https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-982-Truce-and-Cooperation-to-Eradicate-the-Enemy/13487350/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-984-Have-You-Seen-Me-at-My-Peak-/13487352/
Chapter 983: Fa Hai Subdues the Demon, Demons Unite
Chapter 983: Fa Hai Subdues the Demon, Demons Unite
Amidst the swirling sandstorm, two figures moved steadily forward.
They didn’t seem to use any protective shields, yet the sandstorm around them had no effect on them.
"I wonder when this sandstorm, which we caused, will finally dissipate?"
Luo Chen walked through the sandstorm, sighing deeply.
As a True Person at the Yuan Ying stage, one of the highest existences below the Hua Shen realm, once they unleashed their full power, the impact was often immeasurable.
Whether it was the former Jue Ling Domain or the Dyeun Region, both had been destroyed under similar circumstances.
Even though his battle with Qing Shuang involved only two people, the final techniques they used could match those of seven or eight Yuan Ying True Persons.
The post-battle destruction was unimaginable.
The sandstorm, which had started then, had lasted nearly ten days.
Not only had it not dissipated, but it had continued to expand, sweeping from south to north, turning the world into a haze of flying sand and dust.
Qing Shuang, standing beside him, remained unperturbed, frowning as she manipulated a compass-like magical treasure in her hand.
Luo Chen glanced at it and asked, "What is this?"
Qing Shuang, without raising her head, replied, "It’s a Starfix Compass."
"Starfix Compass?" Luo Chen was taken aback; he had never heard of such a magical treasure, and the stars on it were merely faint points of light.
Qing Shuang nodded, "This treasure was crafted by my sister in her free time. It records the teleportation nodes covered by the super Teleportation Array at Cangwu Mountain. I remember there are one or two nodes in the Western Desert, but they are now affected by the sandstorm, and due to my own condition..."
Before she could finish, Qing Shuang’s eyebrows furrowed, and her figure began to fade, as if trying to merge with the void.
However, for some reason, her spiritual power fluctuations were in disharmony with the void.
She stumbled and fell out.
On the other side, Luo Chen reacted faster, moving several dozen feet away in an instant.
Seeing this, Luo Chen furrowed his brow and raised his hand toward the void above.
"Uh!"
With a muffled groan, Luo Chen felt an immense pressure, and he couldn’t help but relax.
Seizing the opportunity, Qing Shuang flew away from her original position.
Just as they left...
Boom!
A massive purple bowl descended from the sky, covering a hundred feet, almost trapping them inside.
"Hmm?"
Outside the sandstorm, a light exclamation echoed, seemingly surprised that the two could dodge this move.
Then, a chorus of Buddhist chants rose, transforming into a wave of sound that dispersed the surrounding sandstorm.
Beneath the endless desert, hundreds of figures watched the separated man and woman.
Luo Chen looked up and saw the hundreds of people distinctly divided.
One group wore simple monk robes, holding staffs and knives, surrounding Qing Shuang.
The other group had varied attire, typical of cultivators.
Seeing this, Luo Chen frowned slightly, and his divine sense quickly locked onto the true leader.
He looked from a distance, "I wonder which two fellow Daoists have set up this formation to await us?"
A cheerful voice responded.
"Fellow Daoist, I missed your demon-slaying mission last time. This time, I have specially invited Master Mercy Sea from the Five Peak Mountains to make amends."
Two figures descended from the sky.
One was the human nascent soul he had seen briefly before.
The other was a dignified, bald monk with a righteous demeanor, undoubtedly the Master Mercy Sea the nascent soul had invited.
He was currently recalling the purple bowl, which shrank and transformed into a purple-gold alms bowl in his hand.
His Dharma eyes fell on Luo Chen and Qing Shuang, clearly surprised to see them together.
"I am Zhou Mingxuan, the head of the Zhou family of the Five Peak Mountains. This is Master Mercy Sea, the abbot of Zhenhai Temple at the Five Peak Mountains. May I ask for your names, fellow Daoists?" Zhou Mingxuan spoke amiably.
Luo Chen pursed his lips, intending to use an alias to avoid trouble.
But considering he was currently showing his true face, he decided to skip the pretense.
"Luo Chen."
Zhou Mingxuan was taken aback, searching his memory but finding no match for the name of a powerful figure in the Western Desert.
However, Master Mercy Sea asked with surprise, "The great Dong Huang, Luo Chen of the Dan Sect?"
"Haha, I didn’t expect to be known even in the Western Desert." Luo Chen laughed and nodded in acknowledgment.
As he admitted it, Master Mercy Sea’s face showed a look of reverence.
Zhou Mingxuan, puzzled, received a whispered explanation from Mercy Sea.
Luo Chen didn’t mind their conversation or find it strange that they knew his name.
In this world, the names of top nascent souls often spread beyond their own regions.
Especially among peers, some famous figures were closely monitored by intelligence-gathering forces.
Like the three great hermits of the Northern Sea, the Chess Saint of the Central Continent, the former Dong Huang Dan Sheng, and the Heavenly Capital Master.
The current Luo Chen of the Dan Sect had taken the place of Dan Sheng.
What he was curious about was their grand setup.
His gaze fell on the hundreds of monks surrounding Qing Shuang and the formations they had formed.
"What are you planning to do?"
Zhou Mingxuan, now aware of Luo Chen’s identity, showed even more respect.
He said with a slight bow, "I ruined your demon-slaying mission last time, and I feel deeply guilty. Therefore, I have specially invited Master Mercy Sea from the Five Peak Mountains to assist you. Now, with the three of us working together and the Fivefold Sea of Suffering Formation set up, we can surely slay this demoness!"
Luo Chen frowned and looked at Qing Shuang.
At that moment, she also glanced at him coldly.
Luo Chen’s lips pressed together, hesitating for a moment before saying slowly, "There’s no need to..."
Before he could finish, the dignified Master Mercy Sea spoke up.
"Disciples, form the formation, subdue the demon!"
"Ha!"
The hundreds of monks responded in unison.
In an instant, their figures gathered, surrounding Qing Shuang.
These monks were not to be underestimated; each had considerable cultivation.
If categorized by the Qi Cultivation realm, they were at the Jin Dan stage.
A hundred Jin Dan cultivators, combined with the formation, could even challenge a nascent soul.
Was Qing Shuang an ordinary nascent soul?
Clearly not!
She stood tall in the center of the formation, facing the overwhelming stick shadows without flinching. With just a flick of her sleeve, a massive suction force erupted.
In a flash, the hundred monks disappeared.
This was the same technique she had used to overpower the Luoyun Zong army—Sleeve of Ten Thousand Realms!
While it might not be as effective against peers, it was deadly against those below the nascent soul stage, capturing them effortlessly.
In an instant, the surroundings were cleared.
Seeing this, Master Mercy Sea’s expression changed.
"Truly a formidable demon. I will subdue you today! See my Sumeru Bowl!"
As he spoke, the Violet Gold Alms Bowl reappeared, growing larger and descending upon Qing Shuang.
A power that bound space and suppressed everything spread in all directions.
Qing Shuang, caught in it, frowned and retreated step by step.
This magical treasure was peculiar!
It seemed to restrict her.
Especially since she was already severely injured, with only a fraction of her power remaining, and the Empty Blossom further limiting her.
Faced with Master Mercy Sea’s move, she found it quite challenging.
"Master, I'll help you!"
Zhou Mingxuan shouted and manipulated his flying sword, joining the fray.
Faced with the two of them, Qing Shuang seemed somewhat angry.
At some point, she had already put on a pair of gloves.
As the sword came, she abruptly grabbed it with one hand.
To Zhou Mingxuan's shock, she crushed it into a pile of fragments.
Then she threw it back!
Clang! Clang!
The fragments of the flying sword struck the Sumeru Bowl, creating a cacophony of metal clashing.
Qing Shuang then lightly stepped forward, seemingly no longer resisting the suppressing force of the Violet Gold Alms Bowl. She charged straight into it, raising her fist.
Thud!
A dull reverberation echoed across the area.
In the stunned gaze of the onlookers, the Sumeru Bowl actually flew backward, with visible cracks spreading across its surface.
"Spit!"
"Hmph!"
Zhou Mingxuan's life-bound treasure was destroyed, and the mental connection caused him to spit out blood.
Master Mercy Sea's precious treasure was also badly damaged and fared no better.
One after the other, Qing Shuang demonstrated her full capabilities.
Breaking the formation, destroying the treasure.
Then, taking advantage of the momentum, she pressed forward.
Her white wrist emerged from the void, smashing into the bald head.
Aware that her opponent was not an easy foe, Master Mercy Sea had already prepared, enveloping himself in a golden light.
Boom!
Under the force of her punch, the golden light flickered continuously.
Qing Shuang's figure flashed, moving dozens of feet to the side, and she kicked Zhou Mingxuan, who was still in shock.
Even though Zhou Mingxuan had set up defensive measures, they shattered under her punch, and his body fell into the desert like a rag doll.
"Clan Leader!"
"Brother Zhou!"
The remaining onlookers, witnessing the lightning-fast events, were both shocked and terrified.
Qing Shuang coldly hummed, ready to strike again.
But a figure stepped in front of her.
Qing Shuang narrowed her eyes, staring at the familiar profile.
"Are you going to stop me?"
Luo Chen sighed, "The Western Desert is ultimately the domain of the Buddhist sects. A bloodbath would not benefit our subsequent actions. Let's end it here."
Qing Shuang was not unreasonable, and her anger gradually dissipated.
Looking at the two men, who were visibly frightened, she lightly hummed and waved her sleeve.
Swish!
Over a hundred monks fell to the ground like tumbling gourds, disoriented and dazed, as if they didn't know what had happened.
"Try to chase us again, and you will die!"
Leaving this threat, Qing Shuang turned and walked away.
Luo Chen smiled helplessly, bowed to the crowd, and followed her.
The wind carried snippets of their conversation.
"You're becoming more and more temperamental!"
"Would you not be angry if you were unjustly attacked?"
"Haha, point taken."
At the battlefield, the crowd looked at each other in confusion.
Zhou Mingxuan, pale-faced, was helped up and walked to Master Mercy Sea, who was recuperating his magic.
"Master, I... cough cough."
A large clot of blood gushed from his mouth, and his physical injuries were more severe than they appeared.
And that was just from Qing Shuang's one kick.
He struggled to say, "It was my mistake. I didn't expect this demon to still have such power even after being gravely wounded."
Master Mercy Sea slowly opened his eyes, a faint trace of anger in his gaze.
"It's not your fault. I thought Luo Chen would be on our side, but who would have thought he would join forces with the demons!"
Joining forces with the demons!
These four words were spoken with a chilling tone.
Zhou Mingxuan opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
Clearly, the human and demon he had seen earlier were mortal enemies, yet after a few days, they were now together.
Although Luo Chen hadn't joined the fight, he had even helped them fend off the killing blow. But...
He hesitated, "Luo Chen from the Dan Sect, as you said, is known as a demon-slaying true man. He shouldn't be a member of the demonic path, right?"
Master Mercy Sea slowly stood up, "His aura of killing, malevolence, and blood is even more intense than any demonic cultivator or demon I've encountered. If he were following the path of killing to protect life, I would understand, but he is walking with a great demon like Qing Shuang. Can you say he hasn't fallen into the path of evil?"
Zhou Mingxuan was speechless.
Master Mercy Sea summoned the Violet Gold Alms Bowl, looking at the sparse cracks on its surface, his eyes filled with anger.
"She won't get far!"
"The demoness's power is unstable, and she hasn't shown the prowess of a first-rate cultivator below the Hua Shen realm. She must be severely injured."
"This great demon dared to enter our territory. The Five Peak Mountains will not allow her to wreak havoc in the Buddhist sanctum!"
"And that Luo Chen..."
Zhou Mingxuan hesitated, "If we gather experts to hunt down Qing Shuang, it might work. But Luo Chen fought her to a standstill. What if he intervenes?"
"Hmph!"
Master Mercy Sea coldly snorted, "This is the Western Desert, not Dong Huang. It's not his place to act recklessly. If he truly sides with the demoness, don't blame me for calling down the high monks from the Hanging Temple."
Zhou Mingxuan was taken aback, "Hasn't the Hanging Temple been closed?"
Master Mercy Sea glanced at him, "You've been stationed at the rear border for too long and don't know the front lines. Do you think the ancient red-sand scorpion's demon army retreated from Buddhist territory because of the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect's cultivators?"
The Hanging Temple's mountain gates are now open!
...
Sand rolled, and figures moved swiftly.
After separating from Zhou Mingxuan and Master Mercy Sea, Luo Chen and Qing Shuang's pace quickened.
The starlight on the Starfix Compass concentrated at one point.
"Fomu Temple is our destination. There, we can use the Teleportation Array that my sister and I set up long ago, which can take us directly to Cangwu Mountain."
Luo Chen was immensely curious.
"Why did Qixia Yuanjun spread the super Teleportation Array across the four continents of the Mountain and Sea Realm? It can't just be for convenience, right?"
Qing Shuang put away the Starfix Compass and said coldly, "Don't ask what you shouldn't."
"Ha ha."
Luo Chen laughed. Although she didn't say anything, he could guess a few things.
Qixia Yuanjun, despite her arrogance and strength, wasn't out to destroy all the holy places and become the enemy of the world.
The widespread Teleportation Arrays across the four continents were likely to seek some form of assistance.
Assistance to attack Zhongzhou!
Zhongzhou was suppressed by the Spirit Treasure Chessboard, which gathered the spiritual mechanisms of the five continents, making it the strongest cultivation ground in this world.
Even someone as powerful as Qixia Yuanjun would find it incredibly difficult to break through.
From the information he had, the four great beasts that attacked Zhongzhou came from the four directions, aligning with the geographical and cosmic energies.
The Heavenly Origin Dao Sect's forced extraction of the Mountain and Sea Realm's spiritual mechanisms to supply Zhongzhou was a violation of natural order.
The great beasts were the favored children of this world.
Qixia Yuanjun leading the great beasts of the four continents to reclaim the spiritual mechanisms from Zhongzhou could be seen as a way to restore balance.
Therefore, the widespread Teleportation Arrays were likely part of her strategy to gather allies.
Of course, there might be other considerations, but that was beyond Luo Chen's current understanding.
He gazed into the distance and muttered, "Fomu Temple? Legend has it that the Great Bright King of the Peacock was born from the Buddha, revered as the Mother of Buddhas. And the great peacock is said to be born from the phoenix. Is this your base of operations because of that connection?"
Qing Shuang remained silent, focusing on their journey.
But both of them were heavily injured, and their pace was far slower than before.
Even as Luo Chen's magic power gradually recovered and he retrieved a flying boat, their speed didn't improve much.
Three days later, Luo Chen was forced to stop the flying boat.
A grand Buddhist chant echoed from the distance.
"Heaven has the virtue of nurturing life. If Qing Shuang can lay down her weapons and become a guardian spirit of the Five Peak Mountains, her life can be spared."
Qing Shuang's lips curled up, and she glanced at Luo Chen beside her, her killing intent surging.
Luo Chen pursed his lips and shook his head helplessly. (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
