"Beat me, and the primordial purple qi is yours."
As soon as Lu Chen said this, the whole scene fell silent.
The God-Slaying Remnant Spear exhaled sinister black flames, the Chaos Brick radiated the pressure of the world's creation, and the Morning Bell pulsed with ripples through space and time. With three supreme treasures bolstering him, Lu Chen's presence now faintly overshadowed every Quasi-Saint present!
Ancestor Minghe's expression shifted. His Sea of Blood avatar edged backward—he had suffered at Lu Chen's hands before and knew how vicious the young man's methods were.
Kunpeng's gaze was sinister, but even he didn't dare be the first to step forward.
The ancient powerhouses of the Primordial World all lowered their eyes, pretending they hadn't heard.
No one wanted to be the one to stick their neck out.
Lu Chen sneered inwardly, but put on a disappointed expression. "What, no one dares come? Then I'll gladly accept this primordial purple qi..."
"Hold on!"
A cool female voice rang out.
Saint Nuwa came riding on clouds. Though she hadn't fully released her Saintly pressure, it was already making the Quasi-Saints struggle to breathe.
"Little friend Lu Chen," Nuwa said, her gaze settling on the Morning Bell. "This bell and my brother Taiyi's Chaos Bell were originally a pair. Where did you get it?"
Here it comes—the interrogation!
Lu Chen had expected this. Without showing any alarm, he replied, "To answer Saint Nuwa, this junior obtained the bell from Treasure Distribution Cliff. As for its connection to the Chaos Bell, I know nothing."
"Oh?" Nuwa's brows furrowed slightly. "Everything from Treasure Distribution Cliff was recorded. I've never heard of there being a second Chaos Bell."
"Maybe the Dao Ancestor kept one for himself?" Lu Chen grinned. "Besides, if Eastern Emperor Taiyi hadn't willingly 'lent' the Chaos Bell to me, how could I have gotten my hands on it?"
"Nonsense!" Taiyi, who was recovering from his injuries in the distance, shouted furiously. "You clearly ambushed me while I was badly wounded and stole the supreme treasure!"
"Ambushed you?" Lu Chen looked innocent. "Your Majesty, that's not how it happened. At the time, you were 'sparring' with Fellow Daoist Minghe. I was just passing by when I saw the Chaos Bell on the ground, so I kindly picked it up to return it. Who knew you'd run off so fast I couldn't catch up?"
His shameless distortion of the truth made Taiyi so furious he spat out another mouthful of blood.
Nuwa studied Lu Chen for a long moment, then suddenly said, "In that case, return the Morning Bell to my brother, and I can guarantee your safety in the Primordial World."
"Saint Nuwa must be joking." Lu Chen shook his head. "The bell has already recognized me as its master. It can't be taken by force. Besides... the war between the Demon Clan and the Witch Clan is raging. If a Saint intervenes now, aren't you afraid the Dao Ancestor will accuse you of taking sides?"
He invoked the Dao Ancestor, and Nuwa was immediately at a loss for words.
Though Saints stood beyond the world, Hongjun was the Heavenly Dao's representative. Even they had to abide by the rules.
The standoff began anew.
Seizing the moment, Lu Chen suddenly looked at Kunpeng. "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, you've been staring at the primordial purple qi this whole time. Don't tell me you want to become a Saint, too? What a pity—you couldn't even get a cushion in Zixiao Palace back then. Hoping to become a Saint through primordial purple qi now is probably a lost cause."
His words struck Kunpeng where it hurt. His face turned livid. "You're asking for death, brat!"
"Touched a nerve?" Lu Chen kept fanning the flames. "If you ask me, instead of coveting my primordial purple qi, you should go after Jieyin and Zhunti's. Those two old schemers' cultivation took a huge hit after reincarnating. They're at their weakest right now. With your abilities as Demon Master, you might actually get your hands on one if you ambush them."
His voice wasn't loud, but everyone present was a powerful cultivator and heard every word.
Jieyin and Zhunti (Amitabha and Patriarch Bodhi) had only just become Saints, and their realms weren't yet stable. Their expressions changed at his words. "Little friend Lu Chen, don't speak nonsense!"
"Am I?" Lu Chen shrugged. "Back in Zixiao Palace, didn't you steal Senior Hong Yun's cushion? What's the big deal about taking a primordial purple qi now? Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, this chance won't come twice!"
Kunpeng's breathing quickened, greed flickering in his eyes.
Lu Chen was right. Jieyin and Zhunti were the weakest Saints right now. If he ambushed them... If he got one of the primordial purple qi, he could become a Saint too!
Seeing Kunpeng waver, Lu Chen added fuel to the fire. "Oh, right. Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, you probably don't know this, do you? Before they reincarnated, Jieyin and Zhunti hid all the Western Teachings' treasures beneath Spirit Mountain. That includes the seeds of the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit, a supreme treasure that can purify demonic energy and improve one's aptitude..."
He deliberately left the sentence unfinished, but the meaning was clear: Spirit Mountain was unguarded, and its treasures were up for grabs!
Kunpeng was completely tempted.
He gave Lu Chen a long look, glanced at Jieyin and Zhunti, then abruptly turned into a streak of black light and shot toward the West!
"Kunpeng, how dare you!" Jieyin and Zhunti shouted furiously and gave chase.
Lu Chen chuckled to himself. It worked!
He'd successfully redirected the trouble!
Seeing this, Ancestor Minghe's eyes flickered. He suddenly cupped his hands toward Lu Chen. "Little friend Lu Chen, we have no great enmity between us. Why not turn hostility into friendship? I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned into a streak of blood-red light and flew west as well. He coveted Spirit Mountain's treasures, too!
With two Quasi-Saints gone, the pressure eased considerably.
Seeing no advantage to be gained, the remaining old monsters also dispersed.
Only Nuwa, Taiyi, Di Jun (who had just arrived), and Lu Chen remained.
Nuwa sighed. "You have quite the way with things, little friend."
"You're too kind, Saint Nuwa." Lu Chen cupped his hands. "This junior was only protecting himself."
"We'll set the matter of the Morning Bell aside for now." Nuwa looked toward Buzhou Mountain. "The war between the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan has reached a critical point. Would you agree to do me a favor, little friend?"
"Please, Saint Nuwa."
"Under this calamity, the Demon Clan is destined to suffer heavy losses. But I hope you'll spare the innocent little demons." Nuwa's tone held a trace of pleading. "Now that I've become a Saint, I can't interfere too much. I can only ask this of you."
Lu Chen fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "As long as they don't provoke me, I won't kill the innocent."
"Thank you." Nuwa gave him a long look, then left with Di Jun and Taiyi.
Before departing, Taiyi glared viciously at Lu Chen, but in the end, he didn't dare attack.
Everyone was gone.
Lu Chen let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It had looked easy, but the situation had been dangerous.
If they had really fought, he wouldn't have been afraid, but he wouldn't have come out unscathed, either.
"The primordial purple qi is mine, the Morning Bell is safe, and I even tricked Kunpeng... Perfect." He grinned, and was about to leave when a sudden thought made him look toward Wuzhuang Temple.
Senior Hong Yun's Dao foundation had been damaged. He should go check on him.
He activated Brick Escape and arrived at Wuzhuang Temple moments later.
Zhen Yuanzi was treating Hong Yun beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree. When he saw Lu Chen arrive, he gave a bitter smile. "Little friend, you're here."
"Senior, how is Senior Hong Yun?" Lu Chen asked with concern.
"His Dao foundation has been damaged, and his path to Sainthood is cut off." Zhen Yuanzi sighed. "But the Dao Ancestor bestowed Earth Immortal Origin upon him, so his life is no longer in danger. It's just that... he'll never have a chance to attain the Great Dao."
Hong Yun's face was pale, yet he turned around and comforted them both. "It's all right. Being alive is already a blessing. It's just that primordial purple qi..."
He looked at Lu Chen, seeming to want to ask something but holding back.
Lu Chen understood. He took out his own intact strand of primordial purple qi. "Senior wants to ask why mine is unharmed?"
Hong Yun nodded.
Lu Chen pondered before replying, "This junior suspects that Luohu's Demonic Seed only targets specific individuals. Senior is kindhearted. If you became a Saint, you'd surely be a benevolent one, which would be bad for the Devil Dao. That's why Luohu focused on 'taking care' of your primordial purple qi."
"Meanwhile, this junior follows the path of Proving the Dao through Strength, which is already at odds with the Devil Dao. Either Luohu didn't dare tamper with mine, or... he did, but the Dao Ancestor purified it."
It was only a guess, but after hearing it, Hong Yun's expression eased somewhat.
"What do you plan to do next, little friend?" Zhen Yuanzi asked.
"Go to Demon Abyss." Lu Chen's gaze was resolute. "The Dao Ancestor gave me three years, and only a few days remain. The Myriad Demon Banner must be destroyed, or the Primordial World will face a great calamity."
"Demon Abyss is perilous. Be extremely careful, little friend," Hong Yun urged.
"This junior understands." Lu Chen rose to take his leave. "Take care, seniors. I'll come bother you again after I return from Demon Abyss."
After leaving Wuzhuang Temple, Lu Chen didn't head straight to Demon Abyss. Instead, he first returned to Buzhou Mountain to collect a few things: the baleful energy, blood essence, and remnant souls from the battlefield that he'd asked Hun Yuanzi to secretly gather during the war between the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan. They were just what the God-Slaying Spear needed.
Sure enough, Hun Yuanzi had gathered three large gourds' worth. Lu Chen infused the essence into the God-Slaying Remnant Spear, finally filling the last gap in its spearhead!
The complete God-Slaying Spear reappeared in the world. Its baleful aura surged into the sky, provoking Heavenly Punishment! But Lu Chen suppressed it with the Chaos Brick and endured nine bolts of heavenly lightning, finally refining the God-Slaying Spear completely.
"Everything's ready. All that's missing is the east wind."
He gazed toward Mount Sumeru in the West, his eyes cold.
"Luohu, it's time to settle the score."
Brick Escape activated, and his figure vanished from the world.
Meanwhile, at Western Spirit Mountain.
Kunpeng had just broken through the restriction Jieyin and Zhunti had left behind. He dug up three seeds of the Merit Golden Lotus and was gloating when Jieyin and Zhunti caught up. The three of them immediately clashed.
Minghe arrived as well. Amid the chaos, he snatched one seed and turned to flee.
The whole West descended into chaos.
Deep within Demon Abyss, Luohu's remnant soul stood before the Myriad Demon Banner. Its body had fully solidified, and countless billions of demonic thoughts roared within it.
"The time has come... Myriad Demon Banner, rise!"
He formed hand seals, preparing to unleash the banner and break through the Heavenly Dao's seal!
At this most critical moment—
A shadow of a brick descended from the heavens!
"Luohu, that banner of yours—belongs to me!"
Lu Chen had arrived!
Before the Myriad Demon Banner, Luohu's remnant soul suddenly looked up. His scarlet demonic eyes reflected the figure holding a brick and gripping a spear. He sneered. "Brat, you've finally come... I've been waiting for you!"
Around Demon Abyss, countless billions of demonic creatures awakened at once and formed the "Myriad Demons Devouring Heaven Formation," surrounding Lu Chen completely!
In Lu Chen's hand, the God-Slaying Spear revealed its full might for the first time. A cold glint at the tip illuminated all of Demon Abyss—
"Today, I slay demons!"
Before you continue