The disaster of Nanxun! You want me to spare you? Ask the heavens, and they won't agree.

"A fellow villager from Nanxun? Yet he has become a ghost."

Chen Dengming was traveling discreetly on a spirit boat to the place where Qiu Feng and the other two were trapped when he suddenly received a report from the Martial Immortal Clone through telepathy, which surprised him greatly.

He quickly ordered his Martial Immortal Clone to capture the vengeful spirit and question it.

The response he received only fueled his shock and anger.

"The Devil Palace cultivators from the Outer Domain Evil Cultivator, in alliance with the Heavenly Devil Gate and the Mochao Kingdom, invaded Nanxun, capturing a group of people for blood sacrifice, and another group had their souls extracted and refined?"

The people in Nanxun are just ordinary people, at most some Innate Martial Artist, but there isn't even a single cultivator. Why would a group of Outer Domain Evil Cultivator harm even ordinary people?

"Are they immune to the Curse of the Southern Journey? These people deserve to die."

Chen Dengming's face darkened, and various thoughts raced through his mind, but he found that there was nothing he could do for the time being.

The blood sacrifice to Nanxun could be retaliation by Outer Domain Evil Cultivator against Dongfang Huayuan, or it could be a further move by Outer Realm Devil Venerable to devour the Human Immortal Orthodox Lineage.

It might even be a complete trap, a snare to lure Dongfang Huayuan back into Nanxun, where he would walk right into their trap.

"Senior Dongfang once said that he had altered the terrain near the entrance to the Southern Search and set up a powerful array that low-level cultivators would find impossible to break through."

Even if Golden Core Cultivator were to enter, no more than ten people would be able to break through it, and Golden Core Cultivator would also be in danger of losing their cultivation level or even dying.

While pondering, Chen Dengming began to contact Dongfang Huayuan through the Human Immortal Way Power in his Sea of Consciousness.

However, these attempts to contact them yielded little response.

This is quite normal. A Spirit Transformation cultivator might spend several months cultivating, and it's unlikely that they can detect the message sent by his mind in time.

Chen Dengming ordered the Martial Immortal Clone to retreat with the spirits of the villagers.

This matter requires further consideration.

With his current strength, he may seem to be enjoying great success, but in the vast Battlefield between the two sides, he can only be considered a high-end combatant, not a top-tier one.

If something really happens to Nan Xun, it's not something he can quickly resolve by rushing over; even Dongfang Huayuan alone wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Keep calm and let the clone investigate this matter first."

Chen Dengming quickly composed himself and temporarily put the problem aside.

There's no use in being anxious; it will only make you lose your composure. It's better to focus on the task at hand first.

He suddenly put away the spirit boat and summoned the White Bone Thousand Soul Chariot.

The vengeful spirits howled, the wheels rolled on, and it sped away.

Within the desolate valley.

A battle is breaking out at this moment.

As the Incense Clone, towering over ten feet tall, made a hand seal, a ferocious Water Chain suddenly erupted from its body, resembling shimmering silver ribbons, stirring up a huge vortex that blasted away the serrated, slender Lingbo Hyena that had surrounded it.

Whoosh! --

The surging river overflowed its banks, the water rushing and churning, its sharp, high-speed cutting force sending countless snowflakes of spray flying into the air.

However, this vortex of Water Chain, powerful enough to shred any Golden Core Cultivator into a bloody mess, could only leave many slender Lingbo Hyena dizzy and disoriented, without causing them much damage.

These serrated creatures have smooth yet tough bodies covered in a faint luminous membrane, and their serrated mouthparts emit a suction force.

The Water Chain that rushed past were sucked dry by those mouthparts, completely draining their water Spiritual Qi and rendering them harmless.

"It seems to possess the Spirit Devouring Technique, capable of absorbing Spiritual Qi?"

The Incense Clone's expression changed slightly as it suddenly realized that its own Spiritual Qi was rapidly draining away from its legs.

Looking down, I realized that, without me noticing, two Lingbo Hyena had attached themselves to my calves.

He frowned, abandoned his two lower legs, transformed into a stream of Spiritual Qi and dissipated, shaking off his two Lingbo Hyena, before quickly fleeing.

His Divine Sense then traveled to a cave in the valley ahead.

"These monsters are quite powerful. What I've sent now is just an avatar, only able to protect myself and unable to take you away. However, my main body is already on its way, so please wait a little longer."

Inside the grotto, Qiu Feng and Cheng Zhenwei, who were waiting for rescue, looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

"Good heavens, so all that commotion outside, with all that breaking through the Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito Formation and attacking the pool where Lingbo Hyena was entrenched, was just a clone of Junior Brother Chen?"

Cheng Zhenwei looked astonished. He had long heard that the Your Highness Daozi's clone technique was unparalleled, but he hadn't expected it to be this powerful.

Decades have passed, and the power of His Highness Your Highness Daozi is about to surpass theirs.

Qiu Feng let out a breath, already having a guess in his mind, and said solemnly, "I'm afraid neither of us can still call you Junior Brother Chen."

After saying this, without paying attention to Cheng Zhenwei's shocked expression, Qiu Feng immediately transmitted his voice to the Incense Clone that was about to leave.

"Your Highness Daozi, Lingbo Hyena is ferocious and difficult to deal with. Even if you yourself arrive, you must be especially careful. It would be best to bring your other martial uncles with you."

The moment the Divine Sense transmission was sent, Qiu Feng's expression changed drastically, and he immediately withdrew his Divine Sense.

Almost simultaneously, a loud buzzing sound suddenly came from the clouds above the valley, as if countless mosquitoes were fluttering their wings.

Buzz--

A crimson whirlwind swept through the clouds and mist, rushing straight towards the location where Divine Sense had swept below. It was extremely sharp, and it was precisely because of the existence of these Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito that Divine Sense could not travel out of the valley.

As if startled by the commotion, the soil in the valley churned, the ground trembled slightly, some stones were overturned, and huge vines, like giant pythons, stretched out from the ground and meandered through the valley.

After an incense stick has burned.

On the vast, misty river, starlight and moonlight are reflected, shimmering like a lake of glittering pearls, or like a thousand bright eyes gazing at the surrounding spring night.

Roar--

The White Bone Thousand Soul Chariot roared as it sped in, shattering the tranquility of the riverside night and adding to the chilling atmosphere. Even the crescent moon hanging in the sky turned a deathly pale white.

"Splash--"

A ten-foot-tall Incense Clone emerged from the river and pointed behind it.

Chen Dengming's eyes flashed as he looked at the surging river in the distance.

The ever-flowing river, like a sharp, gleaming knife, cleaved through the mountains and rushed into a deep underground river cave, where it shattered into pieces.

"They were forced to crawl into this underground river cave and drift with the current. It seems the pursuit they faced was indeed perilous."

Through the telepathic connection between the Incense Clone and himself, Chen Dengming learned some of the details of the perilous situation.

The Incense Clone is not incapable of entering that forbidden area; in fact, it has already come into contact with the two ferocious creatures, the Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito and the Lingbo Hyena. When it goes all out, it can enter and exit freely.

However, he was not confident that he could easily bring two people in and out, as it could easily lead to danger. That is why Chen Dengming himself needed to come.

Without hesitation, Chen Dengming put away the White Bone Thousand Soul Chariot, made a hand seal, and used the Water Escape Technique to transform into the water, drifting away with the current. He followed the rushing, swirling, and cascading river downstream.

After a cup of tea.

He then smoothly arrived at a valley with the sound of flowing water and surrounded by towering mountains.

As we were about to slide down the river into a cliffside waterfall, we felt a strange and indescribable sensation, as if we had entered a special Feng Shui Field. White mist rose all around us, and we could only hear the thunderous roar of the waterfall.

He transformed into a body of flowing water, swiftly crashing down the river that had become a waterfall, plunging into the pool below.

The Incense Clone then issued a warning.

Almost simultaneously, the surging waters around the pool suddenly surged up from the bottom, forming a murky, ochre-yellow eddy, teeming with mud and sand, creating countless whirlpools that swirled straight toward Chen Dengming.

"Boom boom boom--"

The roar of the waves was like the clamor of hundreds of bulls galloping.

Instantly, countless eerie, silver-chain-like creatures, imbued with a fierce aura, swiftly coiled around Chen Dengming, who had transformed into a flowing water form.

A strong suction force suddenly came from the vortex, pulling Chen Dengming downwards.

Having previously tested the waters with his Incense Clone, Chen Dengming knew that these strange creatures called Lingbo Hyena possessed the peculiar characteristic of devouring Spiritual Qi.

Once entangled, even if in a water escape state, one's Spiritual Qi will be quickly drained, forcing them out of that state.

Then, they were either cut into pieces by the serrated teeth all over their bodies, which were comparable to Law Treasure Lingbo Hyena, or frozen by the icy Spiritual Qi carried by these creatures' serrated teeth.

Therefore, at the instant that the many Lingbo Hyena came entangled in the water, Chen Dengming instantly withdrew from his water escape state, his hair fluttering in the water.

His eyes shone with fierce power. He suddenly made a hand seal, and his Nascent Soul within him also made a hand seal, mobilizing the Nascent Soul Power.

Boom!--

In the flowing water, a circle of purple lightning transformed into ripples, rapidly expanding like a winding, crawling lightning serpent, instantly sweeping across and striking many of the attacking Lingbo Hyena.

Crackling--

In the rushing water, it seemed as if purple flames and lightning arcs had been ignited in an instant.

The malevolent and domineering lightning power erupted from the Guishui Yin Thunder, stirring up waves that overlapped like avalanches, creating a huge whirlpool.

Each of the slender, Lingbo Hyena curled up the moment they were struck by electricity, quickly absorbing the power and Spiritual Qi, but they did not die on the spot.

For a moment, it was as if a sky full of stars were twinkling on the surface of the dark blue river, and many Lingbo Hyena floated and swayed in the water, like starlight.

Taking advantage of that moment, Chen Dengming darted out of the pool.

With a loud "bang".

Countless lightning-streaked Lingbo Hyena flew through the air and fell amidst splashes of water.

These swarms of organisms do indeed pose a significant threat.

Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator, if caught off guard and entangled, would be overwhelmed by tens of thousands of tiny mouths sucking at him all at once.

However, Chen Dengming had taken precautions. The Guishui Yin Thunder he released at full power was precisely what restrained these aquatic creatures. Although it could not kill them all at once, it could at least paralyze them for a moment.

By the time these creatures had absorbed the lightning power and recovered, Chen Dengming and his Incense Clone had already calmly left the water.

Inside the cave not far away, Qiu Feng and Cheng Zhenwei were also startled by the roar outside. They immediately perked up, but when they sensed the strong spiritual power emanating from outside, they were both shocked.

"Which senior uncle has arrived? Or...?"

As Qiu Feng pondered this, he immediately rushed to the cave entrance and saw a swarm of blood-red, swirling Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito buzzing down towards the two figures that had emerged from the pool in mid-air, displaying extreme ferocity.

"Watch out!" Cheng Zhenwei couldn't help but shout a warning.

"Presumptuous!"

Chen Dengming's eyes flashed with lightning, suddenly revealing a dense array of cold silver light. A chilling power of Divine Sense transformed into a mental storm, sweeping out wildly.

Boom!!--

Like a red cloud flashing with Red Cloud, the swarm of Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito that flew through the clouds and flew like fire were instantly struck as if by lightning. Unable to dispel the silver power emanating from their bodies, they swayed and fell to the ground with a rustling sound as they were propelled by inertia.

This swarm of blood mosquitoes is indeed ferocious, impervious to swords and spears, water and fire, and can even devour Divine Sense, making them virtually unstoppable.

A swarm of blood mosquitoes like this is even more dangerous Lingbo Hyena.

However, the Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito could not dispel the Human Immortal Way Power within Chen Dengming's Divine Sense. Upon contact, it was shaken into a daze and rendered powerless.

"This"

"It's His Your Highness Daozi!"

Qiu Feng and Cheng Zhenwei both stared blankly at the scene.

All I could feel was Chen Dengming, with his white hair flowing down his back, appearing effortlessly composed in mid-air opposite me.

Faced with the Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito swarm that had trapped them for decades, causing them headaches and fears for just as long, he merely shrugged off a dog with a low growl of 'Insolence!' and his imposing spiritual power caused the swarm of Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito to turn into a rain of blood and fall down.

"Thud!"

At this moment, the land in the valley seemed to turn over, and the surrounding rocks all jumped up.

It was as if an earth dragon was turning over underground, and many trees that were so large that it would take two people to encircle them seemed unable to stand firm.

Rushing sound!!--

Suddenly, the ground undulated like waves, and large areas of soil cracked and broke open.

Thick, knotty vines, yellowish-green in color, burst forth from the earth like giant pythons, rushing past, entangling and piercing everything, and lashing wildly at the two people in mid-air.

"Perfect, I'll use you as a test subject!"

Chen Dengming was solemn and calm. Suddenly, he raised his right hand, and an astonishing domineering aura, accompanied by five Golden Dragon circling his palm, filled him with an aura of supreme dominance.

Five Dragon Overlord Hand!

Chen Dengming suddenly turned his hand back and struck out with his palm!

Roar!--!

An unparalleled, wild, and domineering Dragon's Roar immediately accompanied five Golden Dragon dragons soaring into the sky.

Behind the five Golden Dragons, behind Chen Dengming, a mighty and enormous Eastern Jia Wood Cyan Dragon had just formed in the air, its awe-inspiring spiritual power shaking all directions.

Boom boom boom! --

Before Chen Dengming could even unleash the Jia Wood Dragon of Wood behind him...

The vines that had attacked like a dark cloud had been utterly destroyed.

Just then, the Azure Dragon of Jia Wood let out a powerful and domineering Dragon's Roar, which, together with the five Golden Dragons, stirred up swirling air currents, forming an even more terrifying dragon head and body, and plunged straight into the ground.

Roar!

A fierce dragon's roar, accompanied by a massive earthquake, reverberated throughout the valley, causing people to tense up and the earth to tremble.

The force of this attack was truly like pushing mountains and turning rocks, toppling pine and bamboo groves, cracking the earth and collapsing mountains, and splitting metal and stone!

The earth collapsed and cracked with a series of "crackling" sounds.

Deep underground, countless vines were destroyed, and the giant dragon rampaged through the land, heading straight for the body of the Bone Demon Vine.

Along the way, boulders were blown away, trees were uprooted like pieces of paper and sent flying into the sky, and the mountain peaks shook violently.

Amidst this terrifying scene resembling a landslide, Qiu Feng and Cheng Zhenwei both paled and quickly fled the crumbling grotto, arriving at the suffocating edge of the Battlefield.

Simply by sensing the spiritual power emanating from Chen Dengming above, and the terrifying giant dragon hurtling straight towards the heart of the enemy, the two felt their minds tremble and their bodies feel as if they were being pricked by needles under this pressure.

That's incredible.

Your Highness Daozi has actually broken through to the Nascent Soul?

As their minds were in turmoil, their expressions became somewhat dazed. They felt that after so many years of cultivation, they had been so easily surpassed by a junior from the past, as if hundreds of years of cultivation had been wasted.

At the mouth of the valley not far away, a ferocious demonic tree, as large as a mountain and with a face like a petrified rock, exuded fear and horror, conveying Divine Sense for mercy.

"Mercy, True Lord!"

"Spare my life? Have you ever spared anyone else? If you want me to spare you, ask the heavens!"

Chen Dengming's expression was calm and cold. The corpses entwined among the countless vines made him know what choice he had to make at this moment.

"Asking the Heavens?"

The rugged, fossil-like face of the demonic tree instinctively looked up at the sky.

Who can escape the wrath of Heaven?

Heaven, the Longevity Sect Leader is Heaven! By the mandate of Heaven, may your longevity be everlasting!

Roar!

A deep, majestic Dragon's Roar resounded from the ground like thunder.

The roar of the raging dragon, accompanied by the force of thunder, slammed into the green barrier that had been erected around the demonic tree, shattering the newly formed barrier.

Immediately afterwards, the entire hideous demonic tree face was smashed and shattered by the turbid dragon shape, but Spiritual Light spewed out from the broken mouth of the demonic tree face.

The deafening roar was as if half the sky had exploded.

The surrounding mountains seemed to shake, and the cliffs, ground, river, trees, and rocks all emitted terrifying trembling sounds. Some rocks were even swept into the sky by the violent force of the wind, and then fell down, as if a rain of stones was falling.

Call!--

A violent circular shockwave whipped up a gale, accompanied by a lingering, oppressive aura.

Qiu Feng and Cheng Zhenwei were both stunned by the terrifying power, staring in shock at the rising dust and collapsing mountains in the distance.

For a moment, he forgot to unleash his spiritual power to resist, and his newly combed, messy hair was instantly blown back by the gale and pulled straight.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh--

Chen Dengming was dressed in an extremely ordinary silk robe, which fluttered in the strong wind.

His hair remained perfectly still, as if the gust of wind could only affect his clothes but not a single hair on his head.

His eyes held a strange look as he stared at the many rays of spiritual light that emerged from the mouth of the demonic tree after it collapsed in the distance.

Those were clearly treasures; the scene reminded him of the loot drops after defeating a monster in a video game in his past life.

A sense of unease crept into his mind, and he scanned the area with his Divine Sense, only to discover that most of the treasures were merely ordinary first or second-tier Law Artifact, and some were even tattered robes.

"It seems they are all magical Law Artifact collected by this demonic tree after it killed cultivators."

As Chen Dengming pondered, he suddenly noticed that among the many Law Artifacts, there was a corpse placed in an ice coffin, emitting a faint aura of spiritual power. Accompanying it in the burial were some Jade Slip and Law Treasure.

"Hmm? The Bone Demon Tree exists to protect the owner of this ice coffin?"

Could these ferocious creatures be the spirit pets that this person controlled before his death?

Chen Dengming pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, instructing his Incense Clone to go and collect the spoils of war and examine the ice coffin.

He himself descended, unleashing a powerful mental storm imbued with Dao energy, subduing a swarm of Ice Cloud Blood Mosquito that had just taken flight.

Then his gaze fell on Qiu Feng and Cheng Zhenwei, whose expressions both seemed somewhat unnatural.

Qiu Feng was startled.

He was a man who had seen his share of storms, and although he was deeply shaken, he immediately bowed and expressed his heartfelt gratitude with a smile.

"Thank Your Highness Daozi, for coming to our rescue. Otherwise, we might have been trapped here for many more years, or even for our entire lives, and might not have been able to escape."

Upon seeing this, Cheng Zhenwei suppressed his shock and complex emotions, and was about to offer a grateful bow.

Qiu Feng paused, then hesitated, and said, "Now that Your Highness Daozi has advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, has there been any other change within the sect? Is it inappropriate for me to address Your Highness as such?"

Chen Dengming looked at Qiu Feng, who was trying to appear natural but was still inevitably reserved, and sighed inwardly.

In the Cultivation World, the concept of respecting strength and prioritizing the accomplished is truly deeply ingrained.

Even the once carefree and unrestrained True Person Changchun Qiu Feng of Changchun now has to humble himself and act like a commoner, unable to escape the mundane ways.

But he didn't like it.

He disliked seeing old acquaintances who would become awkward, which made him feel uncomfortable and distant.

It's somewhat acceptable for a former senior to become Senior Brother or sister, since the other party is still considered an elder, and one won't feel awkward in their presence.

But Qiu Feng is different.

However, he also knew that the deeply ingrained ideas in the Cultivation World over the years were difficult to change in a short time.

All he can do now is try his best to change things.

Even if, in the future, one has the ability, one can establish the concept of respecting teachers and valuing morality, which came before strength, as the rule of this world, so that one can feel at ease.

Chen Dengming returned the greeting with a bow and a smile, "Sect Leader Qiu, from now on, let's address each other as Sect Leader. All this 'Your Highness' stuff seems too formal. In the past, I did receive some guidance from you."

Qiu Feng was shaken, overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion that pounded in his mind. He couldn't quite put his finger on whether it was gratitude, relief, surprise, or trepidation—it was probably a combination of all of them.

But the former disciple before him was now Nascent Soul True Lord. While the other party could be polite, he could not be negligent, so he still bowed and smiled.

"So, Your Highness has been promoted to sect leader. That's only natural. However, the so-called guidance you received back then was nothing. There's no need for the sect leader to be so polite with me."

Cheng Zhenwei, standing to the side, was filled with envy and shock.

Unexpectedly, this Dao Child has not only advanced to the Nascent Soul, but has also become the sect leader.

Even more unexpectedly, Dao Child still held onto old feelings.

Having cultivated for hundreds of years, he had seen it all.

Unless there is a genuine master-disciple relationship or an absolute friendship, it is difficult for Nascent Soul True Lord and a Golden Core True Monarch to maintain equal communication and courtesy. In fact, there are quite a few petty people who become arrogant and domineering after achieving their goals.

In comparison, the former Dao Child, now the Sect Leader Chen and Senior Chen, is truly remarkable, his sincere heart remaining unchanged throughout.

(6K long chapter, please vote for me with monthly tickets, brothers!)