Beneath a low-hanging sky, two figures sped through the air.
The figure in front moved with astonishing speed and agility, drifting like a fluttering butterfly as he advanced with subtle, intricate footwork.
Trailing far behind, Deng Taiyue looked on in amazement.
"What marvelous movement Luo Chen has! If used in battle, ordinary Nascent Soul True Persons wouldn't even be able to lock onto him with divine sense."
"More remarkably, every time he makes an abrupt turn, it seems as though he's dodging something."
"Could it be spatial rifts?"
Just as his curiosity peaked, a warning called out from ahead.
"Watch out!"
Deng Taiyue snapped to his senses and recoiled in haste.
Without him noticing, an imperceptible black hairline rift had been slowly drifting toward him along his path of flight.
A newly formed spatial rift!
Had Luo Chen not warned him, flying straight into it would at best have severed his physical body in two, and at worst dragged him in to perish, body and soul.
A wave of lingering dread washed over Deng Taiyue.
Ahead, Luo Chen had halted and was glancing back with furrowed brows.
Deng Taiyue's face shifted between pale and flushed before he confessed guiltily, "Forgive me, I have held you back."
Luo Chen waved a hand. "No matter. Just stay close to me from here on!"
As he spoke, he released a strand of magic power that formed a chain, linking Deng Taiyue to himself. With that, they resumed their journey, speeding forward beneath the gloomy sky.
Following closely behind, Deng Taiyue made no attempt to resist the magic chain. Instead, his admiration for Luo Chen's capabilities only deepened.
To think Alchemy Grandmaster Luo Chen could detect the emergence of spatial rifts ahead of time!
Such capability was truly astounding.
No wonder rumors claimed he had fought a life-and-death battle against Qingshuang, reputed to be the foremost figure beneath the Soul Formation stage.
Demon Sovereign Qingshuang was renowned for two traits: an indestructible body and elusive spatial shifting arts.
If Luo Chen could perceive spatial ripples, he indeed possessed an extra measure of advantage against her.
"It seems the rumors are true!"
At this thought, Deng Taiyue felt growing respect—even awe—toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen already possessed a towering reputation, and his progress was marked by leap after leap. Though both were in the mid Nascent Soul stage, Deng Taiyue never believed himself to be Luo Chen's match.
In the vast Eastern Desolation today, those capable of matching Luo Chen were likely exceedingly rare.
"If I rely on the Empowerment Pill to comprehend the Earth Origin and advance to the late Nascent Soul stage, could I best him?"
News from the Western Desert had yet to reach here. Had Deng Taiyue known that Luo Chen once single-handedly held off an Arhat Formation composed of thirty-six Nascent Soul cultivators, he likely would never have entertained such a thought.
Ahead, Luo Chen's eyes shone with radiant golden light, revealing the mark of his Crimson Eyes and Golden Pupils.
With these spiritual eyes capable of piercing illusion and void, he could evade obvious spatial rifts well in advance.
Furthermore, even newly born, minuscule rifts did not escape his sharp perception, allowing him to dodge them swiftly.
This was something he had previously been unable to accomplish.
As he traveled, Luo Chen tested this new perception with wonder. After multiple confirmations, he grew certain it was no coincidence.
"Why has my perception of spatial ripples become so acute?"
A surge in divine soul foundation?
Luo Chen discarded that possibility at once.
Naturally formed spatial rifts possessed no vital aura whatsoever; no matter how immense one's divine sense was, it could not detect them.
It was precisely because of these spatial rifts, capable of appearing at any moment, that Soul Formation mighty figures were barred from this area, demonstrating the region's inherent restriction on divine sense.
An enhancement of his eyes?
Luo Chen brushed his fingers past the corner of his eye and quickly dismissed that theory as well.
Though he had consistently applied the Jade Sovereign Clear Pupil Liquid, enhancing one's spiritual sight was never the work of a single day, and it could hardly evolve to such a degree so abruptly.
"Could it be Qingshuang?"
Luo Chen pressed his lips together, recalling his current connection to Qingshuang.
The Great Dao Oath, the inner restriction, and... the Life-and-Death Gu!
That Life-and-Death Gu in particular was said to allow both hosts to share the fruits of each other's cultivation, with the party of lower cultivation receiving an even greater benefit.
Even though the Life-and-Death Gu he had used was only Tier 4, faint traces of that effect lingered.
If this heightened sensitivity to spatial ripples came from Qingshuang, what had Qingshuang gained from him in return?
The thought flickered through Luo Chen's mind before he suppressed it, refocusing entirely on making haste.
***
Upon Mount Cangwu, within Zhoukong Hall.
In an empty, barren expanse devoid of any physical matter, a green-robed woman sat cross-legged.
Her eyes were closed and her mind was focused as she channeled magic power infused with spatial origin to nurture the tiny white flower within her body drop by drop.
The Void-Accumulating Flower!
A mythical bloom said to possess the power to blossom into an entire world or open a second Purple Palace.
Regrettably, the one Qingshuang had obtained was only at Tier 4, still far from reaching Tier 5.
She had told Luo Chen that she intended to refine it, but what she truly needed to do was nourish it.
It was precisely the ceaseless demand on her magic power to nurture this flower that had caused flaws to appear in her otherwise flawless combat system.
Not only had she been captured alive by the Soul Formation mighty figure Chun Yuan, but she had also exposed a fatal weakness during her clash with Luo Chen.
Monarch Qixia had cautioned her long ago not to engage in combat before achieving complete success. Yet at the time, to tie down the Tianyuan Dao Sect cultivators in the Eastern Desolation so her elder sister could assault the Central Plains without worries from behind, she had been forced to intervene repeatedly.
Now having found a reprieve, she naturally resumed the nurturing process.
As long as the Void-Accumulating Flower reached Tier 5 and formed a small world within her body, she could personally experience the genesis of space during that creation, thereby accelerating her comprehension of the spatial origin.
When that time came, ascending to the Soul Formation stage would be a natural fruition.
Immersed in her cultivation, Qingshuang remained singularly devoted.
Suddenly, her mind stirred, and an itch flared across her back.
*Swish!*
A pair of wings unfurled instinctively.
In the next instant, the colossal true form of a qingluan manifested within the Zhoukong world.
Though slightly surprised, Qingshuang instinctively sensed that this form was more fitting, so she did not revert to human shape and continued nurturing the Void-Accumulating Flower in her true form.
In the process, she noticed that as the flower grew, while absorbing her magic power, it gave back a wondrous energy that settled upon her, bestowing upon her massive body an added trace of ancient, primordial aura.
Sacred and pristine, ancient and profound.
At the very moment Qingshuang revealed her true form, a red-robed woman slumbering within Tongxuan Hall slowly opened her eyes.
"The Path of True Spirits?"
"How could she have stepped onto this path of ancestral return?"
"Should I stop her?"
A thoughtful gleam appeared in her weary eyes, but she quickly abandoned the thought of intervening.
"Perhaps this is for the best. Her bloodline was inherently thin. While her rapid progress brought swift results, it also carried the hidden danger of pulling up shoots to help them grow. If she can achieve ancestral return through the Path of True Spirits, it might grant her a glimmer of hope."
Murmuring softly, the utterly exhausted red-robed woman closed her eyes once more, sinking back into a deep slumber.
***
*Gurgle, gurgle.*
Bubbles rose continuously amid surging undercurrents.
Within the pitch-black Ming Abyss, only faint flickers of light shone.
Drawing closer, one could see eerie green flames emerging from within a towering, sturdy mountain.
Every cluster of green flame emanated a formidable aura.
There were seven in total, completely encircling a colossal Black Tortoise several hundred zhang in size.
The Black Tortoise gave off a misty haze of water vapor, forming a potent barrier to ward off the strikes launched by the seven clusters of green flame.
Under the relentless assault, however, the barrier of water vapor grew increasingly unstable.
Suddenly!
*Whoosh!*
A fierce, incomparably potent blood arrow shot out from the misty barrier, flying straight for one of the green flames.
The strike came so abruptly that the owner of the green flame was caught off guard, and his defenses were breached in the blink of an eye.
A muffled grunt signaled that the master of the green flame had suffered no small injury.
Nearby, someone sneered, "Yan Qianji, don't you claim to have the strongest defense among the Netherworld's forty-nine Ghost Sovereigns? How is it that you couldn't even withstand an ambush from a mere body cultivator?"
His face covered in wrinkles like a giant softshell turtle, Yan Qianji swept a hand over his chest. As thick ghost qi surged, the gaping hole in his chest closed in an instant.
He harbored deep hatred!
Had that man not suddenly appeared years ago and struck him with a palm—leaving behind a peculiar flame brimming with immense vitality that constantly ground against his ghost qi—how could he have fallen to such a pathetic state?
Not only had his supposedly impenetrable defense been breached, but his cultivation had been forced to a halt.
Yet mingled within that thick hatred was a hint of anticipation.
"No matter. That man has already departed, and those left behind must be his disciples and subordinates. If I can devour this Black Tortoise, using its form to mend mine, not only will my injuries fully heal, but my cultivation realm will see a massive leap. When that time comes, I can even contend for the Ming Water Spring Eye!"
As he mused, his gaze instinctively drifted toward the upper reaches of Mount Yanfu.
There, eerie ghost flames spread continuously, almost completely concealing a great hall atop the mountain peak.
Its momentum was a hundred times greater than that of the seven Ghost Sovereigns gathered here!
Yan Qianji snorted coldly and scolded, "Tend to your own affairs and don't let those two inside escape!"
A burst of loud laughter erupted beside him.
"How could we let them escape? That man's robust blood vitality is the finest blood food imaginable. I may not be worthy of vying for the Ming Water Spring Eye, but with this blood food to replenish me, I might just be able to refine an avatar, turning yin into yang to cultivate the Great Dao anew!"
Following his laughter, the others chimed in one after another.
"That white python female ghost belongs to me! I happen to lack a favored concubine, and her looks are quite fine!"
"I want that Soul Refining Banner! Ordinary magic treasures cannot endure the filth of the Ming Water, but that Soul Refining Banner will be mine!"
***
The seven Ghost Sovereigns made no attempt to conceal their conversation.
Instead, leveraging their immense yin soul power, they brazenly battered the two figures protected by the Black Tortoise with wave after wave of spiritual pressure.
Ghostly wails unsettled the spirit; their words sought to disrupt the mind.
Any ordinary person in such circumstances would have felt dread creeping in.
Yet standing atop the Black Tortoise's back, Wang Yuan's expression remained unchanged, as composed and steady as ever.
He slowly withdrew his finger, his face thoughtful.
Body cultivators feared ghost cultivators most because ghosts possessed no physical form, making it difficult for mundane punches and kicks to land.
Yet body cultivators also feared ghost cultivators least, because surging blood vitality was the world's greatest counter to them, on par with divine lightning and true fire!
Through repeated clashes, he had gradually developed methods to strike at these powerful Ghost Sovereigns.
The Motian Baizao Mountain was ineffective, and the Thunderbolt Gauntlets fell short of his needs.
Yet the Divine Gang Battle Qi nurtured within his Flawless Golden Body was extraordinarily potent.
If he blended it with his martial essence blood and struck with a specialized technique, he might catch one of them unprepared and slay him.
"This technique..."
Just as Wang Yuan was pondering, a voice filled with guilt spoke from behind him.
"Senior Brother Wang Yuan, I have dragged you into this. Had I not insisted on ascending the mountain, how could we have been trapped here?"
Without looking back, Wang Yuan replied, "You need not blame yourself. Rumors in the Netherworld Abyss have always held that whoever claims the Ming Water Spring Eye shall rule the abyss. If they truly seize control of it, where would our Luotian Sect stand? Thus, even if you hadn't come up the mountain, I would have intervened personally to fight for it."
Seated cross-legged upon the Black Tortoise's back, Bai Meiling gazed at Wang Yuan's broad back. Even with his comfort, she remained overcome with self-reproach.
Ever since Mount Yanfu plummeted years ago, it had rested here.
Innumerable ghosts had coveted this place!
Yet because of the Tier 5 Ghost Emperors lurking within the Netherworld Abyss, the formidable high-tier ghosts had not dared to act rashly.
Who could have foreseen that several years ago, Monarch Qixia would descend upon the Netherworld Abyss once more, deploying the spirit treasure Myriad Beasts Chart with her vast divine abilities to forcibly sweep away the Tier 5 Ghost Emperors?
With the higher powers no longer suppressing them, all manner of ghosts broke loose, throwing the Netherworld into turmoil!
The pinnacle Ghost Sovereigns flocked toward Mount Yanfu in unison.
Word spread that the Ming Water Spring Eye was about to congeal and emerge. Whoever claimed it could command the vast ocean and become the master of the Netherworld Abyss. Some even claimed the spring eye held the power of creation, capable of forging a Soul Formation mighty figure.
The ghosts had grown all the more frenzied!
She had received her master's orders long ago to keep constant watch over Mount Yanfu.
Seeing powerful Ghost Sovereigns enter Mount Yanfu one after another, how could she sit idly by?
Believing she could put up a fight with the Black Tortoise's assistance, she had never expected these old ghosts—having lingered for thousands of years—to be far craftier than she could have imagined.
Not only had she been grievously injured, but Senior Brother Wang Yuan, who had rushed to her aid, had also ended up surrounded.
As she blamed herself, Wang Yuan suddenly spoke. "In a moment, I will strike with full force, focusing my attack on that old softshell turtle, Yan Qianji. I am seventy percent certain I can slay him, or at the very least scatter his soul body. You must seize that chance to break out!"
"But—"
"No buts! Only after you leave can I fight without restraint. Besides, the Black Tortoise is here; it can hold out for a while. Once you return to the Luotian Sect, ask Lingfengzi and Fairy Canglong to intervene together, and they will surely be able to save me."
Bai Meiling parted her lips, but offered no further objection.
This was the best way out of their current predicament!
Having made his decision, Wang Yuan spoke no more. He calmed his mind and focused his breath, gathering momentum.
At the tip of his right finger, endless Divine Gang Battle Qi surged and contracted, ultimately condensing into a needle-thin streak of battle qi no larger than the awn of a wheat stalk.
*If this strike succeeds, it will become another of my lethal techniques,*
Wang Yuan thought to himself.
After another combined onslaught by the seven Ghost Sovereigns left the Black Tortoise's barrier teetering, Wang Yuan struck with sudden fury.
"Go!"
The streak of battle qi shot forth, with the white python surging right behind it.
The softshell turtle Ghost Sovereign, Yan Qianji, bore the brunt of the assault. Seeing this, he was not startled, but enraged.
"Do you truly take me for an easy target?!"
He opened his mouth and spat out a pillar of black water, aiming straight for Bai Meiling.
Yet halfway through its flight, the water pillar was split clean in two down the middle.
Only then did Yan Qianji detect the concealed streak of battle qi.
"What is that..."
*Pfft!*
The battle qi instantly pierced through his protective light barrier and plunged into his body.
And then—
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Myriad bursts of qi erupted simultaneously, shredding his soul body into a sieve in an instant.
Countless wisps of ghost qi shattered, attempting to reassemble only to be repeatedly torn apart.
From within came Yan Qianji's furious roar:
"What are you all waiting for?! Strike!"
Amidst his enraged shout, the surrounding figures responded immediately.
Several attacks flew forth, bearing down on Bai Meiling.
Afar on the Black Tortoise's back, Wang Yuan saw this and knew things had gone awry; they had come prepared all along.
Had his earlier probing strikes tipped them off?
Even the Ghost Sovereign who had earlier spoken of capturing Bai Meiling alive struck with ruthless lethality, showing not the slightest hint of tender mercy.
In an instant, Bai Meiling was plunged into a mortal trap!
Right at that moment—
A sudden change occurred!
An ochre-yellow seal descended from the heavens, enfolding Bai Meiling within its protection.
Every attack struck against it only to sink away like clay oxen into the sea, unable to harm Bai Meiling in the slightest.
Immediately following it were seven terrifying azure handprints that came crashing down upon the seven Ghost Sovereigns without a moment's pause.
Chapter 998