Chapter 399 – Half-Step Red Dust Immortal

Faced with Lu Chen’s inquiry, even the gentle-natured Jupiter Star Lord, Hua Ling, couldn’t help but feel somewhat exasperated.

What did he mean by asking where her Azure Lotus Eyes came from?

This was their Jupiter Star Region’s secret technique, something that had existed since ancient times.

Yet Lu Chen’s tone made it sound as if their Jupiter Star Region had learned it from him.

She hadn’t even questioned where his pupil technique came from, yet he was the one asking first.

How preposterous!

Though displeased in her heart, Hua Ling refrained from speaking harshly at this moment.

“If all you’re capable of is empty talk, then this Heavenly Capital… you’d better not go there.”

“After all, the others there aren’t as reasonable as I am…”

As she spoke, Hua Ling raised her hand, and the surrounding flowers, plants, and trees seemed to be catalyzed by something, beginning to grow wildly.

While performing her Divine Ability, she continued: “…Mere words won’t be enough to subdue those arrogant fellows.”

“Even though I don’t think much of them either, and feel they’ve been going too far lately.”

“But no matter what, Heavenly Capital is still Heavenly Capital. Compared to possible turmoil, maintaining the current state of Heavenly Capital isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“After all, no merit also means no fault…”

As she spoke, the originally beautiful and harmonious sea of flowers had completely transformed.

A pair of enormous wooden palms emerged from within the flower sea.

Just one arm was over a hundred meters long, showing how massive the owner of these palms must be.

Hua Ling stood in the palm, her figure continuously rising.

Standing firm in the palm, towering above the sea of clouds, Hua Ling now displayed an extremely terrifying Aura.

It seemed as if this vast sea of flowers was entirely under her control.

And she was undoubtedly the rightful ruler of this flower sea.

Perhaps due to her naturally quiet disposition, or maybe for other reasons.

Even at this point, Hua Ling hadn’t given up on persuading Lu Chen.

“I don’t know why the Sanctuary calls you Changsheng, I only know that currently you’re just an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.”

“Nascent Soul Stage is Nascent Soul Stage. I don’t care whether you enter the Sanctuary or not, nor do I care if you’ll become the master of the Nine Luminaries.”

“But I care about the balance that Heavenly Capital has maintained for over a thousand years.”

“Your appearance, whether intentional or not, will disrupt this.”

“Now you only have two choices: first, heed my advice and leave for now, returning to Heavenly Capital after you’ve achieved something in your cultivation.”

“I can guarantee that no one will come outside Heavenly Capital to disturb you during this time.”

“The other option is to prove that you have the strength to subdue those fellows.”

“If you can accomplish this, then I’ll help you reshape Heavenly Capital’s next millennium.”

“Now, can you tell me what your choice is?”

Faced with Hua Ling’s dominance, Lu Chen simply raised his right hand in a sword gesture.

Four illusory sword shadows slowly appeared around the flower sea, completely encircling Hua Ling at the center.

Looking at the Sword Formation rising around her, Hua Ling sighed, then a cold glint flashed in her enchanting lotus eyes as she said coldly: “This… is your choice?”

Lu Chen didn’t answer, because sometimes actions speak louder than words.

Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation… activate!

Ding!

The clear sound of swords suddenly rang out.Countless Sword Qi shot through the air, blanketing the direction where Hua Ling stood.

These Sword Qi appeared ordinary, but each strand contained terrifying killing intent.

If an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator were to face these Sword Qi…

Even if they unleashed the Law of Heaven and Earth, they would still meet their end under the endless barrage of Sword Qi.

But Hua Ling was no ordinary Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.

Facing this overwhelming Sword Qi, Hua Ling snorted coldly: “A mere flashy trick.”

As her Lotus Pupils began to rotate, countless petals materialized out of thin air.

These petals swirled around Hua Ling, forming a massive barrier.

When Lu Chen’s Sword Qi struck these petals, they produced metallic clangs as if hitting solid metal.

Standing within the sea of flowers, Hua Ling looked toward the distant Lu Chen.

“Your Sword Intent goes beyond this. Show me all your techniques, otherwise… you’ll soon lose the chance.”

“As you wish.”

Lu Chen raised his hand again, and the scattered Sword Qi began converging rapidly.

Finally, a colossal Immortal Sword materialized directly above Hua Ling.

As the Immortal Sword slowly descended, its terrifying pressure caused the petals surrounding Hua Ling to continuously fall.

Even the massive arm supporting Hua Ling began to sway precariously.

It seemed unable to withstand the astonishing Sword Pressure from the Immortal Sword above.

This was one of Lu Chen’s most commonly used techniques… Sword Mountain.

Different from the Sword Mountain he could only previously manifest with the help of Azure Lotus Eyes.

Now that Lu Chen had achieved Major Achievement in the Sword Path, he could summon a ten-thousand-zhang Sword Mountain with a mere wave of his hand.

The most terrifying aspect of Sword Mountain was its overwhelming Sword Pressure, like the heavens collapsing.

Under this Sword Pressure, ordinary people couldn’t even think of resisting.

They would find it extremely difficult to even move a muscle.

But Hua Ling was no ordinary person.

Where others couldn’t find a way to break through Sword Mountain, she could handle it with ease.

“ROAR!”

A deep roar echoed from beneath the sea of flowers.

Then another massive hand emerged from the floral expanse, palm facing directly toward Lu Chen’s Sword Mountain.

When the two colossal entities collided, it was like a meteor striking Earth, creating astonishing shockwaves.

Lu Chen’s Sword Mountain continuously cracked before ultimately shattering into countless Sword Qi, dispersing between heaven and earth.

The newly summoned giant arm of Hua Ling now bore a deep, bone-revealing wound.

But endless petals from the boundless sea of flowers drifted toward the injury, quickly repairing it completely.

Witnessing this scene, Lu Chen couldn’t help but marvel: “Using wood generation techniques to control Immortal Remains – truly worthy of being Heavenly Capital’s Star Lord. Quite the impressive method.”

Hearing that Lu Chen could discern the nature of these arms at a glance, Hua Ling was momentarily stunned.

Since she obtained those Immortal Remains and mastered them through the ‘Wood Generation Nurturing Method’, integrating them into her Great Divine Power…

This was the first time someone had recognized the essence of the remains upon first sight.

It had to be admitted, though this Eternal’s “cultivation level is low”, he possessed considerable insight.

If he could withstand her next few attacks…

Then even at the Nascent Soul Stage, he might indeed have the capability to reshape Heavenly Capital’s current balance.

Thinking this, Hua Ling decided to stop holding back.

She prepared to further test Lu Chen’s strength.

Though somewhat absurd, up to this point she hadn’t sensed the slightest trace of killing intent from him.

That state clearly indicated he was far from reaching his limits.Though she felt the same way, the more Hua Ling felt this, the more curious she became.

Originally, she had only intended to test him briefly and make Lu Chen retreat upon realizing the difficulty. But now that things had reached this point, it seemed she could slightly adjust her thinking.

Lu Chen didn’t need to defeat her—he only needed to hold his ground for a while against her full strength. If he could do that, he would already possess the capability to enter the Sanctuary.

In terms of true strength, Hua Ling was undeniably among the top three of the Nine Star Lords. And that ranking was from over two thousand years ago.

Even though Hua Ling had rarely taken action in the more than two millennia since, no one dared to underestimate her.

Because in terms of Dao attainment, Hua Ling, who cultivated the Wood Dao, had the highest among all the Star Lords.

A gentle temperament did not mean her methods were the same.

“Since you already know the essence of this skeleton, I might as well summon it completely. I only hope that after seeing It, you still have the courage to continue this fight.”

As she spoke, Hua Ling’s eyes erupted with divine light. Then her form transformed into countless petals, scattering across the palm of the giant hand.

These petals merged into the Immortal Bone, fusing with it completely.

Boom!

Accompanied by a terrifying earthquake, a colossal entity with flowers blooming from its head and a body half-bone, half-foliage crawled out from the sea of flowers.

This towering behemoth, reaching tens of thousands of feet high, had its originally hollow eyes replaced by a pair of Azure Lotus Eyes.

In an instant, an indescribably terrifying pressure swept across the entire sea of flowers.

Even a powerful Cultivator like Xiao, who was at the Transformation Soul Stage, had to retreat frantically when faced with this overwhelming pressure.

Xiao gazed at the distant colossal figure, half of its body piercing through the clouds, and couldn’t contain his shock.

“Half-Step Mortal Realm Immortal… Aunt Hua has actually reached such a Realm?”

“Being called a Star Lord alongside her, I seem to be overreaching a bit.”

There were disparities even among the Star Lords.

At this moment, Xiao deeply felt that his title as a Star Lord was somewhat embarrassing.

While she was a Half-Step Mortal Realm Immortal, he had only just entered the Deity Transformation Stage.

The gap in their strength was too vast to put into words.

It was the difference between heaven and earth, mayflies and the vast ocean.

However, it was only after seeing Hua Ling go all out that Xiao understood why she had the confidence to stand here alone.

And why she could guarantee that if Lu Chen chose to leave, the other Star Lords would be unable to interfere in the slightest.

What a joke! With a Half-Step Mortal Realm Immortal guarding this place, who would dare to act recklessly?

Who even had the ability to act recklessly!

No wonder it was said that the Jupiter Star Region was the least warlike and most easygoing among all the Star Domains.

If Xiao had such a formidable figure watching over him, he wouldn’t be warlike either—he’d be easygoing too.

After all, if the sky fell, there would be someone taller to hold it up!

If Xiao, thousands of miles away, could still be affected by this Half-Immortal’s pressure, there was no need to mention Lu Chen, who was at the very center of it.

Although from the beginning until now, Lu Chen had never sensed any killing intent from Hua Ling, he had to admit that the current Hua Ling was the strongest opponent he had ever encountered in his cultivation journey.

Even though he had once faced a descended Gu Xian in the game, whose power rivaled that of a true Mortal Realm Immortal, that Gu Xian had already been severely wounded by the ancestor of the Azure Cloud Sect beforehand.

Lu Chen had merely delivered the final blow.

Compared to the current Hua Ling, the two were completely incomparable.No one knew where Hua Ling had found this Immortal Bone, not only was it perfectly preserved, but it also retained that precious Primordial Qi.

Otherwise, even if Hua Ling revived its vitality, she wouldn’t have been able to break through the limitations of this world.

To reach the Half-Step Mortal Realm Immortal realm.

This couldn’t help but make Lu Chen sigh inwardly.

Indeed, even though cultivation in this world came with many restrictions.

Those prodigies always found ways to break through constraints.

Currently, Hua Ling was one of those rare prodigies in the Immortal Alliance who could shatter the era’s limitations, though few knew of her reputation.

Compared to that self-proclaimed eternal number one genius from Clear River Dao Academy.

Lu Chen felt Hua Ling was clearly more deserving of that title.

But against a mere Half-Immortal, he wasn’t completely helpless…

Law of Heaven and Earth!

Amidst golden light, Lu Chen once again manifested as the Immortal Venerable in the flesh, descending upon the world.

Though his Law of Heaven and Earth was considerably smaller than Hua Ling’s ten-thousand-zhang immortal skeleton.

When Immortals battle, size doesn’t determine strength.

The Supreme Purity Heavenly Lord formed by Lu Chen extended a hand, and the Immortal Swords floating around began merging continuously, eventually transforming into a single golden longsword that hovered behind him.

The Sword Intent of the four-swords-combined Fiend-Slaying Sword had reached such a terrifying level that it could tear apart the Wood Dao laid down by Hua Ling.

It was hard to imagine that the one accomplishing this was merely a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

Though she had sensed that Lu Chen’s next sword strike would be extraordinary.

Hua Ling still made no move to stop it.

Instead, she allowed Lu Chen to execute his technique.

As a special Sword Qi coursed through the entire Fiend-Slaying Sword.

The Supreme Purity Heavenly Lord formed by Lu Chen brought down his palm.

In the next moment, the golden Immortal Sword behind him responded by slashing toward Hua Ling.

Facing this heaven-shaking sword strike.

Hua Ling’s Immortal Bone finally moved into action.

She pressed her palms together, forming mystical hand seals.

A wooden spear slowly materialized in the Void Realm before her.

The sky-obscuring wooden spear clashed with Lu Chen’s golden Immortal Sword.

To everyone’s astonishment, the golden Immortal Sword instantly separated into four Immortal Swords, directly targeting Hua Ling’s true form.

Lu Chen, who had previously been straightforward and righteous in his methods.

Had actually employed a feint combining illusion and reality.

Though it was just a minor trick, the effect proved surprisingly effective at this moment.

Catching Hua Ling completely off guard.

Under Hua Ling’s astonished gaze, the four swords reformed and struck her shoulder in a single slash.

Though not fatal, this strike coincidentally severed Hua Ling’s connection with the Immortal Bone.

Causing Hua Ling’s Law of Heaven and Earth… to shatter.

Along with it, Hua Ling’s Flower Dao also crumbled.

Returning to her original form, Hua Ling looked down at the sword wound on her shoulder, momentarily dazed.

Because she didn’t understand how Lu Chen had discovered that the weakness of this Immortal Bone was in the right shoulder.

Nor did she comprehend how that single sword strike could sever her connection with the Immortal Bone.

Though she could easily reconnect with the skeleton and manifest as a Half-Immortal again with minor adjustments.

Having her Dharma Body broken by a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

Meant she had genuinely lost this battle.

Thinking this, Hua Ling looked at Lu Chen—who had also dispelled his Dharma Body—with a complex expression and asked: “What was that sword technique?”

Hearing this, Lu Chen smiled and said: “Immortal Slaying Art.”

“Immortal Slaying Art, huh…”

Hua Ling nodded, recalling how that seemingly ordinary sword strike could directly strike at the Dao itself.

Calling it an Immortal-Slaying Art was certainly not an exaggeration.And this Immortal-Slaying Art was the Five Realms technique Lu Chen had obtained not long ago when he first reached the summit of the Great Wilderness Pagoda, within that mysterious space. It was also known as… an Immortal Art.

【Name: Immortal-Slaying Art】

【Grade: Five Realms Immortal Art】

【Effect: This Swordsmanship can directly attack the opponent’s Dao, making it impossible to evade】

【Description: As long as the Dao persists, the Immortal remains undying; if the Dao perishes… the Immortal falls】

(End of Chapter)