Chapter 157

"Retreat!"

Amidst Luo Chen's shock, Miao Wen did not hesitate and pulled back explosively.

Not only him, but Luo Tianhong also made the same move.

Luo Chen naturally couldn't fall behind; he combined the Carefree Wind-Riding Art with his Cloud-Stepping Boots, suddenly bursting forth with extreme speed.

Almost one after the other, they retreated to a spot dozens of miles away with the three of them.

Miao Wen glanced at him with surprise.

Oh no!

Luo Chen's heart jolted; in his urgency just now, he had actually unleashed his full speed.

One had to know that both Miao Wen and Luo Tianhong were sword cultivators.

Although they hadn't reached the escape speed of a Jin Dan cultivator's sword light turning into a rainbow, they were still famous for their speed among their peers.

At his full speed, he was only one step slower than the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

No wonder Miao Wen looked at him with that kind of gaze.

Just as Luo Chen was thinking things were going poorly, a deafening sound rolled in from the distance.

The sound waves were overwhelming, shaking Luo Chen until his face turned pale, and he began to fall straight down in a daze.

It wasn't until a gentle spiritual power caught him that he woke up with lingering fear.

An indifferent voice came to his ears.

"Fend for yourself!"

Luo Chen nodded gratefully to Luo Tianhong; it was precisely this person who had noticed his distress just now and helped him out.

Otherwise, falling from a thousand meters in the air, with Luo Chen's physique, he would have suffered a serious injury.

"Hmph!"

Miao Wen snorted coldly. "Retreat further away; otherwise, if the aftermath of a Jin Dan stage battle spreads here, we might not be able to protect you."

"And from this far away, you haven't externalized your spiritual sense, so you won't be able to see anything."

Luo Chen gritted his teeth and flew to a spot about a mile behind the two.

This distance was safe enough.

The battlefield was over at the Lancang River, dozens of miles away.

Even if the aftermath of the battle really spread here, there were still two Foundation Establishment True Cultivators in front, enough for Luo Chen to react.

However, for safety's sake, he still summoned the Four-Image Tripod.

Four-colored tassels hung down from the tripod, protecting him tightly.

His actions naturally couldn't escape the notice of Miao and Luo.

But it was clear that their attention wasn't on him, but rather fixed on the distance with solemn expressions.

After Luo Chen was prepared, he took a deep breath and also looked at the wide surface of the Lancang River.

Who said he couldn't see anything?

His Spirit Eye Technique had reached perfection a few days ago, and he could see clearly even from a hundred miles away.

It was only dusk now, and visibility hadn't reached the point where he couldn't see clearly at all.

Under his gaze.

The golden light dissipated, and the waves moved slowly.

Pang Renxiong, in a bright red robe, stood high in the nine heavens, overlooking the river.

"Rat, get out here!"

Under his sharp shout, the river surface exploded in layers.

A light sigh drifted out faintly amidst the boundless exploding waves.

Unaffected by the slightest influence, it was clearly audible.

"Fellow Daoist Pang, why must you be so ruthless?"

The next moment, two beams of light, one black and one white, carried a weathered figure as they slowly rose from the bottom of the Lancang River.

Seeing those two black and white beams of light, Pang Renxiong snorted coldly.

"Rotten Wood Chess Piece!"

"Sure enough, it was you who personally killed Mi Shuhua."

The person shrouded in a black robe gave a bitter smile. "A mere Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator—how could he be worth all of you going to such great lengths?"

However, Pang Renxiong shook his head.

"I am not doing this for him."

"Mi Shuhua was just bait; what I wanted to fish out was the mastermind behind the framing of my Jade Tripod Sword Sect."

"Let me ask you, was Fei Bai Wen of Mount Ailao killed by you!"

The black-robed cultivator was startled, then decisively denied it.

"I have no past grudges or recent enmity with Mount Ailao; why would I kill him?"

"Your word doesn't count; come with me back to the Jade Tripod Sword Sect to accept an investigation."

Facing this statement, the black-robed cultivator's anger surged.

"Isn't this bullying people too much? I am but a rogue cultivator; if I really go to the Jade Tripod Sword Sect, wouldn't I be at your mercy?"

"You have no choice!"

"Heh heh, then I'd like to see what ability you have to make me have no choice."

It was clear that this person was not someone to be pushed around.

As soon as he finished speaking, purple-gold flying wheels erupted from behind him; at a glance, there were hundreds of them.

Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel!

This person had deep magic power; with just one strike, he unleashed the full power of the magic treasure.

It was far from what Foundation Establishment cultivators like Mi Shuhua could compare to.

Facing this move, Pang Renxiong showed disdain and spat out a sword pill.

The sword pill flew out instantly, turning into ten thousand sword lights in a flash, engulfing the hundreds of flying wheels.

Violent collisions exploded continuously.

The vast magic power, as it was unleashed, shook the Lancang River until waves surged.

Dozens of miles away, Luo Chen watched this battle with a shocked mind.

Is this the power mastered by a Jin Dan cultivator?

It was just a probing strike, yet it shook the great river.

As the magic power surged, murderous intent was everywhere within a ten-mile radius.

If they attacked him, even from dozens of miles away, it would be nothing more than a thought, right?

Suddenly, his ears twitched.

"It seems I was right; it was this black-robed Jin Dan who secretly killed Mi Shuhua."

"Hmm, the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel was sold by me at an auction back then, and the buyer was indeed Mi Shuhua. And this defensive magic treasure, the Rotten Wood Black and Bai Qi Piece, was also the protective treasure of the Ghost God Valley's Supreme Elder."

"Junior Brother, this Rotten Wood Chess Piece should have come from the ruins of the Ancient Origin Mountain Range, right? Back then, I followed orders and entrusted the Mountain-Breaking Gang to search for it, and they did indeed find the real ruins. But Elder Pang entered it and took most of the relics; why didn't he take these magic treasures too?"

"One must always leave something behind; otherwise, how can we fish out such a big fish?"

Miao Wen's puzzled voice came again.

"Why be so sure that this black-robed Jin Dan would be tempted by these magic treasures?"

"This was Elder Pang's calculation."

Luo Tianhong said indifferently, "Fei Bai Wen was attacked; according to Elder Pang's judgment, the other party should have taken a fancy to Mount Ailao's defensive magic treasure—the Cage."

"But the Cage is not only for the outside but also for the inside. Fei Bai Wen activated it before he died, so the other party could only return empty-handed."

"Later, Elder Pang took most of the resources from the Ghost God Valley Supreme Elder's ruins, leaving only the Rotten Wood Chess Piece and the Demon-Locking Pagoda. Since these two also have defensive attributes, they would naturally be coveted by that rat."

Miao Wen suddenly realized; he didn't understand these secrets very well.

After all, he was just an outer sect deacon, while Luo Tianhong was different.

The other party was a Foundation Establishment true disciple of the sect, highly valued.

An elder of Pang Renxiong's high status and power would also value him, so he naturally wouldn't hide such trivial matters.

"Now it seems that this black-robed Jin Dan killed Fei Bai Wen and framed our Jade Tripod Sword Sect."

Miao Wen sneered. "It's a pity that he's still stubborn even when death is at his doorstep."

Luo Tianhong shook his head. "Stubbornness is certain; the consequences of admitting it are something he cannot accept. Of course, in front of our Jade Tripod Sword Sect, whether he admits it or not is no longer important."

It was no longer important.

Luo Chen could clearly see that Pang Renxiong had lost his patience, and he was wielding the sword pill more and more fiercely.

The divided sword light was no longer just thousands, but had reached an uncountable density.

Under such an attack, the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel was tottering; no matter how many flying wheels it activated, they were instantly annihilated.

Those sword lights that couldn't be dodged struck his body, causing the black and white chess pieces to spin crazily.

"Is this the sword cultivator who claims to break ten thousand techniques with one sword?"

"Except for a sword pill, he hasn't used any other means, yet he has forced a peer Jin Dan into a precarious situation."

Luo Chen was incredibly envious; focusing on one sword, no wonder sword cultivators were said to have the strongest combat power among their peers.

However, since that person dared to challenge the Jade Tripod sword cultivators, he should have more than just this, right?

Just as Luo Chen was guessing, a shrill roar echoed along the banks of the Lancang River.

"Sect cultivators, you bully me too much!"

The next moment, a small pagoda flew out from the black-robed cultivator's hand.

The small pagoda revealed an ancient aura; at a glance, it was an old magic treasure from a long time ago.

As his magic power surged in, the small pagoda grew in the wind.

Ten zhang!

Twenty zhang!

In the blink of an eye, it exceeded the thirty-zhang height that Mi Shuhua had only managed to activate with all his might back then.

Moreover, it hadn't stopped changing.

Forty!

Fifty!

One hundred zhang!

The giant pagoda, one hundred zhang high, landed on the river surface like a pillar supporting the sky.

The black-robed Jin Dan took a deep breath, retracted the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel, and then swung his hands.

Clatter!

Clatter!

Dozens of thick black chains, like dragons or pythons, flew out from the pagoda.

Wherever they passed, the sword light collapsed suddenly.

Their momentum was unstoppable, and in the blink of an eye, they surrounded the five-mile radius where Pang Renxiong was located.

A mysterious aura of prohibition sealed that piece of the sky.

Pang Renxiong's expression changed slightly; a sword pill circled and danced around him, dividing into countless sword lights, trying its best to cut off the black chains one by one.

However, the situation continued to deteriorate.

Every time a chain was cut, hundreds of sword lights were consumed.

But with that treasure pagoda, the black chains seemed endless.

Seeing this, the black-robed cultivator laughed heartily.

"This is one of the three treasures of the Ghost God Valley sect."

"It contains eighteen earthly fiends inside and nine great formations outside; it is the pinnacle of high-grade magic treasures!"

"It locked countless demons back then; today, I will suppress and kill the Jade Tripod sword cultivator!"

Dozens of miles away, Luo Chen understood.

This treasure should be the Demon-Locking Pagoda magic treasure that Miao Wen mentioned on the way here.

Its power was truly overbearing.

Even the sword pill, known for its sharpness, couldn't resist the prohibition of the black chains.

No wonder this person had the confidence to challenge Pang Renxiong.

Thinking about it this way, Mi Shuhua had truly been calculated to death back then.

The Jade Tripod Sword Sect had him send a large amount of manpower and resources from the Mountain-Breaking Gang to search for the Jin Dan ruins, then used him as bait, and in the end, didn't even save him; they simply didn't treat him as a human being.

"No, given Mi Shuhua's personality, he must have understood the logic of it."

"But with heavy treasures in front of him, he must have wanted to give it a try, and he did indeed snatch the most resources from the ruins."

"Perhaps there was even a chance for Core Formation inside."

"It's just that he didn't expect that under the siege of five Foundation Establishment cultivators, there would still be a Jin Dan superior secretly moving against him."

Thinking through the reasons, Luo Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow.

It was for Mi Shuhua, and also for himself.

Mi Shuhua had become a pawn for a Jin Dan superior; how was he himself not constantly being tossed about by Foundation Establishment cultivators?

Sect cultivators, from the bottom of their hearts, looked down on rogue cultivators!

Amidst the sorrow, Luo Chen felt his mood become depressed as he watched the battle over there.

This black-robed Jin Dan, who was said to be a rogue cultivator.

But since he was at the Jin Dan stage, how could he be rootless?

Not to mention anything else, colluding with five Foundation Establishment cultivators meant he came from somewhere.

The greatest possibility was the Lianyun Business Alliance.

This force spanned dozens of markets and had twenty or thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators within it.

It was only natural for it to have a Jin Dan cultivator sitting in command.

Even if not at the top level, he was at least a guest-level existence.

"Perhaps the Demon-Locking Pagoda wasn't even his trump card!"

Just as Luo Chen was speculating, the two people in front, Miao and Luo, were also communicating.

Miao Wen's voice carried a hint of anxiety.

"Elder Pang's Great Geng Sword Scripture cannot exert its maximum power on the great river, and now he has fallen into a disadvantageous position; what should we do?"

However, Luo Tianhong remained calm and steady, unhurried.

"Don't worry, Elder Pang just hasn't made a move in a long time and is just playing with him."

"Uh..."

"However, he should have had enough fun by now, right!"

Luo Chen, behind them, heard this conversation and was startled.

It had reached this point, and he was still just playing?

This Pang Renxiong shouldn't play himself into trouble.

With a slight movement of his heart, more spiritual power poured into his eyes, and Luo Chen saw even more clearly.

Under the sunset glow, the Lancang River seemed to be boiled by the fire of magic power agitation.

The chains extending from the giant pagoda were already dense, approaching within a hundred meters of Pang Renxiong.

At this moment, this Jade Tripod sword cultivator had no way to heaven and no path to earth.

Once locked, the only path left was to be suppressed!

However, facing such danger, Pang Renxiong just sneered.

"You've had the Demon-Locking Pagoda for so long, and you've only refined it to this extent?"

The black-robed Jin Dan was neither annoyed nor angry, saying calmly, "This level is already enough to suppress and kill you. Moreover, I have more than just this..."

Before he finished, a golden sword pill spat out from his mouth, turning into golden light and shooting straight at the center of the black chains.

"Today, I will use his own way to treat him."

"Let you sword cultivators die under the sword pill!"

The moment this golden sword pill appeared, Pang Renxiong could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.

"Sure enough, you were the one who framed me!"

Amidst the roar, he suddenly gripped his hands in the void.

The sword light that was resisting the chains instantly dissipated.

At the same time, his own sword pill turned into a great sword and fell into his hand.

The next moment, he slashed!

A vast sword light pierced the clouds and split the sun, slashing through all the chains.

Not only that, but the remaining power didn't diminish in the slightest, and the hundreds-of-zhang sword light slashed toward the black-robed cultivator.

The golden sword pill that was speeding over was struck down to the bottom of the great river before it could even unleash its power.

Facing this heaven-shaking sword, the black-robed cultivator's expression changed drastically.

The black and white chess pieces turned into two great dragons, protecting him tightly.

The Demon-Locking Pagoda even unleashed eighteen paths of earthly fiend Qi, repeatedly trying to reduce that heaven-shaking sword.

Unfortunately, all his actions were in vain.

The so-called earthly fiend Qi melted like white snow meeting the sun under the sword light.

Boom!

A loud noise spread for thousands of miles.

Even Luo Chen, dozens of miles away, was shaken until he spat out a mouthful of blood, despite the protection of the Four-Image Tripod.

He immediately covered his ears.

Not only that, he pressed several acupuncture points on his body, and only then did he barely manage to hold on.

When he finally had a chance to look, the sight he saw left him dumbfounded.

The Lancang River was broken!

To be precise, the rushing water of the great river had stopped flowing.

Not only did it stop flowing, but the river, which was originally thousands of meters wide, now had not a single drop of water, revealing a huge riverbed.

Silt, accompanied by the corpses and blood mist of various fish and water-type demon beasts, lay on the riverbed.

Large patches of water mist shrouded that area, like a dreamlike marsh.

"Is he dead?"

Luo Chen opened his mouth wide, his glowing eyes turning frantically, searching for the black-robed cultivator.

"Not dead!"

As the water of the great river rushed again, a black pagoda, shrunk ten times and only ten zhang high, floated alone in the clouds and mist.

Then, a figure appeared behind the pagoda, looking disheveled.

The look of fear in his eyes gradually faded, he swallowed his saliva, and then revealed a wild laugh.

"Nothing more than this!"

"Nothing more than this!"

"The so-called Geng Metal Sword Pill, its power is nothing more than this; I didn't die!"

Facing this wild laughter, Pang Renxiong in the distance just showed a sneer.

He reached out his hand, and amidst the black-robed cultivator's confusion, he gripped the void.

"You don't use the Demon-Locking Pagoda like that."

"Watch closely!"

The black-robed cultivator's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously looked at the black pagoda in front of him.

A slightly illusory golden chain flew out from the tip of the pagoda like a snake flicking its tongue.

Swish!

In an instant, it pierced into his body with lightning speed.

When the golden chain clattered back, a black and yellow Jin Dan was wrapped inside and locked into the black pagoda.

"My Jin Dan!"

The shrill scream was so desperate.

However, what greeted him was a wisp of sword light.

The black-robed cultivator, dead!

Pang Renxiong sneered, stepped on the black pagoda, and used his magic power to roll back the two chess pieces that were spinning in the void.

Not only that, he reached out and grabbed.

Within the riverbed, which was covered by the newly flowing river water, a dim sword pill flew out.

Looking at this sword pill that had reached the level of a magic treasure, Pang Renxiong frowned tightly, having no time to care about the black-robed cultivator's corpse.

"Congratulations to the Elder for killing the great enemy!"

"Elder is mighty!"

Luo Chen stood on the scarred new riverbank, looking at the three people above with awe.

Facing the congratulations of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators under his sect, Pang Renxiong just shook his head.

"A magic treasure-level sword pill can only be nurtured by a Jin Dan sword cultivator of our sect; the sword is there, the person is there, but I don't know which fellow disciple has fallen outside."

Hearing this, Miao Wen and Luo Tianhong were both shocked.

Luo Tianhong said in disbelief, "In recent years, the only Jin Dan elders of our sect who have been traveling and training outside are those three, right!"

"Daoist Ren Pingsheng, Elder Bo Feng Yijian, Xiao Shu!" Pang Renxiong sighed, carrying a trace of luck. "I only hope it's not them, but that this person obtained the sword pill from the outer domains!"

Hearing those three names, even Miao Wen felt his heart tremble.

These three, no matter which one it was, had died outside.

Once the news spread back, he feared a huge uproar would break out within the sect.

Especially Ren Pingsheng, who was hailed as the number one Jin Dan!

That was the Daoist who had the most hope of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage in the Jade Tripod Sword Sect!

Putting away the sword pill, Pang Renxiong looked at the few extra magic treasures.

"I had previously secretly tampered with the Demon-Locking Pagoda, which is why I was able to unexpectedly severely injure this person. I will take this treasure back to the sect."

"This Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel will be rewarded to Miao Wen."

"This Rotten Wood Chess Piece will be given to you, Tianhong!"

He waved his hand, and the two magic treasures landed in front of the two people.

Luo Tianhong was startled, then his face showed great joy.

Jade Tripod sword cultivators, although it was rumored that they only cultivated one sword, that was actually aimed at cultivators at the Jin Dan stage and above.

Before the sword pill in their bodies was nurtured to the magic treasure level, most low-level cultivators of the Jade Tripod Sword Sect would still choose one or two magic tools or magic treasures for self-protection.

Of course, the main attack methods were still flying swords and sword pills.

Compared to the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel, this Rotten Wood Chess Piece, as a defensive magic treasure, was too suitable for Luo Tianhong.

Especially since this treasure was of an extremely high grade, being the protective treasure of the Ghost God Valley's Supreme Elder back then.

The reason the black-robed cultivator had been able to survive just now, besides relying on the Demon-Locking Pagoda's body to block Pang Renxiong's Geng Metal Sword Pill strike, was also thanks to this Rotten Wood Chess Piece.

Miao Wen looked at Luo Tianhong with envy, even jealousy, and then happily accepted the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel.

Although he couldn't use this treasure much, selling it would at least bring back tens of thousands of spirit stones.

If it were put up for auction, it might even fetch a high price of eighty thousand spirit stones like back then.

On the ground, Luo Chen was also extremely envious.

This Pang Renxiong, although overbearing, was truly generous.

Two magic treasures, given away just like that.

Just as he was envious, a sharp gaze fell upon him.

"Alchemist Danchenzi—Luo Chen, right!"

Exploded with over thirty thousand words yesterday, third on the site's combat power list, first in the Xianxia category.

So, I'm asking for monthly tickets today with confidence!

(End of chapter)