https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-510-Running-for-Eighty-Thousand-Miles-Destroying-Twelve-Cities/12941995/
Chapter 511: Are You Luo Chen?
Chapter 511: Are You Luo Chen?
In the pitch-black dungeon, the heavy breathing of the imprisoned cultivators made the place even quieter.
This silence lasted for a long time.
Until a sigh broke the tranquility.
The cultivators confined in their individual cells looked up in unison towards the source of the sound.
"Fellow Daoist Haoranzi, how are you doing?"
"Can you break the restrictions?"
The speaker's voice was filled with urgency, and many others shared his anxious gaze.
Haoranzi sighed bitterly in response, "I'm afraid not. My Golden Core is completely dormant, and I can't mobilize my spiritual power at all."
"You are the most advanced cultivator among us, just a step away from achieving the pinnacle of the Golden Core stage. If even you can't break the restrictions, then we are like fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others," said the Moon Goddess Messenger from the Star Moon Temple.
Haoranzi shook his head, "You give me too much credit. That person is so formidable that even the Five Great Nascent Soul True Monarchs would flee at the mere mention of her name. I'm just a mere Golden Core cultivator; how could I possibly break the restrictions she personally set up?"
At the mention of that person, everyone's faces paled.
The fact that even the Five Great Nascent Soul True Monarchs would flee upon encountering her spoke volumes about her power, even without personally experiencing that realm.
Among the five, Han Zhan, Tian Yi Zi, He Qing Zi, Han Zhan, and Wei Wu Ya were no weaklings.
Whether it was Tian Yi Zi, who possessed both wind and thunder dual spirit roots and a wide array of skills, or He Qing Zi, who had diligently cultivated for hundreds of years and reached the pinnacle of sword techniques, each of them was a renowned powerhouse in the Eastern Wasteland Cultivation World.
Even in terms of cultivation level, He Qing Zi's profound cultivation was comparable to that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
With such a formidable team, they feared neither ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators nor even mid-stage Nascent Soul experts.
However, this powerful lineup had fled in panic the moment that woman took a single step.
This fact alone was enough to imagine her strength! She was undoubtedly a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator! Moreover, she was among the very top cultivators at that stage.
They didn't know the outcome of the subsequent battle.
But Wei Wu Ya, the Crane Cloud True Man from the Thunder Drum Plain, had been completely eradicated in a single strike, without even a chance to escape with his Nascent Soul.
Such a thunderous display of power was simply unimaginable.
It was only natural for Haoranzi to feel this way.
Wei Wu Ya, from the Heaven Touching Cliff, a Nascent Soul stage sect, spoke with confusion, "Although the vast Barbarian Mountains are filled with countless powerful demons, the techniques that woman used were actually quite simple, yet they possessed such formidable might. With such a unique and eye-catching combat style, the top human sects should have some records of her. But why have I never heard of this demon's existence?"
Night Xiang, also from a Nascent Soul stage sect, replied in a hoarse voice, "Perhaps she's a recently emerged powerful demon."
"Recently? How recent? How many years?"
"Before every Opening War, not only do the participating sects conduct intelligence investigations, but the Abyss Sect's sacred land also provides a general report. Within the past five hundred years, I've never heard of such a figure. It can't be that she cultivated to this level within five hundred years, can it?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! A being like that would need more than five hundred years."
"Indeed, even the human geniuses among us only reach the early Nascent Soul stage within five hundred years. The more powerful ones might reach the mid-stage, but that woman..."
...
In the dimly lit dungeon, voices echoed back and forth.
Even though each person was separated by their individual cells and unable to use their spiritual sense or spiritual power, they could still communicate verbally.
Amidst the lively conversations, Luo Chen remained silent.
Like the others, he had tried various methods to mobilize his spiritual power, but to no avail.
His spiritual sense was trapped within his sea of consciousness, unable to venture out.
The Golden Core, which contained his pure spiritual power, seemed to have vanished without a trace, as if trapped in a different space, leaving no clues to its whereabouts.
From the others, he learned that this was a highly advanced restriction technique.
If it were to correspond to the seven basic restrictions—mountain, water, wind, thunder, darkness, brightness, and void—then without a doubt, this restriction technique was most similar to the spatial restriction.
The abnormalities within his body also matched the description of a spatial restriction.
It seemed invisible and omnipresent, permeating every corner of his body.
Luo Chen couldn't find a solution, as this was a technique used by a late-stage Nascent Soul demon beast.
If he were to draw upon all his past experiences, there were only two possible ways to break this restriction.
One was to thoroughly understand all seven basic restrictions and use them to counter the restriction.
The other was to use a technique to sever the dragon and eliminate the foreign object within his body.
However, both methods had significant limitations.
For the first method, he had only mastered a portion of the darkness restriction, and achieving mastery was still a distant dream.
The second method required spiritual power to support it, and one had to cultivate to an extremely high level.
At least the level of a Grand Master or a fully realized cultivator, or perhaps even a fully realized cultivator, might not be able to eliminate the spatial restriction within the body.
As he came to this realization, Luo Chen felt increasingly desperate.
In the face of absolute power, no matter how proficient he was in various techniques, it was all just flashy and useless, unable to withstand a single blow.
"Ten years ago, we were determined to win the Opening War, never considering the possibility of failure. Even with the unexpected appearance of the Savage Wolf Sovereign, it was just a minor setback. Who would have thought that so soon, our fates would be so drastically different!"
"Indeed, just yesterday, we were exalted Golden Core cultivators, heroes admired by all. But today, we've become prisoners."
The dungeon echoed with bitter sighs.
Luo Chen stopped his futile attempts and wore a wry smile of helplessness.
He thought of many things.
The cultivators had built immortal cities, opened shops, and divided the territories of the Howling Moon Mountains among themselves even before the war was won.
From the high-level Nascent Soul cultivators to the million low-level cultivators, none of them had taken this Opening War seriously.
They weren't concerned about winning or losing but were instead focused on how to minimize losses and maximize gains.
After all, there were nine major sects, eighteen major Golden Core sects, and countless wandering cultivators, totaling a million cultivators!
With such a formidable force, who would expect to lose? But now... it could only be said that arrogance leads to defeat!
"In fact, the anomalies had appeared much earlier. If not for the intervention of the other four True Monarchs, the Savage Wolf Sovereign alone could have turned the tide of the battle. This person's talent and aptitude are no less than that of the human geniuses."
"It's not that simple. We did conquer the Howling Moon Mountains, but the problem lies in our greed and haste, attempting to swallow the Great Snow Mountain in one go."
"Hehe..."
Someone scoffed.
A person nearby asked irritably, "Tattered Daoist, what are you scoffing at? Am I wrong?"
Tattered Daoist leaned against the wall, hands supporting his head.
He curled his lips and mocked, "Are you greedy for glory and advancement? You Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses should know more inside information than us! I heard that when the White Moon Immortal City was first established, the three Immortal Maidens of Hundred Flowers Palace were already making preparations to attack the Great Snow Mountain."
At this statement, everyone's gaze fell upon the three female cultivators in the corner.
The Hundred Flowers Immortal Maiden stopped her pointless actions and opened her eyes. She slightly parted her red lips, "We have made preparations, and it's evident that the demon race has also made their own. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that a top-tier demon powerhouse appeared in the Bone White Dao Palace? In the end, it's just a matter of who wins and who loses."
Yes, it's just a matter of victory and defeat!
If the green-robed woman named Qingfeng hadn't appeared, the Great Snow Mountain would have already been within their grasp.
They weren't here to complain uselessly in the dark and gloomy dungeon; instead, they would be drinking and discussing in the brightly lit Bone White Dao Palace, negotiating how to distribute the resources and spirit grounds of the Great Snow Mountain.
The gloomy thoughts and desperate emotions spread among them.
Luo Chen was also one of them.
Perhaps the only thing that kept him from feeling utterly hopeless was that he wasn't the only one captured!
The saying, 'It's better to have few allies than to have unequal allies,' was true.
When everyone faced adversity together, even the most desperate emotions could be alleviated.
After all, if they were going to die, they would die together.
There were several Late-stage Golden Core powerhouses among them, and the lower-level cultivators felt a bit more at ease.
Of course, this was just an excuse.
Someone raised a question.
"In front of that person, we're just glowing weeds, easily extinguished with a snap of their fingers. Why didn't they kill us but instead went through the trouble of imprisoning us here?"
With this question, everyone fell silent.
In truth, this doubt had been hidden in everyone's heart from the very beginning.
But no one dared to face it directly.
In the end, who wanted to die?
Most of them could claim to have the potential to reach the Nascent Soul Stage.
Who would want to die without understanding, defeated by a single move from someone else, without even being able to put up a slight resistance? No one answered, each having their own speculations.
But someone would eventually answer this question for them.
...
Half a month later.
In the gloomy dungeon, crisp footsteps echoed.
Everyone opened their eyes, looking in the direction of the approaching steps.
The darkness gradually dissipated.
A voluptuous woman with a beautiful face appeared, holding a green lantern, and stood before them.
Seeing the newcomer, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Senior Crane Purity, how..."
"Shut up!"
Crane Purity's face flashed with sternness as she silenced the speaker.
Everyone fell silent, not daring to provoke this person.
Although they didn't understand why she hadn't died and was able to move freely in that person's territory, at the moment, they were more concerned about her purpose for coming.
The woman didn't say anything; she merely took out a feather with a mix of green and white and stuck it on the cave where Arch Sage Hao Ran was located.
"Come out!"
The door opened, and an elderly man slowly walked out.
Arch Sage Hao Ran pursed his lips, glanced back at the crowd, and then followed Crane Purity with heavy steps, heading outside step by step.
As the green lantern moved away, the light faded, and the dungeon returned to darkness.
With Arch Sage Hao Ran's departure, everyone's hearts felt as if a heavy stone had been placed upon them.
They didn't know what Arch Sage Hao Ran would face next.
Nor did they know if they would be next after Arch Sage Hao Ran.
An hour later.
The silence was broken.
Footsteps echoed once more.
Everyone followed the sound.
In the darkness, a woman was dragging an unconscious person with one hand and holding the green lantern with the other.
When she reached the original small black room.
Clang!
Thump!
Crane Purity didn't say a word; after locking the person up, she left without hesitation.
After she left, the extremely oppressive atmosphere finally eased.
Everyone looked at the unconscious person.
"Arch Sage Hao Ran!"
"Fellow Daoist, please wake up!"
"What happened? Quickly tell us!"
There was no response; Arch Sage Hao Ran lay there like a dead person, collapsed in the black prison.
But everyone knew he wasn't dead; the dense vitality still emanated from his body.
For a Golden Core cultivator to be this weak, even to the point of unconsciousness, it must be a severe injury to the divine soul! For a moment, everyone exchanged glances.
Suddenly, from the prison cell opposite Arch Sage Hao Ran, a bitter laugh sounded.
"It won't be my turn next, right?"
It was Wei Wuya, the strongest cultivator among those present, only second to Arch Sage Hao Ran.
Everyone hurriedly comforted him.
But their words of comfort sounded somewhat insincere.
Wei Wuya's heart was filled with apprehension, wishing time would slow down.
The slower, the better!
He was a renowned powerhouse of Heaven-Touching Cliff, and the most likely candidate to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage. Heaven-Touching Cliff would never give up on him.
As long as he could stall for enough time, perhaps his sect would send someone to rescue him.
Even if Heaven-Touching Cliff's strength was insufficient, there were other Nascent Soul Stage cultivators from various sects imprisoned here.
Although there seemed to be many Golden Core cultivators, it was just an illusion created by the gathering of various forces. Every Nascent Soul Stage sect had a limited number of Golden Core cultivators, and no one would allow a Golden Core cultivator to perish without any value.
At the very least, the nine Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses leading this battle wouldn't just stand by!
Above the nine sects, there was also the Abyss Sect, which governed the Eastern Wasteland Cultivation World. They wouldn't remain indifferent either.
"Time, please slow down!"
...
Unfortunately, the heavens couldn't hear Wei Wuya's inner cries.
Early the next morning, the familiar footsteps echoed in the dungeon corridor once more.
Crane Purity appeared again.
Just as everyone had expected, she took Wei Wuya away.
An hour later, she returned, dragging him like a dead pig.
He was still unconscious, and no one knew what had happened.
The remaining people finally felt their hearts tremble with fear.
Especially the four Late-stage Golden Core cultivators, who couldn't maintain their composure; their faces showed a hint of panic.
At their cultivation level, getting injured in a fight wasn't a big problem.
But if their divine souls were injured, then advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage would be completely hopeless.
It was evident that both Arch Sage Hao Ran and Wei Wuya's current conditions were manifestations of severe injuries to their divine souls.
On the third day, the Grand Elder of Dream Spring Cave was taken away.
Seeing this, Jade Jiaolong, who was at the back, couldn't help but shout, repeatedly urging them to leave.
But Crane Purity didn't pay her any heed.
She was like the warden of this prison, indifferent to everything and faithfully carrying out the task of interrogating and imprisoning.
The only good news was that, in the evening, Arch Sage Hao Ran finally woke up.
Facing the anxious inquiries of the crowd, he looked dazed, his face filled with bewilderment.
After a long while, Arch Sage Hao Ran finally spoke in a low voice, his head in his hands, "I've been soul-searched."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces changed color in unison!
Soul-searching, a demonic method!
It causes irreversible and significant damage to a cultivator's divine soul!
Once forcibly soul-searched, it's like exposing everything from the past to the enemy.
Secret thoughts, cultivation techniques, insights into realms, cultivation arts, interpersonal relationships...
Everything, like an unfurled scroll, is laid bare for others to peruse at will.
Cultivators who have been soul-searched, when breaking through to new realms, have a higher chance of attracting external demons due to the flaws in their divine souls.
In other words, if all of them were soul-searched, the already challenging opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage would become even more slim!
Suddenly, Jin Bubuque spoke up, "What if one of us has a soul restriction placed by an elder of our sect, and the other party forcibly soul-searches us? What would happen then?"
Arch Sage Hao Ran couldn't answer this question.
He could only say uncertainly, "The one conducting the soul-search is that black crow. It seems to be a descendant of the ancient shadow dark crow, a master of soul arts. It might be able to break the restriction without harming life... No, if it's the Divine Origin True Man, the Grand Elder of your sect, who placed the soul restriction on you, the consequences are hard to predict!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Bubuque's face turned deathly pale.
The Five Elements Divine Sect was different from most Nascent Soul stage sects.
This sect enjoyed researching various divine cultivation techniques and secret arts, and they had indeed obtained many new and unique techniques.
However, this made them an easy target for covetous eyes.
Therefore, there was a tradition where the sect's top experts would place soul restrictions on certain cultivation techniques and secret arts to prevent their core techniques from being stolen.
And the Divine Origin True Man, the Grand Elder of the Five Elements Divine Sect, was a late-stage Nascent Soul stage cultivator!
The black crow that had been perched on the green-robed woman's shoulder earlier was actually not that high in cultivation, only at the early to mid-stage Nascent Soul stage.
Even with its mastery of soul arts, it would be difficult to surpass the methods of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
If the other party forcibly broke the soul restriction, he would likely face certain death!
More than one person present shared this concern, including Night Xiang from the Divine Talisman Sect and Fengyue from the Feng Hua Palace, both of whom had changed expressions.
But no matter how worried they were, Crane Purity's daily interrogation of one person continued without pause.
One day, two days, three days...
After the late-stage Golden Core cultivators were interrogated, it was finally the turn of the mid-stage Golden Core cultivators.
The first day was Jin Bubuque's turn.
And he did not return alive.
This meant that his previous worries had come true.
Night Xiang and Fengyue, on the other hand, were lucky to have survived.
This was probably because the elders who had set up the restrictions in their sects were not as skilled in cultivation and soul restrictions, making it easier for the black crow to break through them, allowing them to narrowly escape with their lives.
This could be considered another stroke of luck.
Strangely, the thin frost fairy from the ice castle had also not returned.
This exception left the crowd perplexed.
But among them, Luo Chen could not afford to ponder these matters any longer.
Because it was his turn next.
In the dimly lit cell, Luo Chen's expression was bitter, and the feeling of being at the mercy of others was truly unbearable.
Especially when he saw the executioner's blade drawing closer and closer to him each day.
Outside the prison, the cultivators who had regained consciousness looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
Arch Sage Hao Ran sighed, "Don't worry. What's meant to be a blessing won't turn into a disaster, and what's destined to be a disaster can't be avoided. We cultivators are fated to face this tribulation."
Luo Chen opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.
Arch Sage Hao Ran spoke calmly, "It's just a soul-search. As long as we survive, we might be able to find a way to repair the damage caused by the soul-search in the future."
He had come to terms with the situation and appeared very open-minded.
Luo Chen clenched his lips, suppressing his restless heart.
Yes!
As long as he survived, that was all that mattered!
As he waited with determined eyes, the sound of footsteps, like a death knell, echoed through the dim corridor once more.
This time, Crane Purity stopped outside Luo Chen's cell.
"Come out!"
Luo Chen took a deep breath. Following the woman with a swaying waist like a willow branch, he took a step towards the outside.
Although he was heading towards the bright outside world, he felt like he was falling into an abyss, his heart growing heavier.
...
"This is..."
After passing through the long corridor, Luo Chen stood outside a grand hall.
He turned back to see the lush green Cangwu Mountain, with towering hundred-zhang-tall phoenix trees standing tall along the continuous mountain range.
Clusters of colorful birds, each group of the same color, danced and flew amidst the mist-shrouded peaks.
It was like a gathering of a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix, a place where ten thousand feathers could find rest.
Among these birds, there were first to third-tier ones, and even a few that were almost on par with fourth-tier beasts.
According to their species, many were rare spiritual birds from legends.
The dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed within, and just a single breath of it made one feel refreshed.
Even the restrained Golden Core seemed to have a hint of vitality.
"A third-tier spirit vein?"
"No, at least a fourth-tier one!"
Hearing Luo Chen's muttering, Crane Purity glanced back at him.
"Your knowledge is not bad, but it's too limited. This Cangwu Mountain is a fifth-tier spirit land in the World of Immortals, possessing a fifth-tier spirit vein."
A fifth-tier spirit land!
Luo Chen's heart trembled. Wasn't this the cultivation ground of Divine Transformation stage cultivators? Not long ago, he had been working hard for a third-tier spirit land, and now he had suddenly arrived at a legendary fifth-tier spirit land!
Nothing in the world was more incomprehensible than this.
Wait a moment!
Could it be that the green-robed woman was not a fourth-tier beast comparable to a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, but a fifth-tier ancient demon on par with a Divine Transformation stage cultivator?
Just as Luo Chen's heart was shaken by this thought, Crane Purity's footsteps came to a halt.
Luo Chen looked up and saw an enormous palace with a plaque hanging above it.
"Cross-Reality Hall!"
"Go in. Dark Spring is waiting for you."
Dark Spring was probably the name of the ancient shadow dark crow.
Luo Chen gritted his teeth. Unable to resist, he stepped into the Cross-Reality Hall.
As soon as he entered,
A pair of unfathomable eyes fixed upon him.
In the moment that Luo Chen's mental defenses faltered, that strange power suddenly withdrew.
"It's you."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
