The four White Bone Fiends fused together, transforming into the idol of a four-faced divine fiend. Resting six arms upon the Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf, this fiendish manifestation sat atop the colossal beast, not only pinning it so firmly that it could not stir, but also siphoning out its demonic qi and refining it into billowing devilish energy.
Its remaining two arms moved in tandem with the four distinct expressions on its faces—joy, fury, sorrow, and madness. At the very instant the sword beam struck, the palms came together in a barehanded blade catch, clamping down upon the radiance.
A Sword Qi Thunderous Roar was already an unmatched, lightning-fast strike. Even Qian Chen had not expected anyone could employ a divine fiend manifestation to pinch down and halt the shifting course of such a sword beam…
This was equivalent to seizing a bolt of lightning as it fell from the heavens—an act utterly beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.
A sense of gravity weighed on Qian Chen's heart. He had never witnessed Miaokong fight with his own eyes, after all, and had not anticipated the man to be even more formidable than imagined. This went far beyond the magical power of a high-grade completed core; Miaokong had clearly refined what the Daoist orthodoxy called a yin spirit, and what the demonic path termed a divine fiend original form—a realm transcending Core Formation.
In the Daoist orthodoxy, a yin spirit endured three tribulations to become a Yang Spirit, and an imperishable Yang Spirit attained the status of a Yuanshen True Immortal.
In the demonic path, a divine fiend original form underwent nine calamities to become a natal divine fiend, which then united with the true self to form an immortal divine fiend.
Once reaching that stage, whether Daoist or demonic, Buddhist or unorthodox, all could attain immortality and share a lifespan equal to heaven and earth.
In the palms of the great skeletal hands, born of the White Bone Relics, a single eye opened on each.
Now, those solitary eyes beamed soul-enervating demonic light, shining down upon the sword beam trapped securely between the palms.
Following the resonance of true qi between Qian Chen and Sword Immortal Yan as they drove the blade, the soul-melting, bone-eroding light exerted a voracious suction. Sword Immortal Yan's limbs went limp, and his true essence slipped from his control, siphoned off by the demonic light as his fundamental magical power was steadily worn away piece by piece.
Sword Immortal Yan's expression turned grim. He murmured in a low voice, "The Four Seats of the Bliss Heavenly Demon!"
"You are a true disciple of the Nine Underworlds Demon Sect!"
Zhiqiu raised his hand to cast a divine talisman. He did not question why Qian Chen had struck; the moment he saw the manifested divine fiend form, he offered his aid without hesitation.
Why had the White Bone Relic drawn by Qian Chen summoned three more White Bone Fiends? Why had the White Bone Fiends suddenly intervened to subdue the wolf demon general? Why had Miaokong acted to capture the wolf demon… and why had Qian Chen attacked Miaokong? All these doubts were cast aside for now. Though Qian Chen was dressed as an unorthodox cultivator, he had aided them from the beginning.
The figure behind them, however, was an undeniable devil!
That fact alone was reason enough for Zhiqiu to intervene. "Kunlun disciple Zhiqiu of the lower realm respectfully implores our ancestral master to act!" Zhiqiu cried out with all his might.
The divine talisman drew forth a strand of magical power twined like a tortoise and serpent, on the verge of coalescing into a divine general. Just then, the divine fiend manifestation broke into wild laughter. Two of the six arms pinning the giant wolf suddenly freed themselves, raised their fists, and smashed the shimmering silhouette of the general to pieces. With the manifestation of the demon-subduing general shattered, Zhiqiu coughed up a mouthful of heart's blood and went flying sideways, crashing through the grand hall and striking against the Buddha statue.
Sword Immortal Yan spat out a mouthful of fundamental magical power. Disregarding the worsening corrosion of the soul-enervating light within him, a speck of sword light suddenly broke away and vanished into the sword pill.
"Yin spirit projecting… unity of sword and spirit!" Specks of golden blood seeped from Yan's seven apertures.
The sword beam locked in the fiend's palms surged violently once more. Against all odds, it tore free from the skeletal hands and drove toward the space between the fiend's brows.
Miaokong merely gave a cold sneer.
Right then, Qian Chen stepped up beside Sword Immortal Yan and struck both palms against the man's back, pouring all his overbearing magical power into him. A flicker of disbelief crossed Yan's face, instantly turning into the desolate sorrow of betrayal. Qian Chen roared in simulated fury, "Old devil, you dared place a restriction on me!"
Miaokong laughed. "Little beast, you truly possess a bit of luck. To have attained such cultivation in just a few short years is more terrifying than I was in my youth. Though it is partly due to the magical implements I gave you, it proves your natural aptitude is exceptional. Fortunately, I kept a trick up my sleeve. How does the Three-Lives Restriction of the Secret Demon Soul Impeachment taste?"
"Haha… This demonic restriction is named 'Three Lives' because not even the cycle of reincarnation can free you from it. Forcing you to backstab an ally is child's play.
"Originally, I intended to retrieve the item left to nourish within you and send your soul scattering into oblivion. But seeing how remarkable your talent is, I find myself somewhat loath to waste it.
"I shall refine you into a White Bone Fiend and forge your skull and soul into a White Bone Relic instead!"
"Is that so?" Qian Chen said coldly. "I find your head quite fine as well. I have taken a fancy to it!"
At that moment, Sword Immortal Yan, who had just taken Qian Chen's strike to the back, glared with fury and bellowed. Emerald core qi surged around him, and the stalled sword beam flared once more, darting straight for Miaokong. The Sword Qi Thunderous Roar quickened by another thirty percent, instantly cleaving through the White Bone Fiend manifestation. The shattered idol collapsed, reverting into four White Bone Relics.
Miaokong's demonic qi coalesced into a colossal hand, desperately trying to catch the sword beam.
When Qian Chen had struck Sword Immortal Yan's back, Yan's initial shock had been entirely genuine. But once Qian Chen transferred a grade-seven external dan into his body and secretly transmitted the refining method via voice, the ensuing display was purely an act staged by both men—all to buy enough time for Yan to refine the external dan.
Yan had projected his yin spirit into the sword without sufficient nurturing, an act that incurred immense self-inflicted harm.
Yet it had also pushed the sword beam to an unprecedented height.
Seeing such a reliable ally, Qian Chen naturally would not sit idle. He had altered his plan on the spot, gifting the external dan to this powerful helper while melting down the essence of several spirit pills to mend the damage to Yan's divine soul. Thus, Yan's desperate gamble, bolstered by Qian Chen's assistance, was restored to an unprecedented peak. It enabled him to deliver a strike that bridged two whole cultivation realms, shattering Miaokong's fiend manifestation.
Below, when Zhiqiu had witnessed Qian Chen ambush Sword Immortal Yan, his heart had plunged into an abyss.
Only after hearing Qian Chen claim to be bound by a restriction did he feel a trace of solace, thinking to himself, *Though the devil stands a foot taller, this Daoist brother never truly betrayed us. Dying together can at least be considered an honorable end to our fellowship through tribulation.*
Who could have guessed that on the brink of certain death against an insurmountable foe, another twist would arise?
Uniting body and sword, Qian Chen unleashed a second Sword Qi Thunderous Roar. A startling rainbow of lightning caught up with Yan's sword beam as it contested against the black qi hand, the two fusing into one. Instantly, the great hand lost the power to withstand the blade and began crumbling away bit by bit. Qian Chen and Sword Immortal Yan shouted in unison. Supreme Clarity and Grand Clarity magical powers merged into one, parting the black demonic hand and thrusting straight toward the space between Miaokong's brows.
Yet just three inches from his forehead, the sword beam abruptly froze, unable to advance or retreat. A thin ripple of black and white mystic light spread from Miaokong's brow—a mere diaphanous layer, yet virtually indestructible.
Qian Chen broke away from the sword beam, pinched a sword seal, and uttered resolutely, "Detonate!"
The Black Gold Baleful Hook exploded with a thunderous roar. The shattering restriction unleashed an overwhelming burst of sword brilliance, yet it remained pinned within the black and white mystic light, unable to move forward or back. Sword Immortal Yan sighed softly. "Gang-sha qi… Nine Underworlds Demonic Light!"
"This is the divine ability of Nine Underworlds Demonic Light, refined by merging Nine Yin Nether Spring True Sha with Rahu Heaven-Shrouding Mysterious Baleful Gangqi," Miaokong said slowly. "To think you could force me to deploy this technique. Little worm, you truly have given me quite a few surprises.
"What is more, you actually managed to dissolve the restriction I placed upon you!
"I am beginning to feel a bit of regret. That item must have undergone quite a few changes after falling into your hands. Fortunately, it can still be remedied… Though fortune favors you, I prepared thoroughly enough. I will not grant you any more time!"
*Gang-sha qi… Another piece of his foundation flushed out.*
Qian Chen paid this minor setback no heed at all. He had never expected such an offensive to finish off an old devil like Miaokong; having two dependable teammates was already an unexpected delight. To hope for an enemy to crumble weakly would be underestimating the million-year heritage of Louguan Dao.
Qian Chen's expression showed neither sorrow nor joy. Under the moonlight, he stood face to face with Miaokong, suspended high above the Sangharama Pagoda Forest.
The black qi around Miaokong gathered once more into a giant hand, reaching out to gently pinch Qian Chen… Sword Immortal Yan and Zhiqiu could hardly bear to watch. Before the sky-blanketing demonic palm, Qian Chen's figure appeared frail and tiny. Just then, moonlight tore through the darkness, bathing the courtyard of Lanruo Temple as the lotuses in the Merit Pool bloomed in silence.
A speck of brilliance escaped…
From the four battered White Bone Relics, a centipede-like venomous dragon suddenly burst forth. At that moment, the four relics were still pinning the massive Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf. As the Five Poisons Divine Fiend made its move, neither the White Bone Relics nor the wolf demon could react in time. The venomous dragon seized the wolf demon's inner core that the relics had extracted and plunged straight into the wolf's colossal body.
The demon wolf began to thrash violently…
Miaokong raised his hand and released two more White Bone Relics, which merged downward into the four damaged relics, once again manifesting the four-faced White Bone Fiend.
So long as the demon wolf was kept under control, whatever tricks Qian Chen possessed would come to naught.
Yet at that moment, the shadow of the Clear Swan Sword shot out from behind Miaokong, accelerating abruptly like a bolt of lightning. This strike had shed all traces of clumsiness, exhibiting a Sword Qi Thunderous Roar refined to absolute perfection.
Watching this sword beam, a thought flashed through Sword Immortal Yan's mind.
*This fellow Daoist is truly a prodigy of the sword. Having only followed my lead once to execute the Sword Qi Thunderous Roar, he unleashed it a second time on his own, and by the third, he has already reached such a level. By comparison, my sixty years of sword practice are truly…* For the first time, he felt inferior before someone's talent with the blade.
He even contemplated the possibility of recruiting Qian Chen into his sect, before quickly catching himself with a silent thought: *This junior brother is no nameless wandering cultivator, but a bearer of the Taishang Dao lineage. His sect possesses supreme Daos of its own; why would he ever defect to enter Lingbao Dao?*
At that very moment, as the Black Gold Baleful Hook's detonating restrictions tied down the gang-sha demonic light, the Clear Swan Sword finally shattered Miaokong's protective gang-sha. The sword beam twisted, uniting with Qian Chen's body, and surged fifty percent faster. It cleaved through every defensive implement, gang-sha, and restriction, coiling around Miaokong's neck. Demonic light erupted as Miaokong's head flew up with a burst of wild laughter. Together with his headless torso, it turned into two streaks of demonic light, fleeing several li in an instant before head and neck rejoined, restoring him to his original form.
"A natal divine fiend!" Qian Chen's physical body flew out from the sword beam, finally confirming his suspicion.
Once a cultivator formed a yin spirit, their physical body was merely a mortal shell. Even if slain, their spirit could anchor to a magical implement, gather primordial qi, and forge a Nascent Soul body. Practitioners of the demonic path, on the other hand, merged their physical bodies into their natal divine fiends, refining themselves into bizarre, non-human forms. Only then could a demonic cultivator truly be called a devil!
With Qian Chen's current swordsmanship, he could not truly kill such a being.
Unless he forged a supreme sword intent capable of severing the divine fiend's form along with its divine soul—or possessed a magic treasure flying sword capable of slaying the Primal Spirit—the fiend's head could be severed hundreds of times and still easily restored. Compared to Shaman Zhou's Soul Urn technique from earlier, this natal divine fiend was far superior.
In truth, many of the spirits, gods, and demons worshipped in shamanic rites were merely the natal divine fiends of demonic sect grandmasters.
Miaokong was both shocked and enraged, sneering, "What clever schemes, what fortune! Given a little more time, my painstaking plans might well have ended up serving you. Today, you must not be permitted to live…"
"'This child must not be spared!'" Qian Chen smiled faintly. "To think I would see such a day. Protagonist luck truly is something!"
"Miaokong…" Qian Chen barked, "Bring out your true capabilities! Qian stands right here, waiting for you to take my head."
Up to this point, despite facing unexpected turns again and again from this little worm and witnessing an aura fitting for a protagonist, Miaokong had managed to keep his composure, never lamenting his lot and only striving to eliminate future troubles. Yet upon hearing those words, his complexion changed drastically. "What did you say?"
"Your surname is clearly Li! Why do you refer to yourself as 'Qian'?"
Hearing this, Qian Chen's heart stirred, and he smiled. "Whatever my original surname was no longer matters. My spirit sense was destroyed by you, and I was reborn only with great difficulty, all prior memories scattered like smoke. The past is like mist, and earlier matters are forgotten. I wish only to roam freely through the world. Since I have forgotten, I shall ask not of the past… Today, I am Qian Chen!"
Miaokong bordered on madness. "Ask not of the past… Then why not call yourself Mo Wen? Why must you be Qian Chen?!"
"Because this body was granted by that past," Qian Chen said calmly. "Therefore, the great grudge against you cannot be forgotten, nor can the immense kindness of my predecessor!"
"Your surname is clearly Li…" Miaokong stamped his feet in frantic agitation. "You could be Li Chen… or Li Yuan! Even Li Xiaoyao would do!"
"Nonsense… I don't know any Zhao Ling'er, so why call myself Li Xiaoyao? Besides, that name ended up as Yipin—destitute and penniless, what an unlucky name! There is no roaming freely in that… I will be Qian Chen…" Qian Chen argued with righteous conviction.
"Qian Chen… Qian Chen. The Qian Patriarch who revived Louguan Dao… Haha… Haha… Am I part of heavenly destiny as well? Were my calculations merely part of the chessboard? All claim that heavenly destiny is hard to alter, that even Reincarnators are powerless before it. Today, I, Miaokong, refuse to believe in fate! If I believe in it, I face eternal damnation; if I believe in it, I die… I will defy the heavens and change my fate! I have no choice but to defy the heavens and change my fate!"
Miaokong's expression turned thoroughly savage.
At this moment, the killing intent in his heart was resolute beyond measure, his gaze burning with the determination to strike Qian Chen down beneath his blade, no matter what obstacles stood in his way.
Chapter 85