Chapter 133 – One Million Experience Points, Entering Dao Harmonization Realm!

Reviewing the reasons for failure after each death had become a habit for Lu Chen.

After carefully recalling the previous battle at the Black Lotus East Altar, numerous clues emerged in his mind.

First, among the four Golden Core Stage branch altar lords, Rong Gongming of the East Altar was undoubtedly the strongest.

Beyond cultivation level, Lu Chen found his attitude toward him rather peculiar.

It seemed as if Rong Gongming had seen the ‘Minor Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation’ before.

Not only did he consistently position himself at the weak points of the formation, but when Lu Chen later summoned the ‘Sword Qi Green Lotus,’ Rong Gongming was already prepared with the ‘Mother-Child Protective Mirror’ for defense.

What struck Lu Chen as odd was that even he, as the user of the sword formation, only had a partial understanding of its actual effects.

Yet Rong Gongming appeared quite familiar with them—this was clearly abnormal.

Strange, this man was far too strange.

Combining this with his earlier conversations with Lan Yan and Ji Ling’er, Lu Chen suspected that Rong Gongming’s knowledge of the ‘Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation’ might stem from having encountered ‘him’ before.

He might have even witnessed him deploying the sword formation firsthand.

Otherwise, there was no reason for him to be so cautious of a mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator like himself.

Especially when Rong Gongming possessed the cultivation of the third revolution of the Golden Core Stage.

Apart from Rong Gongming’s unsettling behavior, the eagerness of the other three Black Lotus Altar Lords to be the first to kill him also took Lu Chen by surprise.

If he had to describe it, they were like children scrambling to impress their parents.

Their method of showing off was to compete to be the one to kill him first.

‘It must be because I’ve drawn the attention of the Black Lotus Buddha Mother…’

Lu Chen believed this was the only explanation for the bizarre actions of the other three altar lords.

After all, despite his numerous techniques and astonishing strength, before he made a move, he appeared no different from any other Foundation Establishment cultivator on the surface.

There was no reason for the altar lords to single him out so intently.

Thus, Lu Chen concluded that they must have obtained information about him from elsewhere, or perhaps someone had ordered them to eliminate him as quickly as possible.

That would account for their impatient behavior.

The main reason Lu Chen was certain the ‘Buddha Mother’ had given these orders came from a message on his game panel:

【You have attracted the gaze of ‘Gu Xian·Greatly Merciful and Compassionate Black Lotus Buddha Mother’…】

When Lu Chen first entered the Imperial City, he hadn’t received this system notification.

But the moment he stepped into the Black Lotus Sect, the prompt appeared, making his situation clear.

Without a doubt, the moment he entered the Black Lotus branch altar, the Black Lotus Buddha Mother had taken notice of him.

It was precisely because of this that Lu Chen deliberately waited in place.

He wanted to see how long it would take for the altar lords from other locations to arrive.

One minute—that was the intelligence he gained at the cost of one resurrection.

And he intended to use this one minute before the altar lords gathered to accomplish something rather special:

Find a way to kill each of the four Black Lotus altar lords in the Imperial City, once.To gain sufficient experience points and elevate his Azure Lotus Sword Intent to the Harmony Realm.

Once he achieved the Harmony Realm Azure Lotus Sword Intent,

Lu Chen was confident he could defeat even Rong Gongming, a cultivator at the third revolution of the Earthly Path Golden Core Stage.

Thus, Lu Chen quickly began the process of continuously challenging the Black Lotus Altar Lords…

Great Yan Imperial City, Black Lotus North Altar.

Xiang Guangsheng, the Altar Lord of the Black Lotus North Altar, looked at the mysterious cultivator who had suddenly appeared before him and asked in a deep voice, “Who are you?”

Just moments ago, Xiang Guangsheng had suddenly sensed a terrifying Sword Intent manifesting in his branch altar.

Although the opponent’s cultivation was weak—merely at the Foundation Establishment Stage—

his Sword Path Concept was absurdly profound, vaguely approaching the Harmony Realm.

A Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator on the verge of stepping into the Harmony Realm.

When did such a monster appear in the Great Yan Imperial City?

This was, after all, territory controlled by the Black Lotus Sect.

Ordinary cultivators here were fortunate just to maintain their original hearts and avoid corruption by the Buddha Mother’s Ancient Fiend Power, let alone cultivate.

Therefore, this Sword Cultivator must have emerged from elsewhere.

But if he came from outside, why had Xiang Guangsheng received no prior intelligence?

Were the Black Lotus Cultists along the way all blind?

Out of caution, Xiang Guangsheng’s initial thought upon discovering Lu Chen was to have his subordinates test Lu Chen’s abilities first.

This was to ensure his own safety.

But before he could act, the Buddha Mother immediately descended a divine decree, demanding he swiftly eliminate this Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator.

Faced with the Buddha Mother’s command, Xiang Guangsheng dared not delay in the slightest.

He had no choice but to step out immediately.

In the plaza of the Black Lotus North Altar, upon hearing Xiang Guangsheng’s question, Lu Chen not only didn’t answer but instead murmured to himself, “One minute…”

“What?”

Xiang Guangsheng frowned, not understanding what Lu Chen meant by “one minute.”

But Lu Chen had no intention of making him understand.

Because his time was limited.

Sword Formation: Immortal-Trapping!

As the Minor Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation unfolded, the entire Black Lotus North Altar was enveloped in a transparent Sword Formation barrier.

Witnessing this, Xiang Guangsheng felt profoundly insulted.

“Causing trouble in my territory? You cultivator must have a death wish!”

Heretical Power: Flesh Tongue Sword!

Xiang Guangsheng opened his mouth, his tongue transforming into a narrow, elongated flesh sword that shot directly toward Lu Chen.

As if he had anticipated this, Lu Chen immediately formed a sword seal with his fingers.

A black Spirit Sword abruptly materialized behind him and flew toward Xiang Guangsheng’s tongue sword.

Mid-flight, the black Spirit Sword began to transform continuously.

In an extremely short time, it morphed into a fearsome Black Flood Dragon.

Seeing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Xiang Guangsheng’s eyes.

He realized this Black Flood Dragon was neither a Concept manifestation nor a Divine Ability spell.

It seemed to be a genuine flood dragon with a Physical Body and Divine Soul.

But did Lu Chen think a mere Foundation Establishment Stage flood dragon could handle him? Did he think Xiang Guangsheng’s Golden Core Stage was handed to him for nothing?

Don’t underestimate a Golden Core Stage cultivator, you arrogant fool!

With this thought, Xiang Guangsheng immediately amplified his Spiritual Power output.

His tongue sword became coated with a sinister purple venom.In response, the ink-black flood dragon formed by the combination of the Ink Dragon Sword and the Dragon Transformation Sword Intent showed no fear, charging head-on to meet the attack.

Boom!

With just this simple collision.

Xiang Guangsheng’s tongue sword instantly pierced through the body of the ink-black flood dragon.

Starting from the head, the flood dragon’s body began to shatter continuously.

Eventually, it turned into scattered fragments of Sword Intent, vanishing before Xiang Guangsheng’s eyes.

With a single strike, he had dismantled a special technique that combined the Dao Entry Realm and the Spirit Sword.

The might of the Golden Core Stage was once again demonstrated.

Although Lu Chen’s Dragon Transformation Sword Intent was shattered instantly by Xiang Guangsheng.

Xiang Guangsheng’s tongue sword also lost its momentum, forcing him to retract it.

However, the tongue sword was merely one of Xiang Guangsheng’s ordinary attack methods.

Lu Chen’s Sword Intent, on the other hand, required a significant expenditure of Spiritual Power.

Not to mention, Lu Chen still hadn’t even resolved his own ‘Protective Qi.’

After a few exchanges, Xiang Guangsheng felt that capturing Lu Chen shouldn’t be much of a problem.

But before Xiang Guangsheng could rejoice for long, he suddenly sensed a faint feeling of danger.

Boom!

Accompanied by a surge of terrifying Spiritual Power emanating from Lu Chen.

A massive semi-human Divine Manifestation appeared before Xiang Guangsheng.

Xiang Guangsheng’s pupils contracted as he exclaimed in shock, “A Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator using the Law of Heaven and Earth? How is that possible!”

However, this shock lasted only a moment before Xiang Guangsheng quickly relaxed.

“So it’s just a Divine Manifestation… that explains it…”

But even if it was only a Divine Manifestation, Xiang Guangsheng still prepared himself seriously.

After all, he hadn’t forgotten the bizarre Sword Formation Lu Chen had deployed at the very beginning.

He needed to end this quickly.

Divine Power: Heretical Demon Body!

Xiang Guangsheng fully activated the Golden Core power within him, and his body swiftly transformed into a massive, grotesque toad.

As this heretical toad, as large as a small hill, appeared.

A peculiar toxic mist began to spread from its body, enveloping the area around the Black Lotus Sect’s altar.

Mortals who inadvertently inhaled the mist immediately began to twist and deform, their bellies swelling.

Soon, they turned into repulsive humanoid toads and began attacking those nearby.

Toad Daoist Xiang Guangsheng—this was his true strength.

If the Foundation Establishment Stage allowed cultivators to ‘gather Qi into liquid,’ achieving a qualitative transformation.

Then the essence of the Golden Core Stage was to ‘condense the liquid into a core.’

The effect was akin to a ‘miniature nuclear-powered engine.’

Apart from providing Golden Core Stage cultivators with immense ‘power,’

The ‘Golden Core’ also created a unique ‘magnetic field’ around them.

This enabled Golden Core Stage cultivators to craft an environment suited to their combat style, known as the ‘Golden Core Aura.’

Combined with the unique ‘Protective Qi’ of Golden Core Stage cultivators and the numerous Divine Abilities only accessible at this stage.

The gap between the Foundation Establishment Stage and the Golden Core Stage was so vast that it could be described as worlds apart.

Only those who possessed both ‘Protective Qi’ and ‘Golden Core Aura’ could be considered true Golden Core Stage cultivators.

Those with only Protective Qi but lacking the Golden Core Aura were merely at the Pseudo-core Stage.

Similarly, abilities like the Law of Heaven and Earth at the Nascent Soul Stage and the Severance of Heaven and Earth at the Deity Transformation Stage.

Were unique capabilities that emerged only when cultivators reached a specific Realm.

They also served as markers of a cultivator’s progression through different Realms.Therefore, the cultivation Realms were never mere figments of imagination, but conclusions drawn from the collective wisdom of countless individuals.

Xiang Guangsheng was a genuine Golden Core Stage cultivator, so when he exerted his full power, it naturally manifested as his own ‘Golden Core Aura’ in the surrounding area.

What surprised Xiang Guangsheng, however, was that his Toad Poison had absolutely no effect on Lu Chen.

Even if Lu Chen were immune to all poisons and could resist his Toad Poison, his ‘Golden Core Aura’ should still suppress Lu Chen’s perception of the surrounding Spiritual Power, making it difficult for him to absorb or utilize the Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Yet Xiang Guangsheng observed none of this in Lu Chen.

He even noticed that when his Toad Poison approached within a certain distance of Lu Chen’s body, it would instantly be purified, transforming into the purest Spiritual Power.

Was it a special innate talent or the effect of a technique?

Although Xiang Guangsheng didn’t know how Lu Chen managed to immune his ‘Golden Core Aura’, it didn’t hinder his next move.

Xiang Guangsheng took a deep breath, and a vast power began to gather within his body, causing his belly to swell visibly.

At almost the same moment, Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation also moved.

Fist Intent: Mountain Shaking!

The Mountain-Shaking Fist Intent executed by the Divine Manifestation was far more immense than when Lu Chen himself used it.

Watching the ‘mountain’ crashing toward him, a cold glint flashed in Xiang Guangsheng’s eyes.

A mere Foundation Establishment Stage Fist Intent, and you think it can harm me?

“Ribbit!!!”

Xiang Guangsheng opened his mouth, unleashing a terrifying sonic wave from within.

The sonic wave was horrifying, like an invisible tsunami instantly sweeping through the surroundings.

Wherever the sonic wave reached, countless buildings were flung into the air, and some ordinary people who couldn’t escape in time exploded on the spot, turning into a bloody mist.

The most terrifying aspect of this sonic wave wasn’t its physical impact, but its effect on the Divine Soul!

This sonic wave could shake the Divine Soul!

For Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation, which had form but no soul, this was undoubtedly a perfect counter.

Thus, under the terrifying sonic wave, Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation shattered in an instant, dissolving into scattered points of Spiritual Power that were absorbed into the special lotus above Lu Chen’s head.

However, before the Divine Manifestation shattered, it had already unleashed the Mountain-Shaking Fist.

What made Xiang Guangsheng even more horrified was that Lu Chen’s target wasn’t him, but the Black Lotus Altar behind him!

Bang!

With a crisp shattering sound, the Formation barrier around the Black Lotus Altar instantly broke under Lu Chen’s fist.

Without the protection of the Formation, a lotus-shaped structure immediately appeared before Lu Chen and Xiang Guangsheng.

This lotus-shaped structure was the core area of the Black Lotus East Altar… the Black Lotus Altar.

The reason Xiang Guangsheng was so alarmed was that if the Black Lotus Altar were destroyed, he would immediately suffer a terrifying backlash, causing his cultivation to instantly fall to the Pseudo-core Stage.

At this point, Xiang Guangsheng realized that Lu Chen’s target from the very beginning wasn’t him, but the Black Lotus Altar he was guarding.

This guy… came prepared!

But how did he know the exact location of the altar? And how did he know it was protected by a Formation?

Could it be that he’s been here before?

Or was there a traitor providing him with information?

Xiang Guangsheng didn’t know which scenario was true, but he instinctively sensed danger.Because Lu Chen had been exuding an air of eeriness from the very beginning.

Whether it was his own reactions or the techniques he would unleash,

This guy seemed to have calculated everything in advance, always prepared with a countermeasure.

The feeling of having every move seen through by the enemy sent chills down Xiang Guangsheng’s spine.

How did Lu Chen know all this?

Simple—he paid for it with his life!

Because this wasn’t his first time at the Black Lotus North Altar; it was his thirtieth!

By now, he not only had an intimate understanding of the Black Lotus North Altar’s layout,

But he could even mentally recite Xiang Guangsheng’s spells and Divine Abilities, as well as count down the seconds until the other Altar Lords arrived.

It could be said that aside from Xiang Guangsheng himself, Lu Chen was the person who understood him best in this world!

And just as the Black Lotus Altar lost its Formation protection,

Two figures immediately charged into the Black Lotus Altar at an astonishing speed.

Watching those two figures rushing toward the Black Lotus Altar, Xiang Guangsheng grew frantic.

“Stop right there!”

But before he could act, a thunderclap suddenly roared from the sky.

Xiang Guangsheng looked up and saw a thick thundercloud that had appeared above his head at some unknown time.

The thunderclap had come from within those clouds.

Without giving Xiang Guangsheng much time to think, the long-accumulated Heavenly Tribulation… suddenly descended!

Boom!

This heavenly thunder was supremely fierce and unyielding, instantly shattering Xiang Guangsheng’s Protective Qi.

The residual heavenly thunder coursed through Xiang Guangsheng’s entire body, inflicting significant damage.

Although these injuries weren’t severe enough to incapacitate him,

Given a little time, he could not only reform his Protective Qi

But also expel the Lightning Tribulation force from his body.

By then, he was confident he could directly kill Lu Chen, a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator who had lost his Divine Manifestation.

But the timing of this Heavenly Tribulation was too perfect.

So perfect that he could only watch helplessly as those two Heretical Avatars charged into the Black Lotus Altar…

“Ah!!!”

Following a sharp scream from within the Black Lotus Altar,

A golden light suddenly shot out from the direction of the Black Lotus Altar, soaring straight into the clouds.

This golden light not only dispersed the surrounding eerie gray mist but also brought sunlight to the Imperial City for the first time in a long while.

Seeing this golden light, Lu Chen knew that the two Heretical Avatars he had sent out had achieved their goal.

They had destroyed the Buddha Mother Statue within the Black Lotus Altar.

The scales of victory had now completely tipped in his favor.

Meanwhile, inside the Great Yan Imperial Mausoleum’s palace,

The Undying Longevity Coffin containing Ji Ling’er suddenly trembled.

Then, the chain connected to the northern side of the coffin immediately emitted a golden radiance.

Soon after, the dull, tarnished copper on the lock fell away, revealing the chain’s original golden-yellow appearance.

Upon closer inspection, this was no ordinary chain—it was clearly an Aura Golden Dragon.

Or rather, a special dragon vein forged from an Aura Golden Dragon!

Though Lan Yan outside the Great Hall couldn’t see what was happening inside, she witnessed the change in the Eternal Lamps on the northern side of the Imperial Mausoleum.

The originally pale flames within the Eternal Lamps were now replaced by a golden hue.

Immediately after, a special power radiated from the Eternal Lamps, quickly enveloping the ghost soldiers and generals on the northern side.

Soon, the ghostly aura on them dissipated.

In its place emerged a majestic and righteous Dynasty aura.

Witnessing this scene, Lan Yan instantly understood what had transpired above ground.Without a doubt, Azure Lotus Daoist must have destroyed one of the Buddha Mother statues, causing a portion of the Dynastic Luck to be released.

Although this amount of Dynastic Luck wasn’t substantial, it meant that the dark clouds originally shrouding the Great Yan Dynasty… had been torn open!

Thinking this, Lan Yan immediately looked up toward the direction beyond the Imperial Mausoleum and whispered: “Daoist, whether we can see the light of day again… depends entirely on you.”

Black Lotus North Altar.

“Impossible, this is impossible! How could you have the capability to destroy the Buddha Mother Avatar!”

Xiang Guangsheng felt the power continuously draining from his body, along with the dazzling golden light erupting from beneath the altar not far away.

Unable to maintain his Heretical Demonic Body, he reverted to his original form, his face ashen.

Even if he killed Lu Chen now, his failure to protect the Buddha Mother Avatar would still result in severe punishment from the Buddha Mother later.

At this thought, Xiang Guangsheng completely lost his mind.

Because whenever he imagined the possibility of facing a fate worse than death, he became so terrified that his very Soul began to tremble.

I must kill this guy! Only by killing this guy might I have a chance to atone for my crimes through merit!

But Xiang Guangsheng failed to consider:

Without the Buddha statue’s enhancement, with his Realm fallen to the Pseudo-core Stage, how could he possibly defeat Lu Chen?

On the plaza, Lu Chen watched Xiang Guangsheng, who had returned to human form not far away, knowing this battle was about to end.

Although only ten seconds remained before the other Altar Lords would arrive.

But even just ten seconds… would be enough.

Rustle, rustle, rustle…

In the sky, a giant closed lotus flower slowly unfolded.

Then a massive Spirit Sword gradually emerged from the flower bud.

Seeing this enormous Spirit Sword, Xiang Guangsheng finally realized belatedly.

Atone for crimes through merit?

He should first ensure whether he could survive!

Run! Run immediately!

Because if he didn’t run now, he would certainly die!

But realizing he needed to escape only now was undoubtedly too late.

Under Xiang Guangsheng’s terrified gaze, the giant Lotus Spirit Sword descended from the sky and quickly completely engulfed his body.

[You have killed Black Lotus North Altar Lord · Xiang Guangsheng (Golden Core Stage Second Revolution/Seventh Grade Human Path Golden Core). You obtained 350,000 experience points, Soul Crystal Shard (Purple)*1, Heretical Swordplay: Bloodthirsty Broken Sword…]

[Current experience points: 1,150,000]

Looking at the flashing information on his panel, Lu Chen’s heartbeat quickened considerably.

After all this time, having expended a total of forty-five revivals,

He had finally succeeded in killing all the Altar Lords except for the Black Lotus East Altar Lord · Rong Gongming.

That’s right, before this attempt, Lu Chen had actually first challenged the Black Lotus South Altar Lord.

There, he had spent twenty-five revival opportunities

Before finally killing Black Lotus South Altar Lord · Duanmu Jinyu and obtaining 300,000 experience points.

This had also brought his experience points at that time to the 800,000 mark.

And now, with Xiang Guangsheng’s death and the acquisition of 350,000 experience points,

His current experience points had finally broken through the million mark, meeting the condition to elevate his Sword Intent to the Harmony Realm.

However, Lu Chen had no time to spend these experience points, as he was already locked onto by several Golden Core Stage Divine Abilities.

Undoubtedly, the other Altar Lords had arrived.

Facing the myriad Divine Abilities that blotted out the sky, Lu Chen had no intention whatsoever of confronting them.Since he had already exhausted all his means at this point, even if he wanted to resist, there was no way to do so.

However, Lu Chen didn’t mind this, because at worst it would only cost him one life.

With his ability to resurrect infinitely, he simply didn’t care about dying once or twice.

He’ll be back soon anyway.

By then, it will be the day he takes the lives of the four Altar Lords.

As numerous Divine Abilities engulfed Lu Chen, his forty-fifth Instance challenge… failed.

【You have died…】

At the exit of the Great Yan Imperial Mausoleum.

“Azure Lotus Daoist, Lan Yan wishes you… smooth progress in all matters.”

Hearing the familiar voice beside him, Lu Chen immediately sat down in meditation.

Seeing this, Lan Yan not only found it strange but perceptively stepped aside.

【You have consumed 1,000,000 experience points. ‘Azure Lotus Sword Intent’ has advanced to the ‘Harmony Realm’…】

As the Azure Lotus Sword Intent achieved its Breakthrough, Lu Chen felt countless Sword Path insights flooding his mind.

During this process, Lu Chen not only comprehended the true nature of the Harmony Realm but also understood the specific effects of his Harmony Realm Azure Lotus Sword Intent.

【Azure Lotus Sword Intent: Harmony Realm (Cannot be upgraded)】

【Effects…】

(End of Chapter)