Chapter 1204: Fellow Daoist, Let's Talk This Over! (I)

Lingtian had already sensed that something was wrong before Luo Chen appeared. "Who dares?!"

When an explosion tore through the formation and an unfamiliar figure suddenly entered the arena, he immediately turned his attention toward the newcomer.He knew every Sage of note in the Eastern Wilderness, yet this man was a complete stranger. His first thought was to ask Divine Fire who he was, but when he glanced over, he found that the man's expression had changed completely.

Without a word, Divine Fire shot toward the arena as quickly as his movement art allowed it.

Lingtian watched him race away, and a faint smile crept across his face. "Looks like we're in for another good show."

By then, the rest of the audience had begun to realize what was happening. Someone had broken straight through the formation protecting the platform and forced his way into the battle in full view of everyone present. Most had barely registered the intrusion when a mocking laugh swept across the stands.

"Since none of you care about fighting fair, don't blame me for doing the same!"

Before anyone could make sense of those words, the white-robed Daoist held Skyscraper Cliff overhead with one hand and casually tossed out a miniature mountain of his own with the other. It spun through the air and expanded with every turn until, in the blink of an eye, it had become a towering mountain. Its slopes were filled with broken sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, and all sorts of damaged enchanted treasures. Yet those shattered treasures were merely decorations compared to the terrifying weight of the mountain itself.

The next moment, the entire mountain came crashing down on Yin Sixiang, exactly as Skyscraper Cliff had descended on Wang Yuan moments earlier. Yin Sixiang immediately felt a fierce wind blasting against his face and crushing the very breath in his lungs, while the force also made channeling his mana difficult. Ultimately, he managed to summon his Four Spirit Flags, in a desperate attempt to resist, but a mere moment after he'd taken them out, all four flags snapped apart under the pressure.

Before Divine Fire even reached the podium, the mountain was already a mere moment from crushing Yin Sixiang beneath it. Without slowing down, he activated his Nascent Soul Domain and tried to force it back into the air. At the same time, he spat out a streak of red light that shot toward his disciple.

"Fellow Daoist, let's talk this over!"

Luo Chen's eyes turned cold. "Of course. I'm always willing to talk. But why don't you let Yin Sixiang talk to me himself?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Mirror Flower Water Moon bloomed within his eyes. Divine Fire faltered for no more than a heartbeat, but in a clash at this level, that fleeting lapse was already enough to decide everything.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Yin Sixiang's scream was swallowed by the crash of the mountain. By the time Divine Fire broke free of Mirror Flower Water Moon, his favorite Dao-nephew was already gone. Only a pool of blood leaked from where he had stood, slowly spreading across the platform.

For a moment, Divine Fire could only stare helplessly at the scene.

Yin Sixiang was not just anyone. Among all cultivators of the now-dispossessed Five Elements Divine Sect, no one surpassed him in either cultivation or combat strength. He also wielded incredible influence among both the younger and middle generations, making him the sect's most important figure below the Sage level. Everyone had expected him to become a Sage sooner or later. Once he did, whether he eventually became sect master or just took his place among the elders, he would undoubtedly have become one of the pillars supporting the sect.

Yet before any of that could happen, he had been crushed to death!

In fact, the Divine Sect had never wanted Yin Sixiang to participate in this battle in the first place. Their original plan was to keep him out of the turmoil, preserve his strength, and have him devote himself entirely to breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Rather, Divine Fire had been the one who insisted on sending him onto the field. And now, because of that decision, Yin Sixiang had died to a Sage who had appeared out of nowhere. How was he supposed to explain this to the sect?

The thought sent a surge of rage through him. His lips trembled as he raised a shaking finger toward Luo Chen. "You shameless bastard! You're a Sage, yet you're using your cultivation to bully a junior? Do you have no dignity at all? Have you no—"

"Bully a junior?!? AHHAHAHHAAHHA!!!"

Luo Chen was still standing on Wang Yuan's shoulder, and a colossal palm projection formed from mana held Skyscraper Cliff firmly in its grasp. The enchanted treasure shook and bucked fiercely, like a raging bull, trying to tear itself free.

"I've never heard of an enchanted treasure that keeps operating on its own after its master dies. Have any of you? And what about you, Old Ghost Skyscraper? Ever seen one?"

That final question struck the crowd like a thunderclap. Every head turned toward Old Ghost Skyscraper, only to find the man drenched in sweat. His face was contorted with effort as his hands flew through one seal after another.

With Luo Chen's taunt still ringing in their ears, the spectators quickly understood and pieced together the truth. The one truly bullying a junior with superior cultivation, the first to act despicably and show none of the dignity befitting a Sage, was Old Ghost Skyscraper!

The mountain produced by Yin Sixiang earlier had never belonged to him at all, but Skyrscraper! Yin Sixiang had not even been the one controlling it during his battle with Wang Yuan. From the very start, Skyscraper had been manipulating it from the shadows and using it to attack Wang Yuan. In other words, Wang Yuan had not merely been fighting Yin Sixiang; he had also been taking direct attacks from a Sage!

The revelation sent a stir through the stands. If looks could kill and accusations could pierce the heart, Skyscraper would already have been riddled with holes.

Yet Skyscraper himself paid no attention whatsoever to what they thought. He frantically poured more mana and tried to forcefully recall his artifact. But for some reason, the towering cliff seemed to have been fixed in place by something. No matter how much mana he fed into it or how desperately he tried to pull it back, it refused to budge.

At last, genuine panic broke across his face. "Fellow Daoist, let's talk this over!"

These people really do love talking, don't they? Luo Chen curled his lips in disdain. This time, he could not even be bothered to answer and simply opened his mouth to let out a breath.

Hoooooo...

A stream of flame slipped from between his lips. At first, both green and white colors flickered through it, but as the flames rose into the air, the green touch faded until only white remained. The pale fire flowed up the enormous mana hand and quickly spread across the surface of Skyscraper Cliff.

Then, under the eyes of everyone present, the massive mountain... simply began to melt. There was no explosion, no earth-shaking collision, not even a struggle from the artifact itself. Wherever the white flames passed, the massive True Artifact softened, liquefied, and, at last, dissolved into a pool of liquid.

Lingtian's eyes widened so sharply they nearly popped out of their sockets. "How is that possible?!"

The Mistress of Windflower Palace stared in shock. "What kind of mystical fire is that?!"

The other Sages could only suck in sharp breaths; none of them could quite believe what they had just witnessed. A life-bound True Artifact that a Sage had spent centuries refining and nurturing had been reduced to liquid in the span of a few breaths?

PFFFTT—

With his life-bound treasure destroyed, the connection he had maintained with it for centuries caused Skyscraper to suffer serious backlash on the spot, and he could not stop himself from coughing up blood. For an instant, the pain only fueled his fury. Rage overwhelmed his reason, and he transformed into a streak of light and staggered through the air toward Luo Chen to avenge his destroyed treasure.

Halfway there, however, another person blocked his path. "Calm down, Old Ghost! Calm down!"

Those words hit Skyscraper like a splash of cold water, and he came back to his senses. Only then did he look properly at the man who had just stepped down from Wang Yuan's shoulder onto the platform. The longer he looked, the colder his heart grew. Anyone capable of melting his Skyscraper Cliff was definitely no simple man. In his gravely injured state, and deprived of the treasure he had relied upon for centuries, confronting such a person would be no different from suicide.

With the metallic taste of blood still in his mouth, he could only glare at Luo Chen with hatred. "Who are you?"

Divine Fire's expression was equally grave as he called out, "This is an internal dispute of the Luo Tian Sect. What right do you have to interfere?"

Faced with that challenge, Luo Chen merely smiled.

Before he could answer, Wang Yuan, having already returned to his normal size, stepped forward. Then, under the gaze of countless spectators, he bowed deeply to Luo Chen without the slightest hesitation. "Greetings, Supreme Elder!"

The solemn gesture caught Luo Chen somewhat by surprise, but the moment their eyes met, he understood what Wang Yuan was trying to do.

At almost the same time, several figures below the platform came rushing toward him as though they had all gone mad.

A century of hardship had changed many of them, but he could still recognize most of them—especially the woman at the front, whose face was streaked with tears. In her eyes, disbelief mingled with the overwhelming joy of regaining someone she had long believed lost forever.

Caiyi...

Luo Chen let out a long breath, slipped an arm around her waist, and drew her close. Meanwhile, Qu Lingjun, Min Longyu, and the others arrived behind her and immediately dropped to one knee.

"Greetings, Master!"

"Supreme Elder, you're back!"

"Greetings, Daoist Uncle!"

Meng Qin'er, who had originally been scheduled to fight that afternoon, stood out conspicuously among the group. For a moment, she seemed unsure how to react, but when Qu Lingjun gave her sleeve a light tug, she quickly followed the others and dropped to one knee. "Greetings, Senior!"

Against the tens of thousands of spectators packed into the stands, the handful of Luo Tian Sect cultivators gathered around Luo Chen seemed almost insignificant. Yet the titles they called him carried quickly through the crowd, and those familiar with the Luo Tian Sect soon began piecing together his identity.

This was Luo Chen, the founder of the Luo Tian Sect and its Supreme Elder!

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