Chapter 286 – Mutated Immortal Bones, Former Immortal's Might

“This is troublesome. Dealing with so many ‘mutants’ won’t be simple.”

Jiang Yuanshan watched the densely packed mutants swarming like ants, his expression grave.

Qi Condensation Stage mutants were manageable, and while Foundation Establishment Stage mutants were numerous, their protective Qi could shield them from ordinary ones.

The real problem lay with the Golden Core Stage mutants hidden among them.

They lurked like venomous snakes in the shadows, poised to strike lethally at any moment.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, Fellow Daoist Ding, Fellow Daoist Liu, let’s set aside the examination for now and join forces to resolve this mutant tide.”

“Don’t hold back your abilities—share them openly so we can support each other.”

After speaking, Jiang Yuanshan took the lead by sharing his own situation.

“I specialize in fire techniques, with spearmanship as a secondary skill. I cultivate both body and Dao, and can hold off the mutant tide for everyone momentarily.”

“My contracted Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast is ‘Yiji,’ with the destiny ‘Blazing Inferno,’ which greatly enhances my fire-based Divine Abilities and strengthens my Physical Body.”

Classic of Mountains and Seas Bestiary – Yiji: Thirty li further east lies Xian Mountain, where a beast resides. It resembles a bear, with a red beak, red eyes, and a white tail. Its appearance heralds fire in the settlement, and it is named Yiji.

Yiji is essentially a bear-like creature, which is why some refer to it as the Fire Bear.

Upon hearing this, Ding Zhiwei beside him revealed her own abilities.

“I excel in music, and my Mythical Beast is ‘Fuxi,’ with the destiny ‘Elegant Refinement.’ It allows me to materialize my Aura and integrate it into music, enabling me to attack enemies or control others.”

Liu Shaohai spoke up: “I specialize in water techniques and Talismans. My Mythical Beast is Chiwen, with the destiny ‘Flowing Clouds and Water,’ allowing me to freely control liquids within a certain range…”

Lu Chen asked curiously, “Including blood?”

Liu Shaohai rubbed his bald head and smiled, “Including blood.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen inwardly marveled.

The Shanhai Bureau truly lived up to its reputation as an Immortal Alliance institution rivaling the Four Great Sacred Grounds.

With these three individuals’ abilities, ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivators would stand no chance against them.

One cultivated both fire and body, another excelled in music, and the third was a master of water techniques.

No wonder they had the confidence to participate in the Grand Scripture Master examination—none of them were to be underestimated.

Yet Lu Chen’s presence here was no simple matter either.

His introduction, however, was relatively brief.

“As for me, I specialize in Swordsmanship. My Mythical Beast’s destiny is Truth Listener, with the Innate Nine Qi destiny. It allows me to hear others’ thoughts within a certain range and transform my own Nine Qi.”

Upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, Jiang Yuanshan and the other two lit up with interest.

They had all caught a crucial piece of information from his statement.

“Can you use that to locate the Golden Core Stage mutants hidden within the mutant tide?”

Lu Chen nodded, “Certainly. There are three to the east, two to the west, and one to the north.”

“The one in the north is the strongest, seemingly having reached Golden Core Perfection. It won’t be easy to deal with.”

The three exchanged glances and quickly reached a decision.

As the ostensibly highest cultivation level among the four present, Jiang Yuanshan…He immediately took on what seemed to be the most difficult task.

“The one in the north is mine. Even if I can’t kill it, I should be able to hold it off for a while.”

Liu Shaohai stepped forward and said, “Then I’ll take the two in the west.”

As for the remaining three Golden Core Stage anomalies in the east, they naturally fell to Lu Chen and Ding Zhiwei.

No one objected to this arrangement.

Moreover, Shentu Siming had shown no intention of taking action so far.

This indicated that the current situation was still under control.

Perhaps feeling that further delay was pointless,

the previously stationary anomalies in the distance could no longer suppress their bloodthirsty desires and fiercely charged toward Lu Chen and the others.

Facing the tide-like swarm of anomalies, Jiang Yuanshan exerted force with both hands.

In the next moment, the mythical beast Yiji appeared behind him.

Then, Yiji transformed into a suit of flame armor that covered Jiang Yuanshan’s body.

Mythical Beast Weaponization—this was the ability Mountain and Sea Walkers could activate after achieving over 25% compatibility with their Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts.

Jiang Yuanshan reached out, and a Guan Dao materialized in his hand.

At this moment, Jiang Yuanshan’s previously amiable expression completely changed, replaced by a frenzied and ferocious look.

“You worthless scum, let this master deal with you!”

With that, Jiang Yuanshan charged into the swarm of anomalies.

Simultaneously, Liu Shaohai and Ding Zhiwei nearby also displayed their abilities.

Liu Shaohai’s Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast was Chiwen, which transformed into a trident.

After this Mountain and Sea Mythical Beast Weapon appeared in his hand, numerous water droplets began forming around Liu Shaohai.

Any anomaly touched by these water droplets would instantly explode.

Even anomalies splashed by the exploding blood would meet the same fate of bodily destruction.

The effect was remarkably effective.

Compared to Jiang Yuanshan’s brutality and Liu Shaohai’s cruelty, Ding Zhiwei’s performance appeared much more elegant.

Her Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast Fuxi transformed into a dragon-headed zither.

With casual plucks of the strings, Ding Zhiwei sent invisible sound waves radiating outward, acting like intangible steel sabers that effortlessly sliced through one anomaly after another.

Watching the three’s performances, Lu Chen was inwardly astonished.

When Golden Core Stage Cultivators combined with highly compatible Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts, the resulting effect was truly remarkable.

Moreover, Lu Chen could sense that these three hadn’t even used their full strength yet.

At the very least, he could clearly detect the Harmony Realm aura emanating from them.

This indicated that all three were Cultivators who had mastered the Harmony Realm.

To display such power without even employing their Harmony Realm Concepts…

Sufficiently demonstrated the formidable strength of these three individuals.

Reaching this point, Lu Chen also took action.

The figure of Diting appeared behind him, then transformed into an earring that attached to Lu Chen’s ear.

In the next moment, Lu Chen heard countless chaotic sounds from his surroundings.

Fortunately, Lu Chen’s Divine Soul was powerful enough—he filtered out irrelevant noises and focused on detecting the Golden Core Stage anomalies hidden within the swarm.

Immediately after, four Flying Swords materialized around Lu Chen.

These four Flying Swords began continuously slaughtering anomalies within a hundred-meter radius centered on Lu Chen.

Wherever the Flying Swords passed, anomalies were cut down as easily as slicing melons and vegetables.

Despite being at an absolute numerical disadvantage,

the four of them were completely overwhelming the anomalies on the battlefield.If the Golden Core Stage aberrations didn’t intervene, eliminating this army of 200,000 aberrations would merely be a matter of time.

In truth, if Lu Chen hadn’t been guarding against the sinister presence hidden within the Heretical Immortal Dojo, a single Great Divine Power Sword Domain would have been sufficient for him to clear the entire battlefield.

After all, to these aberrations, a Great Divine Power was no different from dimensional annihilation.

As the four of them joined forces, slaughtering aberrations with frenzied intensity, Jiang Yuanshan—who had already plunged deep into the aberration tide—suddenly heard Lu Chen’s voice transmission.

“Three hundred meters to your left front—the Golden Core Stage aberration is there.”

Though Jiang Yuanshan showed no outward reaction to Lu Chen’s warning, he secretly released his Divine Sense, carefully probing the direction Lu Chen had indicated.

Before long, he discovered the Golden Core Stage aberration concealed within the aberration tide, attempting to mask its presence using the auras of other aberrations.

Having located his target, Jiang Yuanshan no longer held back.

“Wretched beast, I’ve found you.”

With a ferocious grin, Jiang Yuanshan charged directly toward the Golden Core Stage aberration.

The Golden Core Stage aberration seemed startled by how quickly it had been discovered. However, its cultivation at the Golden Core Perfection stage granted it absolute confidence.

Had it not been wary of Shentu Siming behind Jiang Yuanshan, it would have attacked long ago.

Now that things had come to this, it decided to charge out as well.

Soon, Jiang Yuanshan and the Golden Core Stage aberration were locked in combat.

In an instant, flames roared skyward, and roars echoed incessantly.

The surrounding Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment Stage aberrations couldn’t even approach the two combatants, as the mere aftershocks of their battle were enough to annihilate them effortlessly.

Almost simultaneously, Lu Chen relayed information about the other Golden Core Stage aberrations to Ding Zhiwei and Liu Shaohai.

Stripped of their ambush advantage, the top-tier Golden Core cultivators of the Shanhai Bureau were more than a match for mere aberrations.

Within just a few exchanges, Liu Shaohai and Ding Zhiwei had slain the Golden Core Stage aberrations they had respectively targeted.

As for Lu Chen, he directly sought out two Golden Core Stage aberrations.

Perhaps these two aberrations believed Lu Chen to be the weakest among the four—an easy target.

But once they closed in on him, they realized how gravely they had miscalculated.

As the aberrations approached within a certain range, Lu Chen didn’t even need to deploy his Sword Domain.

The Xiantian Qi within him transformed into a white mist, enveloping four Immortal Swords.

In an instant, the four Immortal Swords began to enlarge dramatically.

“Slay.”

Faced with the simultaneous assault of the four Immortal Swords, the two Golden Core Stage aberrations wore expressions of sheer terror.

They realized they were as if locked in place by some invisible force—unable to evade, no matter how they tried.

Boom!

As the four Immortal Swords descended, the two Golden Core Stage aberrations couldn’t even muster a decent defense before dissipating into smoke, absorbed into the four Immortal Swords.

Witnessing this from afar, Shentu Siming’s expression shifted to one of astonishment.

What a remarkable lad—four Dao Artifacts, all of them heart-linked lifebound Dao Artifacts.

Where did this kid acquire such treasures?

With Lu Chen and the other two having dealt with their respective opponents, they now prepared to lend a hand, assisting Jiang Yuanshan in confronting the Golden Core Perfection aberration.

If the situation continued to unfold this way, even without Shentu Siming’s intervention, Lu Chen and the others would ultimately prevail over this tide of aberrant beasts.But just as Shentu Siming had yet to make a move,

the Heterodox Immortal hidden deep within the Heretical Immortal Dojo also remained inactive.

This Heterodox Immortal had assumed that even if the tide of aberrant creatures couldn’t trouble Shentu Siming and the others, it would at least force them to reveal some of their trump cards.

Yet, to its surprise, even without Shentu Siming taking action,

Lu Chen and the others effortlessly resolved the aberrant creature tide.

At this point, it could no longer remain hidden.

Moreover, for some reason, aside from sensing immense threat from Shentu Siming,

it also perceived a faint aura of danger emanating from Lu Chen.

Though it couldn’t fathom how Lu Chen, with his Golden Core Stage cultivation, could possibly pose a threat,

it trusted its instincts implicitly.

Thus, just as Lu Chen was about to assist Jiang Yuanshan,

he suddenly detected a sharp, murderous intent rising from beneath his feet.

Without hesitation, Lu Chen’s figure transformed into a wisp of white smoke, vanishing from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already a thousand meters away.

Almost simultaneously with Lu Chen’s evasion,

a massive skeletal hand erupted from the ground, clutching the exact spot he had just vacated.

The skeletal hand was covered in intricate, densely packed patterns.

Upon closer inspection, one could even sense an indescribable profundity within them,

as if they embodied some unique Dao art.

Though the ambush on Lu Chen had failed, the owner of the skeletal hand showed no disappointment.

Boom!

As the ground began to tremble violently, the entirety of Qingyang County started to rise.

Lu Chen and the others seemed to realize what was happening and frantically retreated.

Once they had all exited Qingyang County, they beheld a hundreds-of-meters-tall skeletal giant standing before them.

The entire Qingyang County had now transformed into a bizarre Arena, perched atop the skeletal giant’s head.

“So it’s a Heterodox Immortal born from an immortal’s bones. If I can slay you, my Division will at least gain another Fourth Realm Dao Artifact.”

“Alright, all of you, step back now. This foe is beyond your current capabilities. Leave it to me.”

Lu Chen and the others didn’t stubbornly resist and immediately retreated another thousand meters.

Shentu Siming gazed at the colossal skeletal Heterodox Immortal, a ferocious smile spreading across his face.

Then, the Bi’an Tiger materialized behind him.

Soon after, the Bi’an Tiger merged with Shentu Siming’s form.

In no time, Shentu Siming’s appearance underwent a dramatic transformation.

Not only did mysterious patterns emerge across his face, but his eyes also shifted into distinctive vertical pupils, strikingly similar to those of the Bi’an Tiger.

This was the ability unlocked only by a Grand Scripture Master: fusion with an exotic beast.

At this stage, it was equivalent to combining the Bi’an Tiger’s cultivation with Shentu Siming’s own.

Thus, Shentu Siming, originally at the seventh transformation of the Nascent Soul Stage, swiftly surged to the ninth transformation of the Nascent Soul Stage.

“Law of Heaven and Earth…”

As Shentu Siming activated the special Divine Ability of the Nascent Soul Stage,

a figure clad in official robes and wielding a giant sword manifested between heaven and earth.

Observing these two colossal entities, Lu Chen’s expression remained relatively calm.

In contrast, Jiang Yuanshan and the others wore looks of astonishment.

After all, they could sense that neither Shentu Siming nor the skeletal Heterodox Immortal were opponents they could contend with.

To rashly join their battle would be nothing but foolhardy overestimation of their own strength.Though by all appearances, Shentu Siming undoubtedly exuded more oppressive presence than the skeletal Heterodox Immortal at this moment, Lu Chen instinctively felt things weren’t so simple. After all… a Heterodox Immortal was still an immortal.

The only uncertainty in his mind was whether his “Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation” and “Samadhi True Fire” could actually affect this skeletal Heterodox Immortal. Thus, he refrained from acting hastily.

Just as Lu Chen was intently observing the standoff, Shentu Siming… made his move.

(End of Chapter)