The Might of a Sovereign Divine Ability!

Boom!

A dazzling golden beam plunged down from the heavens, its power so overwhelming that it seemed capable of shattering space itself. Visible ripples spread through the surrounding air.

Bang!

The golden beam slammed into the Dark Water Shield. The vortex of freezing water spun madly, releasing a terrifying devouring force as it attempted to freeze and dissolve the attack.

Yet the streak of golden light flickered slightly, like a razor-sharp golden blade. In an instant, it pierced through the water vortex, splitting it in two as it hurtled viciously toward the Black-Robed Old Man!

The Black-Robed Old Man let out an enraged roar. His withered arms crossed before him as a dark energy carapace rapidly spread over them, eventually forming a layer of black armguards to shield his body.

Whoosh!

The golden light struck his arms without making any earth-shattering sound. Instead, wisps of golden flame ignited from nowhere and rapidly spread, engulfing his entire body.

"Ah!"

Elder Mu let out a miserable scream, pain flashing across his face. The black ice armor on his arms melted away almost instantly, while his originally pale skin charred along with it. Countless strips of flesh turned into bloody mist and drifted away, exposing the stark white bones beneath—a horrifying sight.

"Elder Mu!"

Liu Ming watched the scene in terror, his mind shaken and his face filled with horror.

Elder Mu gritted his teeth. A Black Dagger flew from his waist, and with a flash of cold light and a swish, black streaks of light circled around him as an icy chill erupted.

His skeletal arms were abruptly severed. Golden flames rose up and instantly burned them into black, ice-cold stones of bone...

Looking at his severed arms, Elder Mu's eyes revealed a trace of heartache. Spiritual energy surged through his body, and the dark glow wriggled as a pair of energy arms, formed entirely from spiritual energy, grew from his body to temporarily replace the arms he had lost.

Then Elder Mu glared hatefully at Lu Chen, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes. "For you to possess such a powerful Sovereign Divine Ability, your Celestial Body must rank at least among the top sixty. Yet I do not recall seeing your Celestial Body among those ranked in the top sixty. Just who are you?"

"You're not worthy of knowing, Old Thing. Let me remind you: with me here today, you won't be able to protect your young master. Either get lost now, or we both go down together. Your choice!"

Feeling that his spiritual energy had been completely drained, Lu Chen's eyes flashed. He stepped forward and spoke with forced composure.

At that, Elder Mu narrowed his eyes. As a cunning old fox, he was unwilling to give up so easily. A sinister smile appeared on his face. "What an ignorant brat. Do you think breaking this old man's arms is enough to scare me?"

"If you hadn't caught this old man off guard earlier, leaving me no time to unleash my Supreme Sovereign Celestial Body, you wouldn't have been able to inflict even a light wound on me. Besides, after using such a powerful Celestial Body, how much spiritual energy do you have left?"

Lu Chen snorted coldly. He knew he could not back down now. Otherwise, if this old fellow saw through him, he would truly be doomed beyond redemption.

He took another step forward. Intense golden light burst from the forehead of the crimson figure, as though another dazzling divine beam were gathering. He shouted, "Since Senior refuses to accept this, then let's fight another round!"

"This junior will accompany you to the end!"

Hearing that, Elder Mu's heart, which had only just settled, leaped back into his throat. Looking at the eager golden glow on the Heavenly Flame Celestial Body's forehead, deep wariness flashed in his eyes, and he immediately began wavering again.

Could this brat really use another Sovereign Divine Ability?

Impossible!

Maintaining a Supreme Sovereign Celestial Body in battle already consumes an enormous amount of spiritual energy, let alone using a trump-card Sovereign Divine Ability...

But what if he really can...

This old man only receives a mere fifty thousand Sovereign Spiritual Liquid a year. Must I truly risk my life against this brat?

With that thought, Elder Mu turned to Liu Ming at his side and asked in a hoarse voice, "Young Master, what do you think?"

Struggle flashed through Liu Ming's eyes. After pondering for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Leave!"

"We're letting them off easy this time. Next time, this young master will make them pay!"

Elder Mu nodded silently. Since the young master had spoken, he naturally had to obey. It was not that he feared battle—the young master himself had said they should leave...

This way, not only was he faultless, but he would also be credited with protecting the young master and receive an additional offering. It could not have worked out better...

Then Elder Mu cast Lu Chen a deep look. With one hand, he grabbed Liu Ming, and as the surrounding space rippled, they stepped into the void and vanished.

"Phew!"

After the two had left, the enormous figure standing between heaven and earth trembled slightly before dissolving into specks of crimson-gold light. Lu Chen's figure emerged along with them.

His face was pale as he looked in the direction they had gone. He let out a long breath and said with lingering fear, "That was close. I almost got found out. I never expected the Heavenly Flame Celestial Body's Sovereign Divine Ability to be so powerful that it could actually injure a Fifth Grade Sovereign. The price I paid for it wasn't in vain..."

"And judging from what that old man said, my Celestial Body can actually rank among the top sixty?"

Excitement flashed through Lu Chen's eyes. After all, there were only ninety-nine ranks of Supreme Sovereign Celestial Bodies in the world.

Although each rank could contain several Celestial Bodies tied in standing, a Supreme Sovereign Celestial Body ranked sixtieth was still extraordinarily precious. On Tianluo Continent, perhaps only overlord-level factions that dominated an entire region could produce one.

"Hey, are you all right?"

At that moment, Lin Jing, who had been hiding in the distance, ran over. Seeing Lu Chen's pale face, she thought he had suffered some serious injury.

She hurriedly took out a pile of bottles and jars and said anxiously, "These... these are healing medicines Aunt Bing refined for me before. Hurry and take them. They're very effective..."

Lu Chen waved his hand. Looking at the pile of pills before him, he gave a bitter smile. "My lady, I'm fine. I just used up too much spiritual energy. There's no need to take such precious medicine..."

"Also, my name isn't 'hey.' My name is Lu Chen. Lu as in continent, Chen as in dust."

"I... I'm Lin Jing. Lin as in two trees, Jing as in quiet..."

"Huh, that's not right. You knew my name the moment we met, but I never told you. How did you know my name?"

Suddenly realizing this, Lin Jing froze for a moment and looked at Lu Chen suspiciously.

Lu Chen sighed, pulled the jade pendant from his chest, and handed it to her. "I've heard of the Martial Realm's little princess. The jade pendant you threw out earlier was identical to mine, both in design and aura. Only the Martial Ancestor himself could have made something like it."

"So you must be Senior Martial Ancestor's beloved daughter."