A single hand scooped up the moon, overturning heaven and earth.
The entire Yin-Yang Realm seemed to be turned upside down.
Countless creatures and lifeless objects across the earth rushed toward that bright moon like fireflies chasing the orb of night.
An immense suction even latched onto Luo Chen, drawing his body helplessly toward the moon.
Luo Chen erupted with both magic power and source power simultaneously, trying to steady himself, but it had little effect.
His magic power was nearly exhausted, short of crumbling the fundamental mana that comprised his Nascent Soul.
The depletion of source power seemed inconspicuous on the surface, but in truth was not a shred less severe than his magic power.
Whether pushing open that Gate of Death or engaging Heavenly Master Li in hand-to-hand combat, both had relied on source power and consumed massive quantities of it.
Above all, having half his torso pierced by the Nether Earth Dragon in a single strike and regenerating it in an instant had drained an incalculable amount of source power.
Flesh rebirth was not omnipotent; it required time.
Accelerating that rebirth came at the cost of squandering every drop of source power.
Thus, even as Luo Chen exerted himself to the utmost, he could not halt his drift toward the high-hanging bright moon.
Expressions shifted across Luo Chen's face as his thoughts raced.
*Senior Brother?*
*Why would the one scooping the moon address the Nether Earth Dragon as Senior Brother? Could the consciousness of the deceased mighty figure Yin-Yang Zi still reside within it?*
*The mighty figure Yin-Yang Zi was a great figure from two thousand years ago. An ordinary Soul Formation cultivator's lifespan limit is merely two thousand years, meaning the moon-scooper could not possibly be someone from after Yin-Yang Zi's era. Who then could span such a vast expanse of two thousand years?*
A forbidden existence spontaneously surfaced in Luo Chen's mind.
He hesitated and looked down.
The colossal Nether Earth Dragon was still struggling, its four limbs driven firmly into the earth like iron stakes, holding fast.
It seemed desperate to avoid being scooped into that moon magic treasure.
Luo Chen did not know if it could withstand the pull, but he knew that remaining behind meant certain death.
In that case...
Luo Chen pursed his lips and released his hold on his source power and magic power. No longer resisting the immense suction, he drifted toward the moon as though ascending to immortality.
Upon the earth, the Nether Earth Dragon continued to struggle in stubborn resistance.
Yet the suction emanating from the bright moon magic treasure grew increasingly terrifying; even the thick earth peeled away in chunks and layers, flying toward the moon.
How much less could the Nether Earth Dragon resist, when its very foundation was the earth itself?
A streak of light slowly materialized upon the Nether Earth Dragon's back.
Ferocious-faced, wings sprouting from its back, covered in greenish-black flesh.
It was none other than the Flying Yaksha that had vanished earlier!
Yet unlike the cunning gaze of the Flying Yaksha before, the flying jiangshi's eyes now held a distinct lucidity.
Half-kneeling on the Nether Earth Dragon's back, it emitted an eerie, discordant voice.
"Since you still call me Senior Brother, why must you drive me to the end, Junior Brother?"
The voice was rough and heroic, yet laced with a shrill, piercing tone, as though a man and woman were speaking in unison.
Under this voice, the tempest seemed to pause for a brief breath.
From within the bright moon, the voice spoke again, only this time tinged with a faint note of lamentation.
"Addressing you as Senior Brother is merely out of respect for your past kindness in imparting the arts. A mere stray evil thought, yet you dare cling to life in this world?"
At those words, the Flying Yaksha's expression twisted in horror. By reflex, it tried to burrow back into the Nether Earth Dragon's body.
Yet a beam of moonlight softly cascaded down, enveloping it.
Within the moonlight, blue smoke drifted.
Without a single sound, the Flying Yaksha vanished from the world, erased without a trace.
High above, Luo Chen watched this scene, his pupils shrinking.
The Flying Yaksha was by no means weak; even if he did not fear it, dealing with it would have taken considerable effort.
Moreover, from their brief exchange, this flying jiangshi harbored an evil thought from a mighty figure.
Its capabilities could no longer be judged by ordinary late Nascent Soul standards.
That it had stilled the tempest with a single phrase earlier spoke volumes.
It had likely approached the Soul Formation realm.
Yet in such a state, faced with the moonlight's brilliance, it had been entirely helpless to resist.
What level of power did the moon-scooper possess then?
Luo Chen found it impossible to fathom.
As his field of view began to slip away, his gaze fell upon the Nether Earth Dragon.
What of it?
Suddenly, a thick yellow light soared into the sky, shaking the bright moon with its tremors.
The Nether Earth Dragon had self-detonated!
Yet what exploded was only its thousand-zhang physical body.
Out of the corner of his eye, Luo Chen caught sight of a tiny figure using the force of the body's detonation to cross the Gate of Death and dart out of the Netherworld.
*Was that the Nether Earth Dragon I saw at the very beginning?*
With that thought, Luo Chen's consciousness hitched, and he sank into dazed oblivion.
...
"Kill!"
"Slay them all!"
"Destroy the sacred land, sever the shackles, kill!"
Battle cries deafened the ears; the scent of blood filled nostrils and lungs.
Figures covered hills and plains, escaping beams rose and fell in waves, and tens of thousands of fluttering magic treasures shook the soul.
War was the sole melody of this moment!
After a century of preparation, the joint army of the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance and the Tianyuan Dao Sect had struck like thunder, finally storming into the Southern Border's sacred land—the Gate of Life and Death.
The battle entered a white-hot frenzy from the very start.
The Gate of Life and Death, which had sealed its mountain gates for several centuries, was not in decline as the outside world believed; instead, it unleashed tremendous power at the onset of conflict.
Relying particularly on thousands of years of geographical advantage, the cultivators of the Gate of Life and Death dealt devastating blows to the coalition right from the start.
For a moment, they nearly drove them back out of the mountain gates.
This perilous situation was only alleviated when the coalition's peak Nascent Soul powerhouses mobilized in unison.
The Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance fielded over thirty Nascent Soul True Persons.
The Tianyuan Dao Sect contributed over twenty Nascent Soul True Persons.
Moreover, those participating in this battle were the cream of the crop.
Once they stepped onto the field in person, they promptly steadied the lines, leading the cultivator armies on a rapid advance.
The powerhouses of the Gate of Life and Death were naturally unwilling to wait for death. Streaks of light flew forth from every direction, locking onto those Nascent Soul cultivators.
The fiercest slaughter and most brutal clash erupted among these figures who stood at the absolute pinnacle below Soul Formation.
Boom!
After an abrupt clash, Alliance Leader Songyang crashed heavily onto the earth.
Blood surged in his face, and mana roiled within his body.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at the familiar face, blurting out, "It really is you! Zhu Shanzi, you're still alive!"
"Old friend, so you still remember me!" Zhu Shanzi slowly recalled his flying wheel, glaring coldly at Alliance Leader Songyang before his tone turned sharp. "If so, why have you led a horde to invade my Gate of Life and Death?"
Alliance Leader Songyang's face alternated between green and pale, but he regained his composure in an instant.
He countered, "You should ask your sect why it kept its gates tightly shut."
Zhu Shanzi frowned. "That concerns internal sect secrets. I have nothing to tell you."
Alliance Leader Songyang slowly drifted into the air, his gaze sweeping over the countless cultivators scurrying like ants and moths below, and grinned.
"Because you refused to say a word, we came in ourselves to demand an answer."
"Ourselves?" Zhu Shanzi mocked. "Since when does a Central Plains Dao sect count as one of our own?"
Before Songyang could answer, Zhu Shanzi roared, "You are inviting wolves into your home!"
Alliance Leader Songyang said calmly, "A ferocious tiger already resides within our house; why should we fear inviting an evil wolf?"
Once intimate friends who shared everything, they now found even half a sentence too much.
If words failed, let battle decide!
Yet before Alliance Leader Songyang could strike, a massive pillar of light tore through the void from behind him, blasting straight toward Zhu Shanzi.
Zhu Shanzi's expression flickered. Under their mutual spiritual sense lock, facing another formidable enemy, how could he block it?
A booming voice suddenly rose behind him.
"Senior Brother, I'll assist you!"
A figure swept past Zhu Shanzi, charging straight at the newcomer.
Yet as fast as he charged forward, he came back just as swiftly.
Boom!
Zhu Shanzi's junior brother was slammed directly into a mountainside by the colossal light pillar.
Zhan Bingtao strode forward, arrogance in his eyes and sneering disdain at the corner of his lips.
"Is this the extent of a Nascent Soul True Person from a Southern Border sacred land?"
Finished speaking, he didn't even look at Zhu Shanzi, turning his gaze solely to Alliance Leader Songyang.
"These people have enjoyed peace for too long; their claws and fangs have grown dull. Why haven't you taken him down yet, Fellow Daoist Songyang?"
Alliance Leader Songyang sighed. "I merely showed some mercy upon suddenly encountering an old friend."
Zhan Bingtao raised a brow. "Is that so? Then I'll leave him for you to handle. I'm off to the next battlefield."
With that, he moved to fly toward another fierce skirmish.
Opposite him, Zhu Shanzi's face was livid. This man's strength exceeded all expectations.
Even among Great Cultivators, he stood at the very pinnacle.
If allowed to run amok across the battlefield, the already disadvantaged cultivators of the Gate of Life and Death would suffer catastrophic casualties.
He instinctively moved to intercept Zhan Bingtao, but Alliance Leader Songyang blocked his path.
"Old friend, after three hundred years apart, won't you let me see your Life and Death Wheels once more?"
Zhu Shanzi took a deep breath, pulling his gaze away from Zhan Bingtao.
"Fine. Since you ask, I shall grant your wish. I also wish to know just how far your Fierce Peak Seal has progressed."
As he spoke, he gripped a white flying wheel, while a black flying wheel slowly rose behind his back.
Opposite him, Alliance Leader Songyang smiled faintly and pressed a finger against the center of his forehead.
Instantly, his magic power surged, several times stronger than before.
"You may not know, but with the aid of the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance, my Fierce Peak Seal has long reached major success. You are no longer my match!"
Zhu Shanzi's expression changed drastically.
...
The battle within the Gate of Life and Death raged like wildfire.
Yet not every place was blanketed by flames of war.
Above the highest peak amidst a sea of clouds, heavy, ragged gasps suddenly sounded.
"Hoo..."
Luo Chen snapped awake from his stupor and instinctively released his divine sense.
In truth, there was no need to probe with divine sense at all; his eyes already reflected a figure in green robes.
Without a second thought, he bowed low.
"Junior greets Divine Lord Youli!"
The green-robed elder smiled faintly. "You recognize this old man?"
Luo Chen said respectfully, "In the entire Southern Border, there is only one person who addresses Yin-Yang Zi as Senior Brother and possesses the grand divine ability to scoop the moon from within a realm: Divine Lord Youli!"
Divine Lord Youli chuckled. "Since you know who I am, and you intruded into the Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm laid down by my Gate of Life and Death, why don't you fear my retribution in the slightest?"
Luo Chen slowly straightened his back and replied calmly, "Fear is useless. With Senior's means, if you wished to hold us accountable, there would be no reason for us to survive. Yet since Junior stands here hale and hearty, it proves Senior has no intention of killing me."
"As expected of Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen—sharp and clever." Divine Lord Youli stroked his beard, his gaze carrying a touch of appreciation.
"Senior overpraises me. May I ask what guidance Senior has for bringing me here?"
"It cannot be called guidance; I merely retrieved an item."
As he spoke, Divine Lord Youli patted a small gray cauldron before him.
Luo Chen instinctively touched his chest, his expression shifting slightly.
Gazing at his lifebound magic treasure, a thought flashed across his mind, and he asked tentatively, "Could it be...?"
Divine Lord Youli nodded. "Indeed, the Calamity Gu!"
With that, he flicked a finger against the small gray cauldron, drawing forth a chime.
The sound was deep and heavy, reverberating endlessly.
Divine Lord Youli raised a brow. "This magic treasure has quite a decent foundation!"
Luo Chen's heart tightened. That was his lifebound magic treasure, now held in someone else's hands, yet he dared not make any move.
Before his eyes, amidst the lingering chimes, the Hunyuan Cauldron began to radiate light.
Crimson, orange, yellow, green, azure, blue, and violet—seven dazzling colors, splendid beyond compare.
A gray butterfly seemed to come to life, fluttering gracefully amid the multi-hued glow.
The elder's gentle voice drifted into Luo Chen's ears.
"Do you know why my Gate of Life and Death shut its mountain gates and refrained from walking the mortal world?"
"This junior does not know."
"Pay attention to the surrounding environment, and you will understand a fraction of it."
"Eh? This density of worldly origin qi...?"
Probing with his senses, Luo Chen's expression altered dramatically.
The concentration of worldly origin qi nearby was so high that one felt as though bathed in an ocean of origin qi.
Yet this was by no means normal!
That ocean of origin qi was a realm accessible only when comprehending law true intent—the source origin of a world.
Yet atop this peak above the sea of clouds, it felt like another ocean of origin qi.
Being immersed in such a place naturally offered immense benefits, but the perils were easily imagined.
A moment of carelessness would result in being assimilated by heaven and earth.
In fact, mere vigilance was not enough; even if one remained on guard day after day, one would likely sink and dissolve into it.
"Senior, this..."
Divine Lord Youli did not answer Luo Chen directly. Instead, he offered another compliment.
"To comprehend two law true intents in advance while still in the Nascent Soul realm—even in the Xuan Realm, you would count as a top-tier cultivation genius."
"The Xuan Realm? What kind of place is that?" Luo Chen harbored a faint guess, yet could not help asking.
Divine Lord Youli pointed upward.
"The Upper Realm?" Luo Chen inquired.
Divine Lord Youli laughed. "You may treat it as the Upper Realm, or as another Mountain Sea Realm. The only difference between them is that one is vast and the other small, one ancient and the other young. Nothing more; there is no fundamental difference."
Luo Chen furrowed his brow, turning the words over in his mind.
A genius like himself was virtually unique in the Mountain Sea Realm.
Yet from the elder's lips, despite genuine praise, he was merely considered a first-rate talent.
Evidently, the Xuan Realm was the greater world, and the more ancient one.
By comparison, the Mountain Sea Realm was far smaller.
As for being younger?
Luo Chen shook his head inwardly, turning his attention to another matter.
"Junior has a doubt in his heart. I wonder if Senior might answer it?"
"You want to ask whether the five sacred lands of the Mountain Sea Realm hail from the Xuan Realm, correct?"
Luo Chen nodded.
The green-robed elder nodded slightly as well, confirming the speculation.
However, before Luo Chen could follow up, he steered the conversation back to the initial topic.
"The worldly origin qi here is anomalous, virtually identical to the descent of the ocean of origin qi. Do you know why?"
Luo Chen was at a loss.
Divine Lord Youli slowly raised the Hunyuan Cauldron. The gray butterfly continued to dance amidst the seven-colored radiance, appearing as though it might fly free at any second.
Staring at the butterfly, Divine Lord Youli's eyes turned complex.
"It is precisely because of it!"
Luo Chen said instinctively, "A disaster brought on by the Calamity Gu?"
"Caused by it, yet not brought on by it. To cultivate with the aid of the ocean of origin qi is an opportunity countless Soul Formation cultivators yearn for in their dreams; how could it be called a calamity?" Divine Lord Youli murmured, a flicker of pain crossing his face. "Yet often, when an opportunity is too overwhelming, blessings turn into curses."
As he spoke, he beckoned with a hand.
From within the cloud sea condensed of vast worldly origin qi, a streak of red light flew toward them.
Looking closely, it was none other than a red butterfly.
Chapter 969