Chapter 354 – Dao Lord Rises to Fame, Heavily Wounds Great Thousand Mountains, Ancient Fiends Fall…

Three Flowers Gathered Crown—this was the forbidden Ancient Fiend Technique that Elder Yin and the others were forced to unleash after finding it difficult to suppress Lu Chen.

Like other Ancient Fiend Techniques that exact a certain price upon use, this unorthodox Three Flowers Gathered Crown method was no exception.

Moreover, since it involved “borrowing power from the Immortals,” the more powerful the Ancient Fiend Technique, the more astonishing the cost.

Thus, unless absolutely necessary, Elder Yin and the others were naturally unwilling to employ this method.

But there was no alternative—the pressure Lu Chen exerted on them was simply too overwhelming.

Yet even after executing such a formidable forbidden Ancient Fiend Technique, Elder Yin and the others still struggled to withstand the onslaught of Lu Chen’s sword blades.

Boom!

Although the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect of Elder Yin and the others had managed to block Lu Chen’s first Immortal Sword, the remaining three Immortal Swords showed no signs of halting.

The three other swords simultaneously rose, transforming once more into three colossal sky-piercing swords, hovering above the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect.

Gazing at these remaining three Immortal Swords, even the arrogant Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect now felt a surge of fear.

For within these three remaining Immortal Swords, it sensed a lethal intent.

And Lu Chen gave it no time to ponder.

The three Immortal Swords descended once again.

The enormous swords blotted out the sky and earth, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.

Boom!

Faced with this terrifying Sword Formation, the Ancient Fiend Power within the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect erupted without restraint.

Then, on the foreheads of its three heads, peculiar petals materialized.

Immediately after, aside from the two arms restraining Lu Chen’s first Immortal Sword, the remaining four arms each manifested a brand-new Ancient Fiend Treasure.

These treasures encompassed swords, sabers, tridents, staffs, clubs, and halberds.

Upon closer inspection, each of these Ancient Fiend Treasures corresponded to a specific organ.

Eerie and unsettling, they instilled a deep sense of dread.

Wielding these treasures, the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect began to fend off the Immortal Swords descending from above.

But when these treasures clashed with Lu Chen’s Immortal Swords, they proved utterly ineffective in providing any defense.

Crack!

As the treasures shattered one by one, two of the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect’s heads were instantly severed.

And aside from the first Immortal Sword it had initially blocked, the remaining three Immortal Swords pierced straight through its body.

They embedded themselves into the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect’s shoulders and back, respectively.

Such devastating injuries immediately rendered the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect unable to remain standing.

Its massive form crumbled with a thunderous crash, colliding directly with the Great Thousand Mountains’ protective barrier.

The impact sent violent tremors through the Great Thousand Mountains’ guardian formation, its effects even surpassing the initial Sword Mountain unleashed by Lu Chen.

The body of the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect slid slowly down the Great Thousand Mountains’ protective barrier, eventually coming to rest motionless outside the mountains.

The Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect now appeared utterly wretched, a far cry from its earlier arrogance.

Two Immortal Swords impaled its shoulders, pinning it to the ground.

Another Immortal Sword had pierced straight through its spine, anchoring it into the earth.

As for the first Immortal Sword it had initially blocked, it was flung away at the last moment.

Thus, only three Immortal Swords ultimately remained lodged in its body.

And these three swords now formed a triangular pattern upon it.The Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect was completely immobilized.

Witnessing this scene, the Immortal Fiends within the Great Thousand Mountains fell into dead silence.

No one had expected that despite sending out four Transformation Soul Stage Immortal Fiends consecutively, they still couldn’t subdue that mere Nascent Soul Stage Sword Cultivator from the Central Province outside.

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed such an outcome.

Yet no matter how unacceptable it was, reality lay bare before them.

The four Transformation Soul Stage Protectors of the Great Thousand Mountains seemed on the verge of falling.

Facing such a life-or-death crisis, the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect naturally had no intention of waiting for death.

Unfortunately, the Immortal Swords piercing its body contained overwhelmingly powerful Sword Intent.

Despite multiple attempts to resist, the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect’s struggles proved futile.

Before it could make any further efforts, a figure appeared directly above it.

Staring down at the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect with calm eyes, Lu Chen finally made it feel genuine fear.

It had just managed to briefly descend into this pristine, unpolluted world through three devotees.

But before it could even savor this world, it encountered a terrifying Sword Cultivator like Lu Chen.

At this moment, the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect’s emotions were complex – fear, rage, regret…

Had its power not been restricted, even with Lu Chen’s transcendent Sword Intent,

Against an absolute cultivation gap, all techniques would be mere illusions.

Unfortunately, as a mere vessel, it couldn’t achieve the level of breaking techniques through pure force.

Lu Chen didn’t intend to say much either.

He raised his hand, and the distant Immortal Sword flew behind him.

After absorbing massive amounts of Sword Intent once more,

The Immortal Sword transformed again into a gigantic Divine Ability Magic Sword.

“Go.”

The Immortal Sword descended, piercing through the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect’s head.

With the technique destroyed, Elder Yin and the others who formed the Ancient Immortal Dharma Aspect were fully exposed.

Their conditions were utterly miserable.

One had his chest pierced by an Immortal Sword, another was severed at the waist,

While Elder Yin had his head directly impaled by an Immortal Sword.

Had these been ordinary Spirit Swords or Magic Swords,

Such injuries would hardly have substantial effects on Transformation Soul Stage Immortal Fiends.

After all, the essence of the Transformation Soul Stage is Embodying Dao.

Unless one could damage a Transformation Soul Stage cultivator’s Dao,

Their Physical Bodies were merely vessels that could be freely reshaped.

But Lu Chen’s four swords were different.

Though they appeared as swords, they were essentially manifestations of Lu Chen’s Great Dao.

Thus, being struck in vital points by such Immortal Swords

Meant certain death for Elder Yin and the others.

With the deaths of the four Transformation Soul Stage Elders,

The atmosphere in the Great Thousand Mountains froze completely.

Their earlier great victory of breaching Martial God Mountain and capturing the current Martial God

Had made them believe the Central Province was a world they could plunder at will.

But Lu Chen’s appearance made them realize their naivety.

The cultivators of this world were far stronger than they had imagined.

If Lu Chen at merely Nascent Soul Stage already possessed such terrifying power,

What if he reached Transformation Soul Stage or Great Vehicle Stage?

Could he even slay Immortals?

Though all Immortal Fiends were madmen,

Not every madman feared death.

Yet before death itself, the instinct for survival would override all madness.Therefore, when they looked at Lu Chen outside the mountains, they no longer harbored any intention to kill him.

Their only thought now was to rely on the mountain-protecting formation to hold out until the Serpent Mountain Immortal fully mastered his new body.

Once that step was achieved, their crisis would be completely resolved.

Yet, the feeling of placing hope in external forces was inherently unsettling.

What they knew, Lu Chen naturally understood as well.

Moreover, his purpose in coming here had always been singular from the start.

That was to ensure the people of the Great Thousand Mountains stayed behind permanently.

Gazing at the mountain-protecting formation outside the Great Thousand Mountains, Lu Chen raised his hand once more.

This time, the four Immortal Swords that had slain the Great Thousand Mountain’s Deity Transformation Stage Immortal Fiends rose into the sky together, converging into one.

The result of merging the four swords was the sudden appearance of a ten-thousand-meter-long Immortal Sword.

Moreover, this Immortal Sword seemed to have absorbed the cultivation originally belonging to Elder Yin and the others.

Causing its sword aura to reach its peak.

Lu Chen lifted the Immortal Sword with one hand and gently swung it down.

In an instant, the terrifying Immortal Sword pierced through the clouds and struck the Great Thousand Mountains’ mountain-protecting formation with immense force.

Crack!

The power of this strike was so overwhelming that it not only created countless fissures in the Great Thousand Mountains’ mountain-protecting formation,

But the residual sword aura also swept across the land and sky behind the Great Thousand Mountains.

A hundred-mile-long chasm abruptly appeared behind the mountains,

Indirectly killing countless demons.

Even the dark clouds in the sky above the Great Thousand Mountains were severed by this single strike.

Yet, despite its terrifying power, this strike ultimately failed to completely shatter the Great Thousand Mountains’ mountain-protecting formation.

Though the fissures were horrifying, they did not spread entirely.

Moreover, more blood-red light surged into the formation barrier, continuously repairing it.

Witnessing this scene, many of the Immortal Fiends who had been paralyzed with fear moments earlier wept with joy.

After all, for a brief moment, they had felt certain death was inevitable.

Lu Chen’s move of merging four swords was truly too terrifying,

Carrying an aura capable of severing heaven and earth.

However, their joy did not last long.

Because after retrieving his Immortal Sword, Lu Chen took out a Talisman from his chest.

As Lu Chen crushed the Talisman,

Countless Scrolls materialized behind him, numbering in the tens of thousands.

Each Scroll depicted a different scene.

Soon, the Great Thousand Mountain Fiends understood the meaning behind Lu Chen’s actions.

Because these were not mere Scrolls—they were clearly spatial gates.

Great Cultivators from various major Schools in the Central Province emerged from the Scrolls one after another, arriving in the sky outside the Great Thousand Mountains.

Thousands of Golden Core Stage Cultivators, hundreds of Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, and ten Deity Transformation Stage Great Cultivators.

The sheer number of Central Province Cultivators, merely standing there, exerted immense pressure on the Great Thousand Mountains below.

Because they realized that even if Elder Yin had not fallen,

The lineup of Central Province Cultivators before them alone could likely flatten them entirely.

Unless the true Great Thousand Mountains descended here,

Otherwise, such a force was utterly beyond their ability to withstand.

“Fellow Daoist Shangqing, it seems you have identified the flaws in this formation?”

Elder Fuguang, a Deity Transformation Stage Elder from Jade Void Mountain, said with a smile.

Lu Chen nodded, then began tracing with his hand in front of him.

Subsequently, Talismans materialized out of thin air in his grasp.

These Talismans flew out, eventually landing at various points on the Great Thousand Mountains’ mountain-protecting formation.The locations marked were the weaknesses of this grand formation.

As long as these spots were simultaneously attacked to a certain extent,

breaking the formation would only be a matter of time.

After understanding their task, members of the major sects quickly sprang into action.

Strangely, amidst this sea of cultivators where the lowest cultivation base was at the Golden Core Stage, there appeared a blind old man without any cultivation.

In any other setting, this blind elder might not have drawn much attention,

for he appeared utterly ordinary—

so ordinary that he seemed no different from any blind old man in the mortal realm.

Yet, not only could this elder appear on this battlefield between the Central Province and Gu Xian,

but he also stood at the very center of everyone, proving he was no ordinary man.

He was the Great Vehicle Stage ancestral elder from the Azure Cloud Sect… Zhuge Yan.

“Such Karma, no wonder Fellow Daoist from Martial God Mountain fell by their hands.”

Hearing Zhuge Yan’s words, Gu Liqing beside him inquired, “Ancestor, are you confident in driving that Serpent Mountain Immortal out of this realm?”

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yan smiled and said, “Do what one must, and leave the rest to fate.”

“…”

With that, Gu Liqing had nothing more to say,

for he understood Zhuge Yan’s meaning.

That was, without truly crossing hands, even he had no certainty of victory.

After all, he knew nothing about Gu Xian.

“Little Gu, when this old man makes his move later, lead the others and retreat ten thousand li.”

“At that stage, it will no longer be something you can casually intervene in.”

Gu Liqing nodded, indicating he would strictly follow the ancestor’s instructions.

As the two conversed, cultivators from various schools had already begun attacking the Great Thousand Mountains’ protective mountain formation, each displaying their Divine Abilities.

With Lu Chen specifically pointing out the formation’s weaknesses and so many cultivators joining forces,

the Great Thousand Mountains’ protective mountain formation shattered completely within a few breaths.

The moment the protective formation broke, a black shadow materialized in the sky above Great Thousand Mountains.

“To think you mortals possess such capability—this immortal is rather surprised.”

Serpent Mountain Immortal stood in the air, smiling lightly as he gazed at the Central Province crowd.

His relaxed demeanor suggested he wasn’t in some perilous battlefield but rather on a casual outing.

“Still, larger ants remain ants…”

As he spoke, Serpent Mountain Immortal’s eyes turned cold.

In the next instant, everyone from Central Province felt an indescribable, immense terror.

In their daze, they seemed to see a colossal serpent reaching to the heavens, coiled within the clouds, baring its venomous fangs at them.

This pressure came from the very essence of life itself—

an absolute disparity in strength.

Even Transformation Soul Stage cultivators couldn’t remain composed facing this ancient immortal’s pressure.

The gap between the two sides was far too vast.

However, this pressure came swiftly and left just as quickly.

For once Serpent Mountain Immortal appeared, Zhuge Yan finally ceased suppressing his cultivation.

A massive Eight Trigrams Formation materialized beneath everyone’s feet, covering a radius of ten thousand li, neutralizing the pressure from Serpent Mountain Immortal.

The emergence of this Heaven and Earth Eight Trigrams immediately caught Serpent Mountain Immortal’s attention.

His gaze swept past the crowd, ultimately settling on Zhuge Yan.

It was worth noting that while the current Martial God of Martial God Mountain was also at the Great Vehicle Stage,

that Martial God not only carried injuries

but also possessed inferior strength compared to Zhuge Yan.After all, even among those at the Great Vehicle Stage, disparities exist between individuals.

Zhuge Yan was a top-tier cultivator at the Great Vehicle Stage.

A genuine Mortal Realm Immortal walking the earth.

Sensing the pressure emanating from Zhuge Yan, Serpent Mountain Immortal set aside his innate arrogance for the first time and inquired, “Who are you?”

Zhuge Yan replied with a smile, “Zhuge Yan of the Azure Cloud Sect.”

(End of Chapter)