A single finger pointed forth, and heaven and earth transformed.
Vast origin qi surged like crashing waves pounding against the shore.
Under this ceaseless onslaught, the countless Gu insects previously concealed within the Fengbo Pavilion were forced to reveal themselves.
Gu after Gu bobbed helplessly amid the churning tempest, drifting up and down.
A pair of sharp eyes looked upon those desperately struggling insects, yet he had no intention of intervening directly.
He simply allowed the boundless death qi to transform into vast vitality, letting the Gu insects gorge themselves upon it.
Under their relentless devouring, the might of the Wither-Bloom Finger gradually weakened.
Yet those Gu insects...
Bang!
A Gu insect resembling a withered cicada saw its wings turn an intense emerald green. Its body swelled like a balloon until it finally burst from overeating, erupting into a cloud of bloody mist.
This was by no means an isolated incident.
As if triggering a chain reaction, the moment one Gu burst, successive popping sounds rang out in rapid succession, crackling like firecrackers.
Crack! Snap! Pop!
Bound to them by soul and mind, Heavenly Master Li's ferocious visage warped violently.
His divine soul foundation was immensely formidable—among the finest of any Nascent Soul cultivator Luo Chen had ever encountered. Even when the Glazed Gu had been destroyed earlier, he had easily suppressed the soul backlash.
It was precisely because of this that Luo Chen had refrained from employing soul-bewitching techniques like Devils and Gods Disperse during their battle.
Devils and Gods Disperse was an excellent soul art, but if someone saw through it in the midst of combat, believing oneself safe would only leave one vulnerable to attacks that could otherwise have been dodged.
However, no matter how profound a soul's foundation was, how could it possibly withstand the destruction of hundreds upon thousands of familiars bound to it?
Buffeted by shockwave after shockwave, Heavenly Master Li staggered backward, his face contorted in agony.
"How can this be?!"
"What kind of spell is that? Why can the Fengbo Pavilion not absorb it?!"
Luo Chen naturally had no intention of answering his bewilderment.
Ever since his battle with Perfected Shenyuan, his comprehension of the divine ability Wither-Bloom Dao Finger had reached absolute mastery.
When executed normally, vitality transformed into deathly intent, wounding the enemy and causing their physical body and magic power to stagnate and wither away.
Yet if the divine ability were reversed, death qi would transform into vitality—more than enough to deliver a saturating strike against foes who thrived on devouring and digesting.
Such was the cycle of withered and blooming, the mutual transformation of life and death!
And just how vast, how immense was the death qi within this shattered yin-yang realm?
Now channeled by his will, how could a mere Fengbo Pavilion hope to absorb it all?
He stood quietly in the void. Shockwaves generated by the self-detonating Gu swept over him, yet beneath the protective divine light radiating from the Pingshan Crown, he remained immovable as a mountain.
His formidable divine sense rippled outward, searching for something.
Before long, Luo Chen's eyes lit up. He beckoned toward the void.
Whoosh!
A streak of platinum light flickered back to him.
It was none other than the platinum sword pellet that had been restrained earlier.
Even so, Luo Chen did not stop.
His gaze suddenly narrowed, locking onto two yin-yang fish swimming freely through the tempest of origin qi.
"Life-and-Death Gu!"
His eyes brightened. Taking measured strides, he advanced step by step toward the pair of Gu insects.
Suddenly, an earth-shattering blade of sword light slashed downward.
Without dodging or evading, Luo Chen flicked the Yuantu Sword in his hand with a backhanded stroke.
Boom!
Beneath the impact of colossal force, Luo Chen still remained as still as a mountain.
Yet in midair, accompanied by a faint, brittle crack, several fissures spread across the Corpse Rot Sword.
"Without the suppression of your Fengbo Pavilion, Heavenly Master Li, what else can you do?" Luo Chen chuckled calmly. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the two yin-yang fish; buffeted by the shockwaves of the clash, they had drifted not far away.
Suspended in midair, Heavenly Master Li's arm trembled faintly. Gripping the Corpse Rot Sword, his face was filled with indignation and bitterness.
"If not for this Life-and-Death Gu having yet to reach the fifth rank, and if not for the Fengbo Pavilion lacking a fifth-rank divine Gu to anchor it, how could you have broken it in a single strike?!"
Luo Chen never wasted thought on 'what ifs.'
In battle, he cared only for the present.
Seeing the two yin-yang fish drifting farther and farther away, his expression tightened, and he moved to pursue them.
Although the Life-and-Death Gu retrieved from the black coffin was not a fifth-rank entity as Meng Shentong had exaggerated, for a mighty figure of a generation to guard it until his passing meant its potential had to be immense.
Since he was already here, why not take such a treasure along the way?
Seeing Luo Chen's movement, Heavenly Master Li's eyes nearly split with rage.
Not only had his natal Demonic Heart Gu been snatched away, but this man now even dared to covet the Life-and-Death Gu he had painstakingly schemed for!
"You... you push me too far!"
Roaring in fury, he madly formed a hand seal.
"Detonate!"
With that single shout, tens of thousands of buzzing hums erupted.
The surviving Gu insects composing the Fengbo Pavilion instantly self-destructed, coalescing into a terrifying storm that swept toward Luo Chen.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Heavenly Master Li shot forward like a bolt, darting toward the yin-yang fish.
As the dreadful storm bore down, Luo Chen found himself caught in its center. His figure flickered and wavered, staggering from side to side, unable to advance an inch for the moment.
Even the protective light barrier of the Pingshan Crown and the defensive qi armor of the Xuanchen Armor began to teeter precariously under the onslaught.
Luo Chen sighed, his expression abruptly turning solemn.
He opened his mouth and spat out a small grey cauldron, which spun out into the air.
The grey cauldron expanded with the wind, swelling into a colossal hundred-zhang vessel in the blink of an eye.
Brilliant spiritual radiance flashed ceaselessly across its surface, bearing the fluttering silhouette of a butterfly motif.
The giant cauldron stood tall within the tempest, immovable as an indestructible reef.
Across the void, a low shout rang out.
"Suppress!"
The raging tempest fell silent in an instant.
The boundless storm was quelled in a breath.
Many of the Gu insects in the midst of detonating were forced to cease their clamor.
Even the two yin-yang fish, which had remained unaffected by the earlier turmoil, shrank to the side after the Hunyuan Cauldron appeared, no longer attempting to flee.
Even the swiftly darting Heavenly Master Li felt his body slow involuntarily, as though he had plunged into a quagmire.
Horror filled his eyes as he watched Luo Chen overtake him from behind, crossing the void in two or three strides to arrive before the two yin-yang fish.
With a casual reach, both fish were gathered into Luo Chen's grasp.
"This Sect Master gladly accepts your gift!"
A flash of spiritual light shone from his palm, and the Life-and-Death Gu vanished into his storage.
At the same time, a shrill, infuriated roar sounded from behind him.
"Give them back to me!"
Bang!
Void flames erupted wildly from Heavenly Master Li's entire body. Waving his three scythe-like mantis arms and brandishing the Corpse Rot Sword, he charged madly at Luo Chen.
He had forcibly broken free from the Hunyuan Cauldron's suppressing power!
Facing the maddened Heavenly Master Li, Luo Chen curled his lips in a sneer.
"Do you truly take this Sect Master for an easy target? Without your Fengbo Pavilion, are you even worthy of being my match?"
Instead of retreating, he advanced, brandishing the Yuantu Sword with effortless grace.
A single slash!
Clang!
The Corpse Rot Sword, which Heavenly Master Li had secretly refined for centuries, could no longer endure the peerless sharpness. It shattered into several fragments, its hilt plunging into the earth.
Luo Chen casually flicked his wrist.
Five sword pellets spun out, taking positions in the five cardinal directions to manifest the Five Elements.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth checked one another, yet fostered each other endlessly in continuous generation.
Boom!
A vast expanse of sword silk diffused outward.
A tempest of sword qi no weaker than the previous explosion of the Fengbo Pavilion instantly engulfed the charging Heavenly Master Li.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless strands of sword silk darted back and forth, slicing and strangling ceaselessly, forcing Heavenly Master Li to parry in frantic desperation, utterly unable to evade.
In just a few exchanges, three of his mantis-like scythe arms were severed, leaving him with only one.
Luo Chen sheathed the scarlet Yuantu Sword and withdrew. Bringing his palms together, he thrust a hand forward.
Hum...
A great handprint resembling a blazing sun slowly materialized, surging into the Great Five Elements Sword Formation with deceptively slow yet terrifying speed.
A bloodcurdling scream rang out.
The Qingyang Great Handprint smashed through the formation, pinning a battered figure beneath it as it crashed heavily against the hard ground.
All of this sounded complicated in description.
Yet under Luo Chen's hands, it was merely the fluid execution of instinctive combat experience, chained together in seamless succession.
With a thought, the five sword pellets circled around him, while the Hunyuan Cauldron floated steadily before him.
Luo Chen looked down from above at the pitiful figure trapped inside the five-fingered depression in the earth.
Though battered and wretched, the man still clung to a breath of life.
It was unknown how much blood and vitality he had secretly refined using the Demonic Heart Gu, but his body was nourished to such vigorous vitality that even after Luo Chen's continuous barrage, he still had strength left to spare.
Among the many foes Luo Chen had encountered, this man could be counted as remarkably resilient.
The only pity was that although this person possessed high cultivation and a multitude of methods, his combat experience was noticeably unpolished.
Perhaps this was related to him having been forced to hide his true identity for many years, as well as holding high status after mastering his Gu refinement.
The higher one's standing, the fewer chances one had to fight personally.
Polishing combat techniques was naturally out of the question.
For a moment, Luo Chen even felt somewhat unsatisfied.
Creak, snap, crack...
Sounds of bonds breaking echoed out.
It was not just Heavenly Master Li struggling below, but also the Black King, who had previously been suppressed by the triple blood yokes.
With a flick of Luo Chen's magic power, the Black King was freed.
"Have you been neglecting your cultivation as well?" Luo Chen asked.
The Black King was filled with grievance. Although he often slept, that was simply his method of cultivation; he truly had never slacked off.
It was simply that the foes his master encountered recently were far beyond the bounds of his strength.
Demon Emperor Qingshuang, the foremost figure beneath the Soul Transformation realm!
Perfected Shenyuan, once the foremost cultivator of the Far East!
Heavenly Master Li, a Gu refinement grandmaster of the Southern Border!
Which of these could he possibly contend against?
"Master..."
"Forget it, come back!"
Luo Chen naturally could not bear to harshly reprimand the Black King. Being able to shoulder a burden for him at a critical juncture was already the best the beast could do.
The Black King grunted an acknowledgment and flew toward him, speaking at the same time: "Master, there seems to be a huge thing beneath this tomb."
"A huge thing?"
Luo Chen froze.
Yet immediately, he realized that a creature the Black King would describe as a "huge thing" was definitely nothing like Granny Hongye or the Flying Yaksha.
His expression shifted slightly. Without hesitation, he pointed a finger toward Heavenly Master Li.
A streak of sword qi left his finger, arriving in an instant.
Thwip!
A gaping hole burst open between Heavenly Master Li's brows.
For a Nascent Soul powerhouse, the physical body was no longer an absolute fatal weakness; even if their heart was gouged out, they could still fight for a short time.
Yet the head remained relatively fragile, particularly because it housed the sea of consciousness and the divine soul.
Beneath that single streak of sword qi, his sea of consciousness was completely obliterated.
Immediately following, another barrage of sword qi swept toward him.
Luo Chen intended to eradicate him root and branch.
A crimson Nascent Soul infant crawled out from Heavenly Master Li's corpse. Facing the converging sword qi, venomous hatred burned in its eyes.
Yet hatred was all it had left.
Because the ubiquitous suppressing force of the Hunyuan Cauldron remained active, preventing his Nascent Soul from merging into heaven and earth to escape.
"Luo Chen, even as a ghost, I will not let you off!"
Hearing the resentful curse, Luo Chen merely smiled faintly.
The people he had killed in his lifetime were beyond counting.
Among them were many who bore deep grudges. If every single one could turn into a vengeful wraith to seek revenge, he would have perished long ago.
"Die!"
Sword qi wove like thread, continuous and unending.
It relentlessly tore through the Nascent Soul's defenses. Death was only a breath away.
And in the very next breath...
Boom!
The ground abruptly split open. A cavernous, bloody maw surged forth from the earth, swallowing Heavenly Master Li's Nascent Soul in a single gulp.
Faint chewing sounds faintly resonated.
Then, a bizarre head—mottled with sickly green and earthy yellow—emerged before Luo Chen's eyes.
The moment it appeared, its vivid, intelligent eyes locked straight onto Luo Chen.
"What kind of monster is this?"
Though startled, Luo Chen did not hesitate in the slightest.
He slammed a palm downward!
It struck squarely against the bizarre head.
Boom!
Tremendous force was unleashed, yet the outcome was entirely unexpected.
Luo Chen was forced backward by the recoil, crashing heavily against the solid wall.
He slumped to the ground, momentarily sapped of strength.
"Master!"
An anxious cry sounded, and the Black King prepared to manifest once more.
Luo Chen pressed a hand down to stop him. A hundred thoughts flashed through his mind, coalescing into a single thought.
"Flee!"
His source power surged once more, propelling his entire body straight into the air.
The ground continued to cave in. The green-and-yellow creature with lively eyes crouched quietly upon the earth, flicking its long tongue. Watching Luo Chen attempt to flee, it seemed in no hurry to obstruct him.
In the next instant.
Bang!
The entrance of Nether Mountain, originally blasted open by the Flaming Dragon Descent, had closed at some unknown point, forming a tough, impenetrable barrier that blocked Luo Chen's path.
Blocked alongside him was the other survivor, Granny Hongye.
The two exchanged a glance and unleashed their techniques without a second thought.
One gripped an array disk, executing a spatial shift technique.
The other brandished his scarlet sword, cleaving a slash through the air.
Yet the spatial shift collapsed mid-cast, leaving her stranded in the tomb.
The scarlet sword was peerlessly sharp, shattering the tough wall inch by inch wherever it passed.
Yet to their astonishment, as quickly as it was carved open, it regenerated at the exact same speed.
Drip, drop. Drip, drop.
Luo Chen landed on the ground, watching the dripping blood. An irrepressible thought sprang into his mind.
Could this Nether Mountain actually be the transformed body of some titanic beast?
Were the walls they believed to be solid stone actually the flesh and blood within its body?
Then what was this creature before them?
The yellowish-green monster struggled as it crawled out from beneath the tomb.
Its body was not particularly massive, measuring merely a dozen zhang in length.
Yet the terrifying strength contained within its flesh could be seen from how it had withstood Luo Chen's palm strike with its head alone.
Most notably, the gaze it directed toward Luo Chen carried an unmistakable hint of eager greed.
"It's the fifth-rank desolate beast, the Nether Earth Dragon!"
Granny Hongye's anxious cry drifted from the side.
The moment the words "Nether Earth Dragon" were uttered, Luo Chen immediately recalled relevant intelligence.
Rumor had it that the mighty figure Yin-Yang Zi had used the Life-and-Death Gu to contract a fifth-rank desolate beast—the Nether Earth Dragon.
Only by relying on this beast's innate ability to traverse the netherworld and bridge yin and yang had he been able to achieve greatness along the Dao of Yin and Yang.
Yet had that Nether Earth Dragon not died long ago when its lifespan ran out?
Could this be a contingency left behind to feign death and achieve rebirth?
Luo Chen had no time to ponder further, for the greedy gaze fixed upon him had grown increasingly urgent.
"The Life-and-Death Gu!"
In an instant, Luo Chen understood everything.
This small Nether Earth Dragon was Yin-Yang Zi's contingency, and was the Life-and-Death Gu hidden within the black coffin not another piece of that plan?
It was merely due to unforeseen reasons that the Gu had failed to reach the fifth rank, thus delaying Yin-Yang Zi's resurrection.
Now that both had awakened, reuniting them was an absolute necessity.
'Return the Life-and-Death Gu, or keep it?'
Luo Chen glanced at the Nether Earth Dragon, reaching a decision in an instant.
Even if he surrendered it, there was no guarantee the beast would spare his life.
In that case...
A fierce glint flashed in Luo Chen's eyes. He held a single palm upright before his chest.
"Come forth!"
In the next instant, the ethereal illusion of a small tree materialized within the grand tomb chamber.
Boundless cyan-white flames swept through everything, radiating outward with Luo Chen at the center.
Chapter 967