodged the direct hit, a stray trace had still grazed him.
Just that single trace was enough to shatter his protective qi barrier and injure his physical body.
Once a qi cultivator was closed in on by a body cultivator, the consequences were devastating.
Luo Chen slowly raised his right hand and touched his ear.
*Whoosh!*
A stone rod abruptly appeared in his grip, grasped tightly.
"When you used dragon lions to surround and kill me while hiding off to the side, did you ever consider the word 'despicable'?"
Kuang Nanzi felt thoroughly humiliated and enraged, but facing a life-and-death crisis, he had no choice but to beg, "Spare my life! I can tell you where treasures are stored in the Yang Realm of the Yin-Yang Realm! Aren't you trying to reach the Yin Realm through the Death Gate? I also know the locations of several fortuitous opportunities in the Yin Realm!"
Confronted with offer after offer, Luo Chen remained unmoved, merely giving his staff a casual twirl.
His somewhat rusty staff technique grew increasingly familiar and fluid under his swings.
Seeing his indifferent reaction, Kuang Nanzi grew frantic.
"Spare me, and I can recognize you as my master and become your slave!"
"Oh?"
Luo Chen's eyes brightened. He paused the long staff in his hands, parting his lips slightly.
At this sight, Kuang Nanzi felt a surge of joy.
Yet the two words that slipped from the other man's mouth struck sheer terror into his soul.
"Too late!"
The next instant!
The void cracked with an explosive roar. Luo Chen appeared directly above him, bringing the stone staff smashing down upon his head!
Kuang Nanzi had already prepared his guard. An inkstone floated before him, blocking the strike.
Not only that, his robes ballooned like a sphere, and his magic power barrier surged outward.
Yet against this triple layer of defense, Luo Chen simply delivered a single swing.
Earth-shattering force poured out in an instant!
*Pfft!*
As if struck by lightning, Kuang Nanzi spat out a mouthful of blood uncontrollably, plunging toward the ground like a stone.
Luo Chen pursued relentlessly. Stepping through the Moon Steps, he appeared behind him and delivered another blow.
*Boom!*
Blow followed blow!
*Boom!*
A flying sword suddenly shot out, but Luo Chen paid it no heed, letting it stab straight toward him.
The flying sword pierced the outer qi layer of the Xuanchen Armor, but upon striking the inner armor, it was deflected away.
How could a defensive treasure at the True Artifact level be so easily breached?
Particularly when his opponent lacked the strength to mount a proper offensive.
Seeing the flying sword fail, Kuang Nanzi defended with all his might while making a final, desperate struggle. With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, he spat out a streak of flowing light.
Yet before that streak could even near Luo Chen's body, it was incinerated to ash by suddenly emerging flames.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
The Huntian Staff continued to batter Kuang Nanzi relentlessly. Beneath the continuous pummeling, his aura withered further and further.
When the inkstone was shattered and his protective robes were reduced to tatters, despair flooded Kuang Nanzi's eyes, swiftly turning into sheer madness!
"If you won't let me live, don't think you'll have an easy time either!"
His withered aura suddenly flared violently.
He intended to detonate his Nascent Soul!
Luo Chen abruptly halted his assault, standing suspended in the void.
"Fellow Daoist, there is really no need for that."
Kuang Nanzi was taken aback. Was this man actually intimidated by someone willing to throw his life away?
Yet the next moment, from the corner of his eye, he saw five streaks of light manifest abruptly from various angles. They pierced through his protective qi barrier and sank straight into his body.
In an instant, he attempted to mobilize his magic power, only to find he could not stir it at all.
"This is...?"
"The Law-Suppressing Five Elements Awls!"
Luo Chen answered the final question of his life, and then his stone staff descended upon his head, smashing him into a puddle of mangled flesh.
Before his Nascent Soul could even flee, it shattered abruptly.
A vast amount of spiritual qi erupted, forming a spiritual storm.
Standing amidst it, Luo Chen waved his hand to draw several items toward him.
Kuang Nanzi was not the easiest Nascent Soul cultivator he had ever slain.
Yet he was the one Luo Chen had suppressed most thoroughly from start to finish, leaving him virtually incapable of fighting back.
"Wasted on a mid Nascent Soul cultivation base."
Luo Chen shook his head. The Huntian Staff shrank into a white needle and slipped into his ear.
Then, with complete ease and poise, he strode out of the spiritual storm's perimeter.
He did not leave immediately. Instead, he casually drew several puddles of red liquid from the ground toward his hand.
The amount was small; each Golden Dragon Lion statue left behind only a palm-sized pool.
After filtering away the dirt and sand, Luo Chen sank into deep thought.
Only after a long while did he murmur uncertainly, "Could these be diluted desolate beast source blood?"
A memory surfaced in his mind.
Back in the Land of the Fallen Demon, he had obtained a Demon-Devil Concentric Tree. That tree was of exceptionally high grade and notoriously difficult to nurture; even after over a century, it had yet to blossom or bear fruit.
After extensive research, Sang Jinghe had once remarked that it required the essence blood of ancient demons or desolate beasts as nourishment to continue growing.
The blood left by these Golden Dragon Lions, while very weak in potency, was of a remarkably high grade. It had merely been diluted and used through Southern Border's special techniques to fashion these dragon lion statues.
If he collected enough Golden Dragon Lion source blood, could he use it to nurture the Demon-Devil Concentric Tree?
"It seems the time to regroup with Heavenly Master Li and the others will have to be delayed a bit."
With a faint smile, Luo Chen swept his divine sense outward, instantly obliterating the spiritual imprint left on Kuang Nanzi's storage ring.
Then, the Dragon Lion core appeared before him.
Chapter 959