Stealing the Black Lotus

The injuries sustained this time were too severe; it took a full three years (just over ten days in the outside world) to recover seventy percent of my strength.

Once the injuries stabilized somewhat, Lu Chen began preparing to sever his corpse.

Severing a corpse requires a spiritual treasure as a vessel. The good corpse is best anchored by merit or a righteous spiritual treasure.

In Lu Chen's possession, the most suitable was--the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner!

This banner, one of the five Innate Spiritual Treasures, primarily offered defense and symbolized the virtue of carrying all things. It was the perfect vessel for severing his good corpse at this moment.

He took out half a strand of Primordial Violet Qi and slowly merged it into the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner.

The banner emitted a soft yellow light, and Daoist runes appeared on its surface.

"Sever!"

Lu Chen's primordial spirit trembled, and a pure, benevolent thought was stripped away and injected into the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner.

"Buzz--"

Instantly, the yellow light flared, and a yellow-robed Daoist, resembling Lu Chen in appearance but with a gentle, jade-like temperament, emerged from the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner. He smiled faintly and bowed to Lu Chen:

"This humble Daoist is Huang Chen, greetings to my true form."

The good corpse was complete!

His cultivation base had reached the mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. Furthermore, with the enhancement of the Primordial Violet Qi, his foundation was several times more stable than that of ordinary corpse-severing cultivators.

Even more wondrously, Lu Chen felt a portion of his karma--primarily related to the Kirin Clan and some good karma generated from saving others--transfer to Huang Chen.

His true form felt significantly lighter.

"Fellow Daoist, from now on, you shall walk the Primordial Era as a rogue cultivator, solely performing good deeds and accumulating merit," said Lu Chen's true form.

"Agreed." Huang Chen nodded, took the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner (a replica; the true artifact had merged with him), and transformed into a yellow light, flying out of the Demon Abyss.

From this point on, Lu Chen became three beings:

His main body--in seclusion within the Demon Abyss, cultivating the Law of Strength, aiming to Proving the Dao through Strength.

His clone, Chen Ying--acting in the outside world, drawing attention from all sides, and taking the blame when necessary.

And his good corpse, Huang Chen--performing good deeds, accumulating merit, transferring karma, and building connections.

Three identities, and three layers of security.

"Now, it's time to examine the greatest harvest from this ordeal..."

Lu Chen took out the Twelve-Grade Karma Red Lotus.

The lotus platform was fiery red, with twelve grades. On each grade, karma fire burned, capable of incinerating all karma and causality in the world.

Luohu wanted it to complete the World-Destroying Black Lotus, but as Lu Chen collected the lotus platform, he discovered an item within the lotus heart--

A lotus seed!

The seed of the Karma Red Lotus, though inferior to its mother body, was still a nascent Innate Spiritual Treasure. If successfully cultivated, it could grow into a new Grade One or even Grade Three Red Lotus.

"This lotus seed... perhaps it can be used this way."

A flash of inspiration struck Lu Chen.

He took out the three Phoenix Eggs (Mortal Phoenixes), the three Kirin Eggs (the last embers of their kind), and the Dragon Clan essence blood he had collected earlier.

The essence blood of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin clans, fused with the lotus seed of the Karma Red Lotus...

A wild idea took root in Lu Chen's mind.

"To refine a battle avatar fused with the three clans, protected by karma fire!"

Lu Chen acted decisively, without any hesitation.

He used the Chaos Brick as a cauldron, the Three Lights Divine Water as a medium, and the Sky-Opening Merit as fire to begin the refinement.

The entire process lasted for forty-nine days.

On the forty-ninth day, the quiet chamber erupted with a crimson, golden, and yellow light.

Within the light emerged a strange being, twelve feet tall, with a dragon's head, phoenix wings, and a kirin's body!

Its entire body was covered in crimson dragon scales, colorful phoenix wings sprouted from its back, it stood upon yellow auspicious clouds, and faint karma fire burned around it.

Upon closer inspection, it exuded the aura of an early-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal!

"From this day forward, you shall be called 'Yan Chen'," said Lu Chen's true form.

Yan Chen knelt on one knee: "Thank you, true form. From this day forward, I am Yan Chen, and I pledge to fight for you."

Lu Chen nodded with satisfaction.

Although Yan Chen lacked independent sentience (being completely controlled by the true form), its combat power was formidable. It possessed the bloodlines of the three clans, could freely transform into dragon, phoenix, and kirin forms, and could unleash the divine abilities of the three clans.

However, the most crucial aspect was--its aura of the Karma Red Lotus was of the same origin as Minghe's! In the future, if they encountered Minghe, it might produce unexpected effects.

"You too shall go out and secretly assist Chen Ying and Huang Chen. Remember, do not reveal your connection to me unless it is a matter of life and death."

"As you command."

With his words finished, Yan Chen transformed into a streak of firelight and flew out of the Demon Abyss.

At this point, Lu Chen had three forces under his command:

Visible force: Clone Chen Ying (drawing aggro).

Hidden force: Good Corpse Huang Chen (building connections).

Secret force: Combat Avatar Yan Chen (providing covert support).

Meanwhile, his main body continued to cultivate in seclusion within the Demon Abyss.

He took out the God-Slaying Spear and a Jade Slip to begin his comprehension.

"I already have one fragment of the God-Slaying Spear. The second is deep within the Sea of Blood, sealed by Minghe. The third... is at the North Sea's eye, guarded by Kunpeng?"

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Sea of Blood and the North Sea, huh...

It seemed it was time to pay those two "old friends" a visit.

However, before that, he still had one more thing to do.

Lu Chen looked toward the depths of the Demon Abyss, in the direction of the Pangu seal.

There, half a strand of Primordial Violet Qi (which Luohu still believed was there) remained, along with other items left by Pangu.

Luohu thought he wouldn't dare to return, but Lu Chen intended to do the opposite.

"The most dangerous places are often the safest. Luohu is currently busy refining the Karma Red Lotus and his Minghe clone, and has no time to spare. If I don't go now, when will I?"

He quietly left his meditation chamber and, using the concealment abilities of the Chaos Brick, infiltrated the sealed area once more.

This time, he was familiar with the path and quickly arrived at the stone chamber.

Inside the stone chamber, the illusory violet Qi (a false image fabricated by Luohu) still floated.

Lu Chen didn't touch it. Instead, he looked at a corner of the chamber – there was an inconspicuous stone wall.

The last time he was here, he had sensed something unusual about this stone wall.

Now, he focused his vision, channeling the Law of Strength into his eyes, and finally saw through the illusion.

Inside the stone wall, a bone fragment was hidden!

It was from the same origin as the previous Pangu's Spine Fragment, but smaller. Instead of techniques, it was engraved with a map.

[Chaos Star Chart · Marking the Demise of the Three Thousand Demon Gods]

The demise of the Three Thousand Demon Gods, which meant the entrances to the three thousand Chaos Worlds!

Lu Chen was overjoyed.

This was more precious than any treasure!

With this map, he could travel to those Chaos Worlds, seek the legacies of the Demon Gods, and rapidly increase his own strength.

Contemplating the wonders of this discovery, he quickly put away the bone fragment. He then searched the stone chamber carefully, finding three drops of Chaos Blood Essence (blood essence dripped when Pangu was wounded during Sky-Opening) and a palm-sized axe blade fragment – a Sky-Opening Axe Blade Fragment, even more precious than the axe handle fragment!

"I'm rich, I've truly struck it rich this time..."

Lu Chen suppressed his excitement and was about to leave when a sudden sense of alarm surged through him.

At the entrance of the stone chamber, a black shadow slowly materialized.

Luohu's remnant soul!

"Little Lu Chen, this seat knew long ago... you would definitely return."