Four Swords of Zhu Xian Formation Broken

Within the Chaos Spring Eye, Lu Chen was surrounded by purple energy, with more than half of the Primordial Violet Qi already refined.

A hundred years of arduous cultivation had passed in the outside world in just one year.

His cultivation had skyrocketed from the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal to the early stage of Grand Unity Golden Immortal, and his foundation was terrifyingly stable—the Five Qi in the Chest had achieved Yuan, and the Three Flowers gathered atop his head, each flower as solid as cast gold, faintly resonating with the sound of the Great Dao.

"Law of Strength, it has taken shape..."

Lu Chen opened his eyes, and a fleeting illusion of the sky-opening and earth-cracking flashed within them. He raised his hand and made a grasping motion, and the space in his palm warped and distorted like mud. This was the manifestation of pure power reaching its extreme.

Just then—

"Buzz!"

The entire Demon Abyss shook violently. The rocky ceiling collapsed, the Demon River surged backward, and countless demonic creatures fled in panic.

The telepathic message from Luohu's remnant soul carried an unprecedented urgency: "Kid, get out of seclusion! Jieyin has gone mad!"

Lu Chen's figure flickered, and he appeared in the Demon Abyss Palace.

Luohu's remnant soul stood before the palace, gazing towards the entrance of the Demon Abyss with a face as dark as water. Behind him, the illusory remnants of Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Shi Qilin also stood ready.

"Senior, what's going on?" Lu Chen asked.

"Look." Luohu waved his hand, and demonic energy condensed into a mirror.

The mirror showed the scene outside the Demon Abyss entrance—

Four sky-piercing sword pillars stood in the chaos, displaying the destructive sword intents of Zhu, Lu, Xian, and Jue, forming an ultimate killing formation covering ten thousand miles. In the center of the sword formation, Jieyin, Zhunti, Minghe, and Kunpeng each occupied a position, their auras connected as one. They were all in the early stage of Quasi-Saint!

"Four Swords of Zhu Xian formation? A replica?" Lu Chen's pupils contracted sharply.

"It's a replica, but its power is still thirty percent of the original," Luohu sneered. "Jieyin obtained the forging blueprints for the Four Swords of Zhu Xian from the Treasure Distribution Cliff. He joined forces with Zhunti, Minghe, and Kunpeng, and spent a hundred years to forge this formation. They thought this seat still had half a portion of the Primordial Violet Qi and came to seize it by force."

Lu Chen's heart tightened.

The half portion of Primordial Violet Qi he held was obtained from the Demon Abyss. If Jieyin and the others discovered it, it would be big trouble.

"Not just them," Luohu suddenly pointed outside the sword formation. "Look there."

The mirror surface rotated, reflecting the chaos at the edge of the sword formation.

A faint purple energy phantom hung there. Although inconspicuous, the vast, heaven-shattering Saintly might was something Lu Chen was all too familiar with—Dao Ancestor Hongjun!

"The Dao Ancestor is also watching the battle?!" Lu Chen's voice was dry.

"He's not watching the battle; he's tacitly allowing it," Luohu's eyes flashed with mockery. "Jieyin and Zhunti are disciples of the Xuanmen after all. The Dao Ancestor needs to use them to test how many trump cards this seat has left. As for Minghe and Kunpeng... they are merely pawns."

Lu Chen fell silent.

Is this the game of Saints? All living beings are pawns.

"What do you want me to do, Senior?" he asked.

"Enter the formation, break the formation," Luohu said word by word. "The Four Swords of Zhu Xian formation can only be broken when four Saints arrive together. However, the replica has a flaw—the four swords' intentions cannot be fully connected. You are an outsider, and your cultivation is Grand Unity. They won't guard against you too much. You just need to sneak into the formation, find the core node connecting the four swords, and smash it with your Chaos Brick. The great formation will break on its own."

"And then?"

"Then, take something during the chaos," Luohu pointed at Minghe in the mirror. "Do you see the Twelve-Grade Karma Red Lotus? This lotus was formed from a seed of the Chaos Green Lotus. It shares the same origin as Jieyin's Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit and this seat's Twelve-Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus. This seat needs it to complete the World-Destroying Black Lotus and reconstruct my demonic body."

Lu Chen's heart raced.

The Twelve-Grade Karma Red Lotus, Minghe's companion spiritual treasure, had unparalleled defense and could burn away karma. It was one of the top Innate Spiritual Treasures in the Primordial Era!

"Senior, that's Minghe's lifeblood. What if he fights desperately?"

"He won't fight desperately," Luohu stated confidently. "Minghe is inherently selfish. As long as the Sea of Blood doesn't dry up, he won't die, so he cherishes his life the most. Once the formation is broken, his first thought will be to escape, not to protect the lotus platform. You just need to snatch the Karma Red Lotus before he reacts and flee back into the Demon Abyss."

"What about Jieyin and the others..."

"This seat will stop them," Luohu's demonic energy surged. "Don't worry, since the Dao Ancestor is observing, he won't let Jieyin and Zhunti die at the entrance of the Demon Abyss—otherwise, where would his dignity be? So, although this battle seems dangerous, it is actually safe. If you take the Karma Red Lotus, the Dao Ancestor will even secretly help you escape, because he needs this seat to continue containing certain individuals within the Xuanmen."

Lu Chen suddenly understood.

What a deep scheme!

Luohu wanted to use him to break the formation and seize the treasure. The Dao Ancestor wanted to use Jieyin and the others to probe the Demon Abyss's strength. And he, Lu Chen, was the most crucial pawn in both their games—dangerous, yet the safest.

"Junior... I'll do it!"

"Wise choice." Luohu tossed him a black talisman. "This is the 'Demonic Escape Talisman.' It can instantly teleport you back to the Demon Abyss. Use it immediately after you succeed."

Lu Chen took the talisman and took a deep breath, gripping the Chaos Brick in his hand.

"Senior, send me into the formation."

"Go!"

Luohu's sleeve swept out, and demonic energy formed an invisible passage, sending Lu Chen into the interior of the Four Swords of Zhu Xian formation.

Almost simultaneously, in the chaos outside the formation, the purple energy phantom moved slightly.

In Dao Ancestor Hongjun's eyes, a barely perceptible smile flashed.

"Little fellow, let this seat see... how far you can go."

Inside the Four Swords of Zhu Xian formation.

As soon as Lu Chen appeared, he was locked onto by boundless sword energy.

Four heaven-piercing sword pillars stood guard in the four directions, with one person seated beneath each pillar:

The Eastern Immortal Slaying Sword Pillar—Jieyin, his face filled with sorrow. The Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit above his head shed golden light, rendering all methods useless.

The Southern Destruction Sword Pillar—Zhunti, his severed arm had recovered, and he held the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, brushing away all divine abilities.

The Western Trapping Sword Pillar—Minghe, standing on the Twelve-Grade Karma Red Lotus, with the Yuantu Abi Twin Swords suspended by his side.

The Northern Isolation Sword Pillar—Kunpeng, his wings obscured the sky, his demonic energy soaring.

"Lu Chen?!" The four opened their eyes simultaneously, a mixture of shock and fury.

They hadn't expected Luohu to send Lu Chen into the formation!

"Good! Good! Good!" Jieyin said the word "good" three times, killing intent boiling in his eyes. "I was just looking for you, and you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep! Today, you will be buried here!"

"Why waste words with him? Kill!" Kunpeng hated Lu Chen the most. He flapped his wings, and the Isolation Sword energy transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang black wind, sweeping towards them.

Lu Chen remained unhurried, holding up the Chaos Brick.

"Gravity Brick!"

The brick's gravitational field distorted, and as the black wind approached, it was automatically deflected, grazing past his side.

"This brick is strange, attack together!" Zhunti brushed with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, and seven-colored divine light swept towards the Chaos Brick.

Minghe also moved. The Yuantu Abi Twin Swords transformed into a blood-red rainbow, stabbing directly at Lu Chen's brow.

Jieyin, meanwhile, activated the Golden Lotus of Merit, its golden light like chains, coiling around Lu Chen's limbs.

The combined strike of the four Quasi-Saints was enough to make even Grand Unity cultivators, let alone peak Quasi-Saints, regret their existence!

But Lu Chen was waiting for this very moment.

"Now!"

He advanced instead of retreating, charging towards the center of the four attacks.

At the same time, he fully activated the Chaos Brick's third ability—

"Brick Clone!"

"Buzz!"

The Chaos Brick split into nine. The nine sub-bricks transformed into nine streaks of dark light, shooting towards the four core nodes of the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation—the points where the sword energies of the four swords converged, and also the most vulnerable spots of the great formation!

"Not good! He's going to break the formation!" Jieyin's expression changed drastically.

But it was too late.

Lu Chen's main body endured the residual waves of the four attacks. The protective light shield of the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner shattered, and the Qiankun Diagram's small world collapsed. He spat blood and was sent flying backward, his physical body almost disintegrating.

But the nine sub-bricks had already struck the four nodes!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With four deafening explosions, the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation trembled violently.

The four sword pillars dimmed simultaneously, and the circulation of sword energy experienced a moment of stagnation.

That single moment was enough!

Lu Chen mustered his last breath and activated the Brick Escape!

His mind locked onto the Twelve-Grade Karma Red Lotus beneath Minghe's feet.

The next moment, he appeared above the red lotus, the main body of the Chaos Brick smashing down fiercely—

"One Brick Shatters All Methods!"

The dark light of the brick surged, and the red lotus's defensive restrictions shattered like paper.

"Insolent thief, how dare you!" Minghe's eyes split with rage, and he swung his twin swords back.

But Lu Chen was faster.

The Qiankun Diagram unfurled, engulfing the Karma Red Lotus along with Minghe (a clone?) on the lotus platform—whether it was a clone or not, he'd capture it first!

"Demonic Escape Talisman, activate!"

The black talisman burned, and space twisted.

"Stop him!" Jieyin, Zhunti, and Kunpeng attacked simultaneously.

The three Quasi-Saint powers struck the spot where Lu Chen had disappeared, but only shattered an afterimage.

Lu Chen had already escaped back to the Demonic Abyss!

"Pfft—"

As soon as he returned to the Demonic Abyss, Lu Chen collapsed on the ground, blood flowing from his seven orifices, his physical body covered in cracks, and even his primordial spirit dimmed.

Enduring the combined strike of the four Quasi-Saints, even if it was just the residual waves, had nearly cost him his life.

"Ruthless enough." Luohu's remnant soul appeared beside him, raising a hand to bestow a stream of pure demonic energy, stabilizing his injuries. "Where's the red lotus?"

Lu Chen weakly pointed at the Qiankun Diagram.

Luohu's divine sense probed inward, and he immediately burst into laughter. "Good! Good! Not only did you capture the Red Lotus, but you even brought back that Blood God Son clone of Minghe! This clone contains thirty percent of Minghe's essence blood, which is enough for me to forge a temporary demonic body!"

He looked outside the formation. "Jieyin, the formation is broken. Do you still want to fight?"

Outside the formation, the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation had already collapsed for the most part.

Jieyin and the other three had ashen faces.

They never expected that the grand formation they had painstakingly refined for a hundred years would have its core shattered by a single brick from a Grand Unity Golden Immortal!

What was even more infuriating was that Minghe's Karma Red Lotus had also been stolen!

"Luohu! Hand over the Red Lotus and Lu Chen, or today we fight to the death!" Minghe's true form roared from the Sea of Blood, his voice piercing through the void.

"Fight to the death?" Luohu scoffed. "Minghe, if you have the guts, come into the Demon Abyss and take them."

Minghe fell silent.

Enter the Demon Abyss? That was Luohu's lair. Going in would be suicide.

Jieyin looked toward the depths of chaos. That silhouette of violet qi was still there, but it showed no intention of intervening.

He understood—the Dao Ancestor was observing but not interfering.

What happened today was already a foregone conclusion.

"Let's go," Jieyin gritted his teeth and put away the incomplete Immortal Slaying Sword Formation.

Zhunti was unwilling. "Senior Brother, the Red Lotus..."

"We'll discuss it another day." Jieyin cast a deep glance at the Demon Abyss and transformed into a golden light, departing.

Zhunti and Kunpeng followed closely behind.

Minghe left last, uttering a parting threat: "Luohu, Lu Chen, this debt will be repaid!"

Outside the Demon Abyss, peace was restored.

Luohu withdrew his gaze and looked at Lu Chen. "Kid, you did better than I expected. Speak, what reward do you desire?"

Lu Chen struggled to sit up. "What Senior promised before..."

"The forging method for the God-Slaying Spear and the list of hidden agents?" Luohu nodded. "I will not go back on my word."

He flicked his finger, and two Jade Slips flew into Lu Chen's hands.

"The forging method for the God-Slaying Spear requires at least three fragments. You already have one. The whereabouts of the other two are hinted at in this Jade Slip. As for the list of hidden agents... destroy it after reading, do not leak it."

Lu Chen solemnly put them away.

"Additionally," Luohu continued, "since you have already broken through to Grand Unity, it is time to consider severing your corpses. Although the Dao of the Three Corpses is not the orthodox path, it can rapidly increase combat power. I suggest you use this half portion of violet qi to sever your good corpse."

"Sever a corpse with violet qi?" Lu Chen was taken aback.

"Yes," Luohu said meaningfully. "Primordial Violet Qi is the foundation for becoming a Saint. The Three Corpses severed using it will naturally possess a trace of sainthood, increasing the success rate when the three corpses merge in the future. Moreover... you carry too much karma. Severing your corpse with violet qi can temporarily transfer some of your karma to your good corpse, alleviating the burden on your main body."

Lu Chen's heart stirred.

This was indeed a good idea.

He was currently burdened by too much karma: the three tribes, the demon race, the Western religious sect, the demonic path... If he could transfer some of it, his main body would be much safer.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

"No need to thank me, we each get what we need," Luohu waved his hand. "Rest and recover in the Demon Abyss. Once your injuries have healed, you can sever your corpse then."

Lu Chen nodded and found a quiet chamber to go into seclusion for healing.