Chapter 324 – Slaying the Former Immortal, Masterless Flying Zombie Body

The Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation, the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation—only swords, no formation. Since it was incomplete, the previous Lu Chen, due to limitations in cultivation and Divine Soul, found it impossible to execute the complete sword formation relying solely on his main body.

After all, merely controlling one Immortal Sword had nearly exhausted Lu Chen’s mental energy, let alone dividing his attention four ways.

But paths are rigid, while people are adaptable.

The solution Lu Chen devised was to use his Heretical Avatar to control the other three Immortal Swords in his stead.

Through cultivation up to this point, Lu Chen had gradually grasped the principles of the ‘Heretical Avatar.’

This Divine Ability may seem ordinary, but its effects far surpass ordinary imagination.

Typical Clones are formed by cultivators consuming their own spiritual power and require a portion of their consciousness to control thereafter—equivalent to maintaining a long-lasting special spell, demanding both time and effort.

But the ‘Heretical Avatar’ is different.

What the Heretical Avatar consumes is the Ancient Fiend Power within Lu Chen’s body.

Although Lu Chen had never cultivated Ancient Fiend techniques, he could freely convert between Ancient Fiend Power and Primordial Qi through his ‘Ancient Fiend Dao Fruit’ and the transformative effect of Primordial Qi.

The greatest difference between Ancient Fiend Power and normal spiritual power lies in its stronger autonomy.

For cultivators, being enslaved by power generally refers to issues with their Heart-Nature, turning them into obsessive individuals solely pursuing strength.

But for Immortal Fiends, this statement is to be taken literally.

Many Immortal Fiends, upon reaching the Late Stage, not only have their appearances assimilated by their own Ancient Fiend Power but also undergo drastic personality changes, becoming entirely different persons.

However, everything has its pros and cons. The highly autonomous Ancient Fiend Power, combined with the special Heretical Avatar, allows Lu Chen to summon the Heretical Avatar with just a basic amount of Ancient Fiend Power and a portion of his Divine Soul power, achieving a remarkable effect of minimal effort for maximum gain.

Thanks to this, Lu Chen had the confidence to unleash the power of the sword formation at his current stage.

Inside the Gathering Immortal Bell, as Lu Chen and his three other Clones took their positions, the sword momentum of the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation was fully unleashed.

Lu Chen stood beneath the Fiend-Slaying Sword, acting as the formation’s core, while the three Clones stood under the other three Immortal Swords, serving in supportive roles.

With everything in place, Lu Chen immediately turned his gaze toward the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal nearby.

That single glance alone made the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal feel the overwhelming sword momentum.

Although this sword momentum was not an Enlightenment Immortal Art, it was infinitely close to one—a result of the sword formation amplifying Lu Chen’s own Sword Intent.

If the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal had not exhausted his Origin due to Gu Yue True Immortal, relying on the vast cultivation gap between him and Lu Chen, he might still have had the ability to withstand this overwhelming sword momentum.

But now, with his Origin depleted, he could only rely on his newly formed Nascent Soul to face the enemy.

In such a state, how could he still be considered a Reincarnation Immortal?

Yet, expecting him to surrender without a fight was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

The Winged Fire Serpent Immortal feared death, but that did not mean he would simply await his doom.

As he had just stated, even in death, he would make sure Lu Chen paid a heavy price!

His choice was to burn his own Nascent Soul, exchanging it for a slim chance of survival.

Though this act was madness, its effects were remarkably significant.The Nascent Soul of the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal, which had already completely corpse-transformed, now began to undergo a visible metamorphosis at an astonishing rate.

Dense, dark-red Immortal Markings emerged across his form, resembling dragon veins carved into his very being.

Empowered by these markings, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal’s previously waning aura grew robust once more.

As a Drought Fiend, he relied on the method of Nascent Soul Burning.

Through this, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal temporarily shattered a sliver of his originally unbreakable Realm.

He elevated from a Flying Corpse to the Drought Fiend Realm, comparable to a cultivator’s Deity Transformation.

However, Drought Fiends are born of natural calamities, and their most formidable trait is their terrifying, indestructible Physical Body.

Stripped of his Physical Body and with his Divine Soul imprisoned, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal—

Even with this temporary Breakthrough—could not unleash his full power.

In contrast, Lu Chen’s Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation could operate at maximum capacity within the Gathering Immortal Bell.

Originally, the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation could slay ordinary Nascent Souls with just a single Immortal Sword.

Now, with four swords united, its power was beyond what any ordinary Nascent Soul could withstand.

“Rise.”

As the Fiend-Slaying Sword ascended, a Sword Diagram materialized above both the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal and Lu Chen.

Within this Sword Diagram were not only Lu Chen’s four Immortal Swords but also the enemies he had slain in the past.

It was as if all those felled by Lu Chen—

Automatically became part of this Sword Formation, enhancing its might.

Gazing up at the profound Sword Diagram overhead, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal felt as though an intangible Sword Intent enveloped him.

This Sword Intent was razor-sharp, exuding a bone-chilling cold that pierced deep into his Soul.

Although the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation’s Diagram had only just begun to unfold—

The Winged Fire Serpent Immortal already felt daggers at his back, a profound sense of foreboding gripping him.

If it already possessed such power in its initial stage—

Waiting for the Diagram to fully deploy would mean certain, inescapable death.

Faced with this life-or-death crisis, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal—having burned his Nascent Soul and with no retreat—descended into near madness.

He charged violently toward a specific point in the Gathering Immortal Bell, intent on using his current Deity Transformation-level Soul to breach the bell’s prison.

If he could break through and return to his Physical Body—

He was confident that, relying on his powerful physique, he could wear Lu Chen down.

From the beginning until now, he had been searching for a weak point in the Gathering Immortal Bell.

Just moments ago, he had finally found the key to turning the tables.

This was the reason he had resorted to Nascent Soul Burning.

Had he not found this sliver of hope, a life-preserver like him would never have undertaken such a desperate act.

In truth, his earlier declaration of a fight to the death was merely a bluff—

A deterrent to prevent Lu Chen from discerning his true intentions.

But what the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal never anticipated was that even this ‘flaw’ was deliberately left by Lu Chen.

That so-called hope had never existed.

What appeared to be a ‘gate of life’ was, in reality, a ‘gate of death.’

Ignoring the fully assembled Sword Formation above and the increasingly concentrated Sword Intent around him—

The Winged Fire Serpent Immortal focused solely on charging toward the perceived flaw in the Gathering Immortal Bell.

Almost there—just a little more.

On the verge of escape—

His Battle Intent subtly waned without him realizing.

And this was precisely why Lu Chen had deliberately exposed a weakness.

In a life-and-death struggle, even this slight shift could tip the scales.

“The sword has four names—the first is Slaughter.”Just as the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal was about to reach the cracked Gathering Immortal Bell,

An emotionless voice rang out.

The voice seemed to carry an unquestionable rule of heaven and earth, causing the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal’s figure to tremble instantly.

Immediately after, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal found the scenery before him rapidly shifting.

Heaven and earth inverted, sun and moon alternated, and a towering sword gate abruptly stood before him.

The sword gate stood above the Nine Heavens, with two black true dragons coiled on either side.

At the center of the sword gate hung a massive black immortal sword, suspended upside down.

The sword gate stood ten thousand zhang high, exuding a pervasive killing aura.

Gazing at this sword gate, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal felt a tremor originating from the depths of his soul spreading throughout his entire body.

That sensation was named death.

And this was none other than the Fiend-Slaying Sword, one of Lu Chen’s Four Fiend-Slaying Swords.

Without giving the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal much time to react, a sword light immediately shot forth from the Fiend-Slaying Sword Gate.

The sword light tore through the sky, transforming into countless heavenly thunderbolts that descended upon the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal.

“Ah!”

These heavenly thunderbolts were terrifying, indistinguishable from a genuine Heavenly Tribulation.

In an instant, they inflicted massive damage upon the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal.

While the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal was being attacked by the Fiend-Slaying Sword Gate,

The sword gates in the other three directions of the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation also lit up with sword light.

“Of the four swords, the second is Slaughter.”

The Fiend-Slaughter Sword Gate released a red light, and instantly the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal felt a terrifying resentment and killing intent sweeping over him.

Somehow, countless beings who had died by his hand in the past transformed into fierce ghosts seeking vengeance, crawling out from the Nine Hells and charging toward him with hatred.

Under normal circumstances, even in his current reincarnated form,

He would not be easily offended by mere fierce ghosts and vengeful spirits formed from Karma.

But currently, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal was not only imprisoned by the Gathering Immortal Bell, losing his powerful physical body,

His immortal Origin had long been depleted, leaving him without immortal protection.

Finally, the heavenly thunderbolt sword light transformed by Lu Chen’s Fiend-Slaying Sword Gate was continuously attacking him.

Thus, the fierce ghosts and vengeful spirits formed from Karma became troublesome entities that the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal could hardly resolve.

They could neither be driven away nor destroyed.

However, Lu Chen’s sword formation did not end here.

“Of the four swords, the third is Trap.”

As Lu Chen’s voice fell, the sword gate representing the Fiend-Trapping Sword released a cyan mysterious light.

After the cyan light faded, countless cyan lotuses bloomed beneath the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal’s feet, breathtakingly beautiful.

Yet at this moment, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal found these lotuses not beautiful but rather repulsive.

Because after appearing, these lotuses began continuously plundering the limited magical power within him.

Making it even harder for him to resist the sword light from the Fiend-Slaying and Fiend-Slaughter Swords.

“Of the four swords, the fourth is Sever.”

Finally, the sword gate of the Fiend-Severing Sword trembled, and the Fiend-Severing Sword suspended within the inverted gate released its sword light.

In an instant, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal felt a major disruption in the circulation of his magical power.

Causing the already limited divine abilities he could use to completely lose their effect.

With all four sword gates activated, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal was thoroughly trapped.

But these were merely the appetizers.

Because the true killing move had yet to arrive.

Boom!

Just as the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal was mentally and physically exhausted, a dull sound abruptly rang out.

Then, as if sensing something, he suddenly looked up toward the dome.Within the Sword Domain enveloped by the Fiend-Slaying Sword Diagram, a Sword Mountain materialized out of thin air above the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal’s head.

What terrified the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal even more was the distinct pattern of the Four Fiend-Slaying Swords etched upon the Sword Mountain.

Without a doubt, this Sword Mountain was the deadliest move of the Sword Formation.

For it fused the full might of all four Immortal Swords.

Facing this terrifying Sword Mountain that seemed to blot out the heavens, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness surged in the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal’s heart.

At this moment, he realized that no matter what he did, he appeared incapable of blocking this dreadful Sword Mountain.

As the Sword Mountain descended, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal caught a glimpse of the cracks on the nearby Gathering Immortal Bell from the corner of his eye.

By now, how could he not understand that he had fallen into Lu Chen’s scheme?

If Lu Chen hadn’t deliberately revealed this flaw, making him believe there was still a sliver of hope for survival, he might have chosen to fight to the death with Lu Chen.

Even if Lu Chen managed to deploy the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation then, he would still have had a chance to severely injure him.

Yet, for the sake of a so-called path to survival, he had abandoned this final, desperate opportunity.

Reflecting on this, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal suddenly felt that perhaps all of this was his destined fate.

Despite cherishing his life, he lacked the courage to risk everything until the very end.

In a daze, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal recalled the time before his Immortal Ascension.

Back then, though he still valued his life, he never lacked the courage to fight desperately at critical moments.

But ever since achieving immortality, his extended Lifespan and the arrogance of being above mortals made him increasingly cautious about preserving his life.

Over time, he had even lost the sharpness he once possessed.

On the surface, he seemed to possess infinite Lifespan, eternal as the heavens.

In reality, his Soul had decayed, and he was nearing his end.

‘Perhaps this is the fundamental reason why I could only reach the Golden Immortal Realm and advance no further…’

As he watched the descending Sword Mountain, a faint Enlightenment gradually dawned upon the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal.

Boom!

When the Sword Mountain engulfed the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal, a terrifying tremor resonated within the Gathering Immortal Bell.

Simultaneously, the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal’s Flying Corpse body in the outside world suddenly groaned softly, then stood motionless with vacant eyes, akin to a Puppet.

[You have killed the Blood Flame Flying Corpse (Winged Fire Serpent Immortal / Peak Nascent Soul Stage). You have obtained 50 million experience points, Enlightenment Fragment *1…]

Seeing the message displayed on the game interface, Lu Chen did not immediately focus on it.

His attention was captivated by the Flying Corpse corpse left behind by the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal not far away.

Without its Divine Soul, the Blood Flame Flying Corpse was like a body without a brain, resembling a Puppet.

With proper handling, Lu Chen would essentially gain a Peak Nascent Soul Stage Puppet that he could control at will.

Moreover, this Puppet’s status was exceptionally remarkable, forged from a former Golden Immortal’s body.

It had the potential to reach the realms of a Drought Fiend or even the Indestructible Bone.

However, Lu Chen currently lacked Corpse Manipulation techniques. Although he could indirectly control the Blood Flame Flying Corpse using a Heretical Avatar, he was uncertain whether the Winged Fire Serpent Immortal had left any hidden traps on the Blood Flame Flying Corpse.

Thus, Lu Chen had no intention of directly controlling it with a Heretical Avatar for now.

When it came to Corpse Manipulation techniques, the first thing that came to Lu Chen’s mind was a major Sect from the Ancient Fiend Nine Realms… the Corpse Fiend Cave.

When it came to specializing solely in corpses, few Sects in either the Ancient Fiend World or the Immortal Cultivation World could surpass the Corpse Fiend Cave.Thinking of this, Lu Chen felt he should perhaps find an opportunity to make contact with the disciples of Corpse Fiend Cave.

After all, it would be an utter waste to merely control the Blood Flame Flying Corpse as an ordinary Flying Corpse.

He could definitely push this Flying Corpse to reach even higher levels.

With this in mind, Lu Chen immediately retrieved a coffin from his Storage Bag.

That coffin was left behind after he had once killed a disciple of Corpse Fiend Cave.

He never expected it would come in handy now.

How fitting indeed…

(End of Chapter)