https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-979-The-Great-Wastes-Awaken-Commanding-the-Sea-and-Sinking-the-Land/13474459/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-981-Heart-to-Heart-Talk-Kisses-on-the-Neck/13474461/
Chapter 980: Endless Sands, Unyielding Battle
Chapter 980: Endless Sands, Unyielding Battle
The golden flames were the Nirvana Holy Fire.
Using this fire was a last resort for Luo Chen.
Escaping from the frenzied Yellow Springs Sea had once again drained the Wilted and Flourishing Divine Flame.
As a result, the Wilted and Flourishing Flame Spirit had predictably fallen into another period of dormancy.
To deal with a top-tier expert like Azure Frost, who was below the Floral Immortal realm, ordinary methods were ineffective. He had to rely on a powerful force.
Although the Nirvana Holy Fire was still relatively young, its foundation was strong and well-suited to Luo Chen's Emberborn Body.
Of course, that wasn't all.
Luo Chen had a trump card!
Caw!
With a piercing screech, a massive fire phoenix soared into the sky.
The majestic Azure Avian was furious, but her eyes were cold and unafraid as she flapped her wings.
Swish!
The fire phoenix split into two halves.
After all, the Nirvana Holy Fire was merely sustained by a common fourth-tier spell.
But the next moment, Azure Frost's cold eyes changed.
The two halves of the fire phoenix did not disintegrate. Instead, they strangely replenished themselves, each forming a complete phoenix that surrounded her from both sides with the same power as before.
Azure Frost let out a low cry and her wings trembled.
Swish! Swish!
Two enormous wind blades, as powerful as the fire phoenixes, shot through the air.
Upon meeting the two fire phoenixes, they cut them in half.
This should have resolved the issue, right?
But unexpectedly, the four halves of the fire phoenixes regrew and restored themselves to their original form.
In an instant, four phoenixes were in the air!
The already distorted light became even more erratic as the four massive fire phoenixes circled and danced, making Luo Chen's small figure in the distance seem even more ethereal.
Azure Frost was not stupid. Seeing this strange scene, she quickly thought it through.
Soon, she reached a conclusion.
Her eyes, which seemed to pierce through the void, focused on the endless desert below.
"Your power comes from this land!"
In the distance, Luo Chen stood still, maintaining a hand seal.
He drew the vast fire energy from the surrounding earth veins, infusing it into the Fire Phoenix Blaze spell.
Not only that, but he also drew primordial energy from the void, transforming it into an endless source to bolster his power.
In the past, he would not have been able to achieve this level.
But after comprehending the Fire Essence, he gained the ability to enhance ordinary spells with primordial energy.
Eight years at Soul Severance Cliff had strengthened his divine soul to its limit.
Thus, he could employ this great technique that, while not a true divine art, possessed comparable power.
Four phoenixes in the air was not the end!
Luo Chen let out a low cry, and his hand seal changed. Four more fire phoenixes were about to split off.
Each one carried the full might of Luo Chen's most powerful attack.
If all eight formed at once...
He looked at the elegant and majestic Azure Avian in the sky and said solemnly, "Now that we've escaped the Yellow Springs Sea, continuing this battle is meaningless. Why don't we call it off?"
"Afraid?" The four solid fire phoenixes and four ethereal ones surrounded her from all sides, but Azure Frost showed no fear. She asked mockingly, "If you could fight me to this extent, do you really fear me?"
"Since I'm not afraid, why seek peace?" Azure Frost countered, then answered her own question, "You are calculating, weighing the costs and benefits. People like you spend their lives scheming, even in battle, you seek a purpose."
Luo Chen laughed, "What's the point of a meaningless battle?"
Azure Frost screeched, "But my sister is all the meaning to me, and you are the one who harmed her!"
With that, she ignored the eight fire phoenixes surrounding her and charged at Luo Chen like an arrow released from a bow.
Luo Chen's face changed, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.
His hand seal changed again!
Boom!
The four leading fire phoenixes exploded in succession, creating a tidal wave of spiritual energy and a surging sea of golden flames.
Azure Frost faced this onslaught head-on, charging forward without hesitation.
Swish!
Surrounded by golden flames, Azure Frost emerged from the fiery sea, ignoring the four pursuing fire phoenixes and pouncing on Luo Chen's small figure.
One strike!
Thud!
The ground trembled, and the sand sank.
For several miles around, the land sank a hundred feet in an instant, at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people.
The four fire phoenixes followed, plunging into the deep crater.
"Roar!"
A roar echoed.
Then, a massive figure nearly a thousand feet tall, with two sharp claws, rose from the earth, sending a cascade of sand and mud down like a rain of yellow sand.
It was Luo Chen in his true form!
Unlike before, this form, while still resembling him, had a green face with fangs, black iron-like skin, and a faint, foul odor.
His appearance was somewhat hideous, reminiscent of the legendary yaksha.
On the ground, the thousand-foot giant held the majestic Azure Avian in a tight grip. The four fire phoenixes swooped down and struck her.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions continued, sending a mushroom cloud rising over the endless desert, and a powerful shockwave swept across hundreds of miles.
Amid the rolling shockwave, the two figures were forced apart.
Thud!
Luo Chen was thrown several dozen miles away, his massive body plowing through the desert like a bulldozer.
Wherever he went, hills were flattened, and mountains split.
When he finally came to a stop, the thousand-foot giant grunted and then... puff!
In an instant, the giant shrunk to his normal height of about eight feet.
A mouthful of blood spewed out uncontrollably, and Luo Chen staggered and knelt on the ground.
The black hair that had been tied up by the Flat Mountain Crown now fell in disarray, dancing like silver snakes in the wind.
His attire, already tattered and torn, lay scattered on the ground after he transformed into his true form.
"Was it the battle in the Yellow Springs Sea that drained so much of my origin power, leaving me unable to maintain my giant spirit form?"
Luo Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly stood up, his eyes darkening as he gazed into the distance.
A divine azure avian flapped its wings amidst the surging energy waves and soared through the air once more.
"Do you think I’m afraid of you? I’ll take you down with me if I have to!"
As Qing Shuang charged at him again, Luo Chen pointed his fingers like a sword, and five streams of light shot out from his mouth.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The streams of light emerged, and sword qi appeared.
Amidst the continuous sword cries, a terrifying sword qi storm rose into the sky, transforming into an unparalleled grand elemental sword array that blocked the way.
Qing Shuang, moving at an incredible speed, couldn’t avoid it and plunged headfirst into the array.
Instantly, she was subjected to the extreme shredding of the sword array.
This grand elemental sword array, infused with top-grade nine yang yang metal, was the sharpest in the world.
Ever since Luo Chen successfully completed this array, it had proven invincible in every confrontation.
Whether it was a divine essence sage or the likes of Ziyi Hou, they either had to destroy their life-bound treasures or suffer severe injuries when faced with this array.
However, an unexpected scene unfolded.
Inside the sword array, Qing Shuang charged through, seemingly unaffected by the attacks.
The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously.
Luo Chen felt his mana rapidly depleting, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
He hadn’t expected Qing Shuang to have refined her true form to such a terrifying degree, making her almost like an unparalleled divine weapon.
The grand elemental sword array, though formidable, couldn’t find a single point to break through; it merely continued to cut and slice continuously.
Faced with Qing Shuang’s all-around, seamless hardness, it was powerless.
"Truly infuriating!"
Luo Chen gritted his teeth, speaking each word with force.
He then raised his hands, and five streams of light entered the grand array, using the sword qi as cover to quietly pierce the divine azure avian.
Unlike the sword qi, which was blocked outside, these five streams of light followed the flow of mana and entered the body of the divine azure avian.
Pfft!
Luo Chen’s face hardened, and he shouted, "Suppress!"
The Five Elemental Binding Cones simultaneously exerted force, beginning to suppress Qing Shuang’s mana.
Not only that, but Luo Chen, whose spiritual power was immensely profound, employed another technique.
He casually waved his hand, and a beam of golden light shot out, directly piercing the head of the azure avian.
It was the Zhenyuan Needle, a true artifact obtained from the Centipede Great Demon Emperor, specifically designed to attack the spirit.
Unexpectedly, the Zhenyuan Needle, after entering halfway into the azure avian’s head, came to a standstill, unable to advance further.
"I won’t believe I can’t suppress you!"
Luo Chen, determined, disregarded the rapid depletion of his mana, and he spewed out a gray light.
The gray light spun and grew in size, instantly transforming into a massive hundred-meter-tall cauldron.
Boom!
The giant cauldron sat in the void, emitting a dull sound.
Strands of crimson chains extended from it, wrapping around Qing Shuang’s body.
Moreover, a waterfall of radiant light poured down, pushing aside the omnipresent sword qi and completely enveloping Qing Shuang.
The sword orb circled, the black cones suppressed, the golden needle locked the spirit, and the primordial cauldron sealed the void.
Luo Chen used almost every technique at his disposal, determined to refine Qing Shuang.
His mana was being consumed at an unimaginable rate, and his aura grew increasingly weak.
Yet, he showed no signs of stopping, and the surrounding primordial energy seemed to break free from its constraints, surging toward him.
Inside the sword array, the divine bird Qing Shuang’s gaze remained cold, even under the terrifying suppression, as she stared intently at Luo Chen.
Through the void, their eyes met, each filled with resolve.
The determination to fight to the death was palpable.
This battle had clearly reached its final stage.
Either Luo Chen, who had used all his means, would refine Qing Shuang, or Qing Shuang would break through the array and slay Luo Chen, whose origin power was nearly depleted and whose mana was running out.
The outcome of their struggle was about to be revealed.
...
In a tent, a young girl listened intently, her face filled with suspicion.
Blinking her eyes, she looked at the middle-aged man beside her.
"Big Brother Zhou, did you hear anything?"
Zhou Mingxuan’s expression had already turned serious. He nodded and walked out of the tent.
From a distance, he gazed into the far horizon.
Then, he spread his senses and summoned all the guards around him.
"Though this is a border area, we must be on guard against a sudden demon attack. Everyone, follow me!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several hundred beams of light shot into the sky, each emitting a formidable aura.
Looking around, the lowest rank among them was Foundation Establishment.
And their leader, Big Brother Zhou, possessed the powerful realm of Early Nascent Soul.
Under his lead, the team rapidly advanced, and after half a day, they reached a high sand dune under the moonlight.
Instantly, a grim scene came into view.
The ground was cracked, and rolling sand continuously flowed into the abyssal fissures.
In some places, the sand had been scorched into red-hot lava, flowing endlessly.
In the center, a vast ten-mile-wide sea of lava, a man with tattered clothing and wild black hair stood, his expression extremely pale as he chanted a spell.
In front of him was a terrifying sword array surrounded by sword qi, and a massive gray cauldron hanging in the sky.
All of this was suppressing a magnificent azure bird.
The young girl, who had sensed something earlier, was first shocked, then overjoyed.
"Sure enough, a great demon has broken through and is attempting to attack the Buddhist land. Fortunately, this senior has blocked the demon for us. But he looks very strained; let’s go help him!"
The crowd seemed to have grown accustomed to such scenarios, each of them retrieving their magic treasures and heading toward the lava lake.
Zhou Mingxuan, who was leading the group, had the same thought.
However, as they approached a certain distance, his expression suddenly changed.
"Something's wrong!"
"Everyone, retreat quickly!"
Unfortunately, his warning came too late.
The man sitting in mid-air, pale-faced, spat out a mouthful of blood.
The surrounding sword array could no longer function, shattering instantly.
Terrifying sword qi scattered chaotically in all directions.
Wherever it passed, figures turned into bursts of blood mist with sickening thuds.
The disheveled man waved his hand, and five sword orbs and a massive cauldron flew toward him. He then cast a hateful glance at Zhou Mingxuan and the others.
"Useless and disruptive!"
With that, he shot away without hesitation.
Zhou Mingxuan's face turned deathly pale, clearly realizing something.
"Luo Chen, you can't escape!"
Inside the lava lake, the Azure Avian, whose aura had weakened to an extreme, slowly floated into the sky.
With cold eyes, it glanced at Zhou Mingxuan and the others before chasing after Luo Chen.
After the man and the bird had left, a trembling young woman, the sole survivor, faced the gruesome scene of hundreds of her companions' instant deaths, their limbs and bones scattered on the ground. Her eyes were filled with terror.
"Big Brother Zhou, we came to help that senior, but why did he turn against us?"
Zhou Mingxuan gave a bitter laugh but couldn't explain.
Helping?
More like making things worse!
The unknown man and the bird were clearly in the most perilous standoff, one trying to suppress and refine, the other resisting and preparing.
Their hasty intervention only disturbed the disheveled man's concentration, drawing the surrounding sword array away and weakening the suppressing force, allowing the great beast to escape.
Otherwise, why would he have called them useless and disruptive before leaving?
At the root of it, it wasn't the young woman's fault for being rash, but his, the Nascent Soul Sage in charge, for not noticing the signs early enough.
Unable to explain, he could only stammer.
"Good intentions are often misunderstood!"
The young woman was indignant, especially given the large number of her companions who had died.
"How dare he turn things around like this! I will inform the Discipline Hall and the Arhat Hall!"
Zhou Mingxuan opened his mouth but didn't stop her.
In his heart, he silently repeated the name the Azure Avian had shouted before leaving.
"Luo Chen?"
...
Under the night sky.
Two figures, one in front and one behind, pursued each other through the vast desert.
Gale-force winds surged, and the man in front turned back to slash through the hurricane with a sword.
Occasionally, fiery phoenixes and dragons emerged from the void, attacking the pursuing divine bird.
However, compared to their initial attacks, both the man and the Azure Avian were much weaker now.
From time to time, their voices could be heard amidst the short skirmishes, gradually fading with the night wind.
"Luo Chen, you can't escape!"
"Qing Shuang, why persist in this futile chase?"
"Why didn't you say that when you tried to refine me?"
"Continuing like this will only lead to mutual destruction!"
"Only you will die!"
"The mixed poison in your body must be uncontrollable by now! And my Five Elemental Binding Cones, though they can't completely seal your power, will only deepen as you use it. Not to mention the Soulsnare Needle—unless you expel it, your soul will disintegrate..."
"What does it matter? My sister's entrapment at the Soul Severance Cliff is all your fault. I could have saved her, but you betrayed us!"
"Betrayal? What betrayal?"
"On Cangwu Mountain, my sister guided your cultivation, keeping you from straying, and later lent you her spirit cave for practice. Is this how you repay us?"
"That was just a deal. Do you think my Dao Convergence Pill is so cheap that I would give it away? As for the Soul Severance Cliff, I had no choice, with my life in others' hands. What could I do?"
"Then die!"
Perhaps from the many battles and brushes with death, or perhaps from guilt and concern for Qixia Yuanjun, the usually taciturn Qing Shuang now showed a hint of anger.
Unable to communicate, she even disregarded Qixia Yuanjun's early warnings and gathered her primordial power.
"Spatial Severance!"
Under the night sky, a black fissure suddenly appeared.
Luo Chen, who had been on guard, narrowly dodged.
But he was still too slow.
Crack!
His left arm was severed at the middle.
Luo Chen's face changed, and he grabbed his severed arm, trying to reattach it. But a strange force prevented him from doing so.
He no longer had enough origin power to regrow his arm, so he stored it in his storage ring.
Qing Shuang, after using this move, staggered, her form becoming somewhat ethereal, as if about to vanish.
Luo Chen glared at her, holding the Yuantu Sword, and fled again.
Qing Shuang quickly stabilized herself and resumed the chase.
Thus, one pursued and the other fled, deep into the endless desert.
As dawn approached, Luo Chen plummeted like a meteor to the base of a mountain.
Boom!
Landing, he couldn't control the spiritual power fluctuations, which flattened the mountain.
Below, figures seemed to sense something and looked up in unison.
The air was filled with the stench of blood and cruel gazes, stretching endlessly.
No one knew that such a vast army of beast demons was lurking in the desert.
High above, the Azure Avian caught up again.
"Luo Chen, how will you escape this time?"
Luo Chen sneered, no longer fleeing. He turned and raised his hand.
The Yuantu Sword transformed into a blood-red light, charging straight toward the army of beast demons.
(End of Chapter)
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