Chapter 180 – Black Lotus Sect, Corpse Fiend Cave, Great Thousand Mountains—Strategy to Break the Game

“What happened at Corpse Fiend Cave? Why is there an aura of a Great Divine Power practitioner at the Transformation Soul Stage?”

In the Black Lotus Sect stronghold, Elder Perfected Water Moon Bai Yu stood up in shock.

Just moments ago, she had sensed a terrifying aura descending over the entire Corpse Fiend Cave stronghold.

The intensity of this aura was so overwhelming that even from a great distance, it sent chills down Bai Yu’s spine.

Without a doubt, this could only be the aura displayed by a Great Divine Power practitioner at the Transformation Soul Stage.

Bai Yu’s certainty stemmed from the fact that the hallmark of the Transformation Soul Stage was ‘Embodying Dao.’

That aura contained pure Dao power.

No one but a Great Divine Power practitioner could achieve this.

It could be said that cultivators who have stepped into the Transformation Dao Realm may not necessarily have reached the Transformation Soul Stage in cultivation.

However, those who have reached the Transformation Soul Stage in cultivation must have stepped into the Transformation Dao Realm in realm.

This is the fundamental reason why anyone who enters the Transformation Dao Realm is referred to as a Great Divine Power practitioner.

At this stage, besides competing in cultivation, they must also contend in their mastery of Dao lineage.

If one’s grasp of Dao lineage is inferior to the opponent’s, even with higher cultivation, they would be constrained at every turn and could even face defeat.

The reason Perfected Water Moon Bai Yu was so shocked by the Great Divine Power aura now appearing at Corpse Fiend Cave was not only because she sensed a strong feeling of crisis from it.

More importantly, this entire region had already been enveloped by the ‘Dao’ of ‘Severing Fiends.’

In theory, Transformation Soul Stage cultivators should be completely unable to enter this area.

“Could that be the variable the Leader mentioned before our arrival?”

With a sense of foreboding, Perfected Water Moon Bai Yu immediately left her cave residence and ascended above the Black Lotus Sect stronghold.

Gazing into the distance toward Corpse Fiend Cave.

Right above the Corpse Fiend Cave stronghold, an illusory Heavenly Seal completely enveloped the entire area and was slowly descending.

Under the suppression of this terrifying Heavenly Seal, aside from a very few individuals, everyone in Corpse Fiend Cave was immobilized, pressed to the ground.

They could only watch in despair as the Heavenly Seal above drew closer and closer.

“Fellow Daoist Water Moon, do you know what’s happening?”

Perfected Water Moon turned her head and saw that Perfected Yellow Wind Kong Guangping of Great Thousand Mountains had also been alarmed by this aura and had come to her side.

Looking at the distant Heavenly Seal, Perfected Yellow Wind Kong Guangping’s expression was grave.

Clearly, he had sensed a strong feeling of crisis from this Heavenly Seal.

Given the power displayed by this Heavenly Seal, not to mention facing it alone—

even if he, Perfected Water Moon, and Corpse Fiend Cave’s Perfected Jade Corpse were to join forces, they would still be utterly unable to withstand this terrifying seal.

Like Perfected Water Moon Bai Yu, Perfected Yellow Wind Kong Guangping couldn’t understand how the aura of another Great Divine Power practitioner could appear in this ‘Severing Heaven and Earth’ region. Wasn’t the other party afraid of backlash from the Sword Formation?

Could it be that the other party was completely unaware of the Sword Formation Ruins’ situation and had foolishly charged in alone?

What Perfected Yellow Wind and Perfected Water Moon didn’t realize was that the person currently unleashing this Heavenly Seal was indeed entering the Sword Formation Ruins for the first time and had no understanding of the local circumstances.At the Corpse Fiend Outpost.

Perfected Jade Corpse Liang Jinyun of the Corpse Fiend Cave stared at Lu Chen, who had unleashed the Sky-Splitting Seal—a Deity Transformation Stage Talisman.

With an ugly expression, he said, “Borrowing the power of other Great Divine Ability practitioners at the Sword Formation Ruins… you lunatic, you’re truly insane!”

Without any hesitation, the alluring female corpse in Liang Jinyun’s embrace carried his frail, elderly body as they fled outward.

Though under the influence of the Sky-Splitting Seal, he could run only slightly faster than an ordinary person.

Still, he was far better off than the other disciples of the Corpse Fiend Cave around him, who couldn’t even move.

It was only because Lu Chen was borrowing the power of the talisman rather than wielding it himself.

Otherwise, Liang Jinyun wouldn’t just be fleeing—a single encounter would have scattered his soul to the winds.

After all, Mystic Talismans require time to fully unleash their power.

This brief window became Liang Jinyun’s golden opportunity to escape.

As for confronting the Sky-Splitting Seal head-on, Liang Jinyun had no such intention.

Though he was one of the few in the Corpse Fiend Cave to cultivate an ‘Earth Corpse Immortal,’ reaching the Nascent Soul Stage in cultivation.

His level of power was insignificant before the Sky-Splitting Seal.

If he didn’t run, death was the only path ahead.

But while he wanted to flee, Lu Chen had no intention of letting him escape so easily.

Lu Chen coveted the rewards for slaying a Nascent Soul cultivator.

As Lu Chen increased his Spiritual Power output, the illusory Sky-Splitting Seal above them gradually solidified.

The result was that the pressure bearing down on the Corpse Fiend Cave members below grew even more terrifying.

Even Liang Jinyun, who had been able to move earlier, was now completely immobilized.

He stared in terror at the Sky-Splitting Seal overhead, his eyes filled with resentment.

He couldn’t understand why the power of a Great Divine Ability practitioner would appear at the Sword Formation Ruins, where the Heaven-Earth Connection was severed!

Just as Liang Jinyun despaired, a mysterious Sword Qi suddenly shot over from afar, piercing straight through the Sky-Splitting Seal in the sky.

Crack!

As the Sword Qi vanished, the descending Sky-Splitting Seal abruptly halted.

Then, a fissure appeared where the Sword Qi had struck, quickly spreading across more than half of the seal.

Bang!

Amidst an earth-shattering shattering sound, the intact Sky-Splitting Seal split into two.

The shattered portion dissolved into countless Spiritual Power specks, scattering into the world.

The remaining part continued to fall, heading straight for the Corpse Fiend Outpost below.

Though the Sky-Splitting Seal was the target of the attack, Lu Chen himself suffered significant injuries.

Because even though he used a talisman to activate the Sky-Splitting Seal.

He still had to connect his Divine Soul to the seal to somewhat control its direction of attack.

Thus, when most of the Sky-Splitting Seal was destroyed, Lu Chen soon suffered severe backlash.

“Pfft!”

Lu Chen spat blood, standing pale-faced as he gazed toward a certain direction of Hidden Sword Peak.

That was precisely where the mysterious Sword Qi had originated.

This turn of events was unfavorable for Lu Chen, but for Perfected Jade Corpse Liang Jinyun, it was a ray of hope in his despair.

Previously, he had deeply resented the lingering ‘Fiend-Severing Sword Formation’ on Hidden Sword Peak.

But at this moment, he suddenly felt that having this Fiend-Severing Sword Formation here was truly a blessing.

If not for the Fiend-Severing Sword Formation’s restraint…With his meager cultivation at the Nascent Soul Stage, he was undoubtedly incapable of resisting that terrifying Deity Transformation Talisman… the Sky-Splitting Seal.

Although the Sky-Splitting Seal retained some residual power at this point, it was no longer enough to plunge Liang Jinyun into despair.

Nascent Soul True Form… Law of Heaven and Earth!

Unlike ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, the Corpse Fiend Cave refined corpse immortals using the Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits.

After unleashing the Law of Heaven and Earth, the revealed Nascent Soul True Form wasn’t the immortal fiend itself.

But rather the corpse immortal it had refined.

Thus, as Liang Jinyun executed the Law of Heaven and Earth, his Earth Corpse Immortal immediately began expanding continuously.

Ultimately transforming into a terrifying female giant over two hundred meters tall.

This suddenly manifested Nascent Soul True Form inadvertently crushed many Corpse Fiend Cave disciples who couldn’t react in time.

Lu Chen, however, instantly dodged to safety the moment the Law of Heaven and Earth appeared, avoiding being trampled by the female giant—or rather, the colossal female corpse.

Gazing at the terrifying dharma form looming before him, Lu Chen showed no trace of fear, instead observing with rapt attention.

This was his first time witnessing a Nascent Soul Stage battle firsthand.

And one of his rare opportunities to gather intelligence about the Nascent Soul Stage.

He intended to use this precious chance to carefully examine the gap between himself and Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.

After brief comparison, Lu Chen quickly reached a conclusion.

That between his current self and Nascent Soul Stage cultivators lay an almost insurmountable chasm.

In direct confrontation, he wouldn’t have even one ten-thousandth chance of victory.

Although his Five Virtues Star Form somewhat resembled the Law of Heaven and Earth currently displayed by Liang Jinyun.

Lu Chen understood clearly that if his Five Virtues Star Form were to confront Liang Jinyun’s Law of Heaven and Earth.

He would be instantly suppressed in their first encounter.

Despite recognizing the vast disparity in their strength, Lu Chen’s expression remained completely unchanged.

After all, while the Nascent Soul Stage was formidable, his ability to resurrect infinitely in the instance meant he would eventually find their weaknesses.

In this battle, he wasn’t without chances of victory.

He could afford countless mistakes, while Liang Jinyun and the others… could only err once.

[Corpse Fiend Cave · Perfected Jade Corpse Liang Jinyun]

[Cultivation: Nascent Soul Stage First Transformation]

[Nascent Soul Quality: Sixth Grade Earth Path Nascent Soul]

[Spiritual Power: ???]

[Description: ???]

Due to the immense cultivation gap, Lu Chen couldn’t discern Liang Jinyun’s specific information at all.

However, just from the aura Liang Jinyun currently displayed and the Law of Heaven and Earth he had unleashed.

Lu Chen immediately determined his strategy for this instance.

That he could only succeed through wisdom, not brute force.

Moreover, Lu Chen had gathered intelligence beyond the Corpse Fiend Cave.

Because his peripheral vision had already spotted the Black Lotus Sect’s Perfected Water Moon Bai Yu appearing in the distant sky, along with the Great Thousand Mountains’ Perfected Yellow Wind Kong Guangping.

Three ancient immortal factions, three Nascent Soul Stage immortal fiends.

The difficulty of this instance far exceeded Lu Chen’s expectations.

Yet even facing such dire circumstances, Lu Chen never considered giving up, instead actively contemplating solutions to break the deadlock.

Although he hadn’t yet formulated a concrete strategy.

Lu Chen felt that if he could properly leverage the relationships between these three factions.

And combine it with his Deity Transformation Talisman, the Sky-Splitting Seal.

Then he might have a chance to successfully seize the ‘Sword Array Fragment Map’ from these three individuals.However, all of this required him to obtain information regarding the Great Thousand Mountains and the Black Lotus Sect before he could formulate a detailed plan.

Just as Lu Chen was pondering these matters, Perfected Jade Corpse Liang Jinyun’s Law of Heaven and Earth clashed with the incomplete Sky-Splitting Seal.

Though severely damaged by the mysterious Sword Qi, the Sky-Splitting Seal still exerted terrifying pressure on Liang Jinyun.

His Law of Heaven and Earth braced against the underside of the Sky-Splitting Seal with both hands, resembling a giant holding up a mountain, forcibly resisting the seal’s attack.

But the Sky-Splitting Seal felt like an immense, weighty mountain. Even with all its strength, Liang Jinyun’s Earth Corpse Immortal couldn’t completely halt its descent, only managing to slightly slow its fall.

And this was the result of the Sky-Splitting Seal having most of its power diminished.

Had it been a complete Sky-Splitting Seal, Liang Jinyun and his Earth Corpse Immortal would have long been crushed into pulp, their souls flying away and spirits scattering.

Though they briefly withstood the Sky-Splitting Seal’s attack, thick white smoke billowed from the points where the Earth Corpse Immortal’s hands touched the seal.

It was as if the golden Sky-Splitting Seal was a hot potato for the Earth Corpse Immortal.

Liang Jinyun, connected to the Earth Corpse Immortal through mind and spirit, naturally suffered significant backlash.

In that instant, Liang Jinyun’s already aged body seemed to grow even more decrepit.

Not only did the wrinkles on his face deepen, but his half-black, half-white hair also turned noticeably whiter.

It was clear that resisting the incomplete Sky-Splitting Seal was no easy task for him.

Just as Liang Jinyun felt he could no longer hold out against the Sky-Splitting Seal, another mysterious Sword Qi shot out from somewhere in Hidden Sword Peak.

As this Sword Qi struck the remaining part of the Sky-Splitting Seal, the sky-obscuring seal finally vanished from everyone’s sight.

The survivors of Corpse Fiend Cave lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

After all, there had been a moment when they were certain they would die.

Had it not been for the mysterious Sword Qi from the Sword Formation Ruins intervening, they would have long since had their souls fly away and spirits scatter.

This outcome was something they had never anticipated.

Once the crisis was resolved, the Corpse Fiend Cave members immediately turned their attention to the one who had caused it.

“Who are you, and who sent you?” Liang Jinyun dispersed his Law of Heaven and Earth, his expression dark as he glared at Lu Chen.

At the same time, Perfected Water Moon Bai Yu of the Black Lotus Sect and Perfected Yellow Wind Kong Guangping of the Great Thousand Mountains arrived above the Corpse Fiend Cave outpost.

Kong Guangping, who held a grudge against Liang Jinyun, immediately began to mock him.

“Fellow Daoist Liang, I never expected that barely after entering the mountains, you were nearly suppressed on the spot by a single talisman.”

“I’m now seriously questioning whether your Corpse Fiend Cave is even qualified to explore these Sword Formation Ruins alongside us.”

“Perhaps your Corpse Fiend Cave should hand over the Azure Cloud Token to us and let us explore the Sword Formation Ruins instead.”

“After all, compared to gaining nothing, isn’t it better than leaving your lives here on Hidden Sword Peak?”

Upon hearing Kong Guangping’s words, a sharp voice immediately rang out.

“Shut up!”

The speaker was none other than Liang Jinyun’s Earth Corpse Immortal.

Kong Guangping narrowed his eyes, and a distorted peacock phantom with a large head and small body, its feathers sparse and bald, appeared behind him.

He looked at Liang Jinyun and the Earth Corpse Immortal beside him, not bothering to conceal the killing intent radiating from him.”You half-human half-monster creature, do you believe I could completely sever you, this Earth Corpse Immortal, right now, making it impossible for you to achieve corpse liberation and become an immortal in this lifetime?”

Facing Kong Guangping’s threat, the seductively dressed and alluring female corpse immortal took a step forward, her tone gloomy as she replied, “You can try.”

“Coincidentally, I currently need the essence blood of a living being to replenish my depletion. The essence blood of you, the Peacock King of the Great Thousand Mountains, would be a great tonic for me, perfectly suitable.”

As the tension between the two grew increasingly intense, Bai Yu, the Perfected Water Moon of the Black Lotus Sect, finally stepped in as a mediator.

“Enough, settle your disputes later. First, let’s see what’s going on with this young man.”

“To carry a Deity Transformation Talisman with him, this young man is absolutely extraordinary.”

“And haven’t you noticed that not only is he wearing the True Disciple Robe of the Azure Cloud Sect, but he also carries the True Disciple Token?”

“Hmm?”

Upon hearing Bai Yu’s words, Liang Jinyun and Kong Guangping, who had been at odds moments before, immediately shifted their attention to Lu Chen.

They then realized that, just as Bai Yu had said, he was indeed wearing the True Disciple Robe of the Azure Cloud Sect and carrying the rare Azure Cloud Sect True Disciple Token.

It was important to note that these Immortal Fiends, to avoid being mistakenly harmed by the mysterious Sword Qi in the Sword Formation Ruins, had all used secret techniques to disguise their auras as ‘cultivators.’

Not only that, they also carried Azure Cloud Sect Disciple Tokens with them, pretending to be disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect.

The reason for this was that the Sword Array Fragment Map left within Hidden Sword Peak never actively attacked those who held disciple tokens.

Therefore, before entering this place, everyone, including Liang Jinyun, had carried an Azure Cloud Sect Disciple Token for protection.

However, because the Azure Cloud Sect Disciple Tokens were quite unique, they required the preserved Divine Soul of an Azure Cloud Sect disciple to function.

This meant they had to imprison at least one Azure Cloud Sect disciple’s Divine Soul to make a disciple token work properly.

Thus, whether it was the Black Lotus Sect, the Corpse Fiend Cave, or the Great Thousand Mountains, none of them had many usable Azure Cloud Sect Disciple Tokens.

Let alone the precious True Disciple Tokens.

Thinking of this, the group became even more curious about Lu Chen’s origins.

How had this person obtained an Azure Cloud Sect Disciple Token?

Under the gaze of three Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, Lu Chen showed not a hint of fear. Instead, he looked deeply at the three of them, as if wanting to firmly imprint their appearances in his mind.

His calm demeanor made Bai Yu, among the three, the first to sense something amiss.

The next moment, the three saw Lu Chen’s body begin to fragment.

“Not good, he’s going to self-destruct his Divine Soul! Stop him quickly!”

Hearing this, Kong Guangping, who was nearby, snorted coldly and said, “Trying to leave? Not so easy!”

“Screech!”

Accompanied by a clear bird cry, a massive flesh-and-blood monstrous bird appeared behind Kong Guangping.

This grotesque bird had a large head and a small body, with two wings that seemed atrophied.

Not only were they completely devoid of feathers, but their size was only half that of a normal peacock’s wings, making them exceedingly ugly.

But ugly as it was, the aura of this monstrous bird was terrifying.

And this was Kong Guangping’s Nascent Soul true form—the Great Thousand Peacock King.

The so-called Great Thousand Mountains was actually a faction of Immortal Fiends who worshipped great demons.

Everyone within the Great Thousand Mountains took pride in being able to transform their bodies into demons.As an Elder of the Great Thousand Mountains at the Nascent Soul Stage, Kong Guangping was naturally no exception.

After summoning his Nascent Soul manifestation—the Peacock King—

A powerful suction force immediately emanated from the Peacock King’s massive beak.

Yet soon enough, Kong Guangping discovered that his Nascent Soul manifestation, the Peacock King, was actually unable to absorb Lu Chen’s Divine Soul.

He could only watch helplessly as it continuously dissipated.

It was as if an unseen force was protecting Lu Chen’s Divine Soul.

Just as his Divine Soul was about to vanish entirely, Lu Chen, who had remained silent for a long time, finally spoke.

“Gentlemen… we have plenty of time ahead of us.”

After resurrecting once more, Lu Chen reappeared on the familiar third floor of the Sword Pavilion.

Although his exploration of this instance hadn’t lasted long, Lu Chen had obtained much of the intelligence he sought.

He now understood that within this instance, there existed three ancient Immortal Fiend factions.

These included the familiar Black Lotus Sect, along with two other factions he hadn’t encountered before—the Corpse Fiend Cave and the Great Thousand Mountains.

Additionally, Lu Chen learned about the special restrictions within this instance.

That is, once Deity Transformation level power was unleashed within these Sword Formation ruins, the Sword Diagram remaining within Hidden Sword Peak would immediately respond.

It seemed determined to prevent any Dao power beyond that of the Sword Formation from manifesting in this area.

Essentially, this was what’s commonly known as “Severing Heaven from Earth.”

Faced with such overwhelming power, Lu Chen’s Deity Transformation Talisman—the Sky-Splitting Seal—was effectively rendered useless in the short term.

Unless the Sword Formation’s power in this realm disappeared,

Lu Chen’s Deity Transformation Talisman would remain completely unusable.

Although his most powerful means had been restricted,

Lu Chen still managed to identify a method to clear this special instance through his probing attempt.

The Black Lotus Sect, Corpse Fiend Cave, and Great Thousand Mountains—while these three factions appeared to be cooperating, they were fundamentally operating independently.

Before locating the lost Sword Array Fragment Map here, though maintaining a facade of unity, they would still collaborate effectively.

However, once the Sword Array Fragment Map appeared, their fragile balance would instantly shatter, plunging them into mutual slaughter.

Thinking this through, Lu Chen quickly grasped how to approach completing this instance.

Quite simply—disguise his identity and join one of the three factions: Black Lotus Sect, Great Thousand Mountains, or Corpse Fiend Cave.

Then explore Hidden Sword Peak alongside them.

When the Sword Array Fragment Map eventually surfaced, he would seize the opportunity to take the Sword Diagram amidst the chaos.

Were this not an instance, Lu Chen wouldn’t have the confidence to navigate smoothly among these three major powers.

But relying on the instance’s characteristic of unlimited resurrections,

Lu Chen was confident he could manipulate these three Immortal Fiend factions as he pleased.

If in previous instances he had relied on brute force to overcome challenges,

This time, he would have to rely on strategy rather than direct confrontation.

After all, Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were still far too powerful for him currently.

So powerful that without using his Deity Transformation Talisman—the Sky-Splitting Seal—Lu Chen would be completely helpless against them.

To maneuver effectively among these three factions, he first needed to gather sufficient intelligence.

And the only way to obtain this intelligence… was through sacrificing his lives, with no alternative…

Standing on the Sword Pavilion’s third floor, Lu Chen gazed distantly at the strongholds of the Corpse Fiend Cave, Black Lotus Sect, and Great Thousand Mountains.

“I’ll start with the Corpse Fiend Cave—investigate their Dao traditions, number of Disciples, and their respective cultivation levels first.””Then we’ll slowly investigate the situation regarding the Black Lotus Sect and the Great Thousand Mountains…”

After speaking, Lu Chen walked straight out of the Sword Pavilion Third Floor and headed toward the Corpse Fiend Outpost.

(End of Chapter)