Chapter 523: Reconstructing the combat system

Drive the tiger to devour the wolf!

The intentions of Cheng Dou, the head of the Cheng family, were extremely obvious; he didn't even bother to disguise them much.

It was nothing more than wanting Luo Chen to take action against the Venerable Nantian who had occupied the Feiyan Islands.

As for whether going to Nantian would be "inviting a wolf into the house"?

That was a concern the other party was likely no longer worried about.

Luo Chen had a sharp eye; the moment they met, he had discovered the other party's cultivation realm.

It was a suppressed state, only one step away from the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment!

As long as the other party released the suppression, they could enter the Great Perfection state and then sprint toward the Core Formation stage.

Perhaps it was the sword of cultivation realm hanging over his head that was driving Cheng Dou mad, which was why he was grasping at straws like this.

Moreover, even if it were inviting a wolf into the house, no matter how the Cheng family fared, it would still be much better than the treatment received by other families on the Feiyan Islands.

"Your experience is lacking, but your eye for people is decent."

Luo Chen chuckled.

The other party's request happened to align with his own goals.

However, how to go about seizing the Feiyan Islands still required careful deliberation.

At the very least, he needed to find out the methods of Venerable Nantian clearly before proceeding.

Furthermore, during his time at Mount Cangwu, being trapped and lacking freedom had caused many of Luo Chen's methods to stagnate; this period was perfect for some cultivation.

After switching to the Fire Element, his combat system had become very chaotic and needed to be sorted out.

After making up his mind.

Luo Chen first glanced at the black wooden figurine in a small compartment within the Hunyuan Cauldron.

Han Zhan had not yet awakened.

"It seems the damage caused to him by the Nirvana Holy Fire is extremely severe!"

Inside the black wooden figurine, a wisp of a remnant soul was lingering on, devoid of the demeanor of a Nascent Soul True Person from the past.

With just this wisp of a remnant soul, it was unlikely there would be any possibility of recovery in the future.

In reality, this was also the reason why Luo Chen dared to keep Han Zhan by his side.

Weak, decaying, and easy to control.

Casting a spell to isolate the Hunyuan Cauldron, Luo Chen's gaze fell upon the five Blue-Ringed Giant-Toothed Sea Snakes imprisoned by the cauldron's chains.

Even though their bodies had been forced to shrink to the limit, their ferocity remained undiminished.

Just releasing them a moment ago had caused Cheng Haixin, who had just entered Foundation Establishment, to turn pale with fright, showing how fierce they were.

However, as Luo Chen's gaze fell upon them, of these five sea snakes, apart from the one at the late second-rank, the other four all revealed looks of fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Luo Chen frowned, then realized something.

"Is it because I killed ten thousand of their kin in one go, leaving a dense baleful aura on my body?"

The so-called baleful aura is not just the baleful energy born from filthy and dangerous places in heaven and earth.

It also includes the large amount of special "aura" left on one's body after repeatedly engaging in slaughter and witnessing the death of enemies.

This aura contained not only his own killing intent and baleful energy, but also the resentment, fear, anxiety, and terror left behind by his enemies before they died...

All these things gathered together to form a unique "Divine Baleful Aura."

A baleful aura condensed from spiritual thoughts and emotions.

This kind of Divine Baleful Aura is felt most deeply by one's own kind.

Luo Chen had left baleful aura on his body when killing people in the past, but most of the time he would remove it afterward using a Cleansing Spell.

This time, he had come in a hurry and hadn't removed it.

Or rather, he had done it intentionally!

In a place like the Demon Sea, if one doesn't look fierce, it's easy to invite trouble.

If one looks particularly "fierce," it actually saves a lot of trouble.

Just like now!

"Perfect, since they fear me, I can enslave them to serve as guards."

Luo Chen smiled slightly, reached out one hand, transformed his magic power into a palm, and captured a giant-toothed sea snake at the early second-rank.

Flicking his finger, an elixir fell into the sea snake's mouth, forced to refine by his magic power.

Instantly, after the elixir took effect, the giant-toothed sea snake's body became extremely stiff, losing part of its ability to resist.

But only part!

"The batch of Spirit-Servitude Pills I obtained in my early years is truly too low in grade, only at the low-grade second-rank."

"But fortunately, combined with their emotions of fear and terror toward me, the casting of the Spirit-Servitude Seal should be very smooth."

Luo Chen's mind stirred, his ten fingers flew like dancing flowers, incantations were silently chanted from his mouth, and then he suddenly struck out with a palm.

In the void, a phantom palm print instantly appeared.

It was exactly the Spirit-Servitude Seal!

The palm struck down, landing on the crown of the giant-toothed sea snake's head.

Immediately, the giant-toothed sea snake began to roll and struggle ferociously on the ground, emitting crazy hissing sounds.

But everything was in vain.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, this Blue-Ringed Giant-Toothed Sea Snake was quietly prostrate on the ground.

"Come here!"

Luo Chen beckoned with his hand, and the sea snake hissed as it crawled toward Luo Chen, coiling beside him, revealing a fawning and obedient look.

Seeing this, Luo Chen couldn't help but reveal a look of satisfaction.

The "Ten Thousand Beast Scripture," this method of enslaving beasts, was something he had obtained from the Zhenlong Black Market years ago.

It contained the mental cultivation method for enslaving beasts, matching beast-enslaving elixirs, and special control commands.

In his early years, he had relied on this technique to enslave a second-rank Explosive Ape, which had played an excellent role in the battle to attack Mount Xiaohuan and destroy the Duan family.

That enslavement had been extremely difficult, consuming much of his mental energy and even nearly failing.

But this time, it was so easy, it could be called effortless!

The gap between the Core Formation stage and the Qi Refining stage is simply too vast.

For the same technique or secret art, when used on enemies of the same level, the effect is worlds apart.

After one sea snake was enslaved, Luo Chen didn't feel tired, and his gaze fell upon the remaining four sea snakes.

"Let's take them one by one!"

Time passed bit by bit.

The 500-zhang-high Sea-Gazing Cliff stood on the boundless sea, shielding Black Swan Island from the violent sea winds and threats from the depths of the ocean.

In previous years, the Cheng family would send low-level cultivators to patrol and guard this island.

But from some point on, the Sea-Gazing Cliff became a forbidden area for the Cheng family, with unauthorized personnel prohibited from entering.

Not only that, clusters of white clouds and mist appeared, blocking prying eyes from the outside.

Where the Small Mirror Lake Manor was located.

Cheng Dou looked anxiously at the tall woman standing before him.

"Seventh Sister!"

Cheng Haixin curled her lips, looking heartless.

She tilted her head to look at her eldest brother and smiled: "Calling me is useless; that senior has been in seclusion recently, and I have no way to please him."

Cheng Dou frowned, "Is there no way? It's that you don't want to, right! He gave you a token to enter and leave the Sea-Gazing Cliff freely; you should go over and visit more often..."

"Visit what?" Cheng Haixin's smile gradually faded, "You want your own sister to visit his bed?"

These words were very unpleasant to hear.

Cheng Dou shook his head, saying with a sense of "iron not becoming steel": "Although that senior is very murderous, he still has principles in his actions; submitting to him is not a humiliation. Moreover, being able to become a concubine of a Core Formation cultivator is a blessing that many low-level female cultivators envy."

"If such a blessing were given to you, would you want it?" Cheng Haixin retorted without backing down.

Cheng Dou's expression stalled, but he quickly pointed to himself.

"I just hate that I wasn't born a woman."

Cheng Haixin was stunned, almost thinking she had misheard.

Cheng Dou sighed: "It's not that your eldest brother is heartless, it's just that the pressure Yan Nantian puts on me is too great. If my cultivation realm remains stuck and doesn't reach perfection, problems will arise. But once I reach the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, I will inevitably invite persecution from Yan Nantian. I can't learn from the leader of the Flood Dragon Gang and flee the island; if I leave, this massive Cheng family will have no Great Cultivator to sit in charge and will instantly fall to a bottom-tier force, and our situation will only be worse."

"Seventh Sister, you must understand your eldest brother!"

This time, Cheng Haixin fell silent.

One who is not in that position does not plan for that position.

But the forbearance, effort, and struggle her eldest brother had shown over these years were all seen by them, his younger brothers and sisters.

For the development of the Cheng family, everyone had exhausted their strength.

Second Uncle Cheng Ji, at his advanced age, still had to go to sea to steer the helm himself.

Fourth Brother Cheng Haichang, clearly stuck at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, still had to board the monster-hunting ship to open up sources of wealth for the Cheng family, without even time for quiet cultivation and seclusion.

By comparison, she had always been under the family's protection, cultivating smoothly to the Foundation Establishment stage, yet had never contributed to the family.

Such behavior indeed let down the others who were working hard.

Seeing her silent, Cheng Dou's spirit lifted, and he added fuel to the fire:

"As long as you take your relationship with Senior Qingyang a step further and persuade him to drive away Yan Nantian and seize the Feiyan Islands, then these thirty-six Feiyan Islands will be the world of our Cheng family."

"And I can then take the opportunity to sprint toward the Core Formation stage. Once successful, I will be a Core Formation cultivator, able to sit on equal footing with Venerable Qingyang!"

"Seventh Sister, think about it. At that time, your Dao companion will be a Core Formation Venerable, and your eldest brother will also be a Core Formation cultivator. Never mind the Feiyan Islands, even the large and small islands nearby, you will be able to walk sideways."

"Isn't that good?"

Cheng Haixin was now somewhat indecisive.

The immortal cultivation life she had fantasized about was not like this.

She had thought that once she reached Foundation Establishment, she would be a true cultivator, able to roam the seas and comprehend the Great Dao.

But now, the burden of the family pressing on her made her feel somewhat breathless.

Cheng Dou struck while the iron was hot, grabbing the woman's arm and saying with deep sincerity: "Whether our Cheng family can rise and unify the thirty-six Feiyan Islands depends on your single thought. Seventh Sister, don't let me down, and don't let the spirits of the family members who died in battle over the past hundred years down!"

Cheng Haixin opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only feel dejected.

"Then I will go up the mountain and try again!"

The sea breeze was salty, and the white mist was ethereal.

The woman with a beautiful face and a hint of sorrow held the token and walked alone on the mountain path of the Sea-Gazing Cliff.

Walking along, thinking along, her mind was in a mess.

Unknowingly, she arrived at the rugged cave dwelling that had only been opened three months ago.

Subconsciously activating the token, Cheng Haixin entered the cave dwelling.

But the empty cave dwelling made her freeze.

"Senior Qingyang is not here?"

"Where did he go?"

"He couldn't have already left, could he!"

Instantly, a hint of paleness appeared on her cheeks.

She didn't dare to go and report to her eldest brother immediately, lest she let him down, but instead planned to wait here for a while.

Judging from the layout of the cave dwelling, Venerable Qingyang should not have left yet.

Let's wait a bit longer!

On the boundless blue ocean.

Five giant sea snakes, stretching their bodies and reaching several zhang in length, swam in the deep sea.

The positions they stood in formed a circle, enclosing a hundred li of sea area.

It looked like they were on guard.

Their gazes were cast from time to time toward the black-robed man in the sky, who was standing against the wind, floating in the void.

Suddenly!

The black-robed man lightly pushed out a palm with his right hand, the palm print facing downward toward the sea.

This palm carried not the slightest hint of fireworks.

But the moment the palm print appeared, it went from white to red, emitting endless high temperatures.

Not only that, a wisp of cyan appeared upon it.

When the palm print landed on the calm sea surface, the transition from stillness to motion took only an instant!

Boom!

A heaven-shaking explosion resounded across hundreds of li of sea area.

Deep in the ocean, a huge five-finger imprint depression stood out.

Inside the depression, there was not a single drop of seawater left, only endless cyan flames lingering.

When the air waves soared into the sky, the surrounding seawater began to surge to fill the depression.

But no matter how much seawater surged in, those cyan flames could not be extinguished.

Flames that even boundless seawater couldn't extinguish?

If this peculiar scene were seen by anyone, it would likely cause their eyes to pop out in shock.

In the sky, Luo Chen looked at this scene with satisfaction, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes.

The Innate One-Qi Great Handprint had finally reached Great Perfection in proficiency!

Not only that, in the process of practicing, he had combined it with the "Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture," little by little integrating the Wither-Glory True Fire into this third-rank spell.

At this moment, the Innate One-Qi Great Handprint he cast was composed of extremely pure fire-attribute magic power and the source True Fire.

Its power was extremely formidable!

In Luo Chen's assessment and prediction, this single palm was enough to contend with that late third-rank Golden Wolf King who had collided with him back then!

Furthermore, he had also mastered the speed of casting this technique to the optimal level.

Just wave the palm and it's done!

He didn't even need to rely on the Profound Xuan Xuan Huo Jian to use the method of controlling spells with artifacts.

Or rather, the Profound Xuan Xuan Huo Jian, this inferior magic treasure flying sword, could no longer carry the power of this palm.

"It's clearly inappropriate to call it the Innate One-Qi Great Handprint anymore; let's change the name to the Qingyang Great Handprint!"

"Besides, the limit of the 'Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' is far more than this."

"Through this technique, I should be able to utilize the source True Fire in various aspects."

"As long as I become familiar with it, my combat power will increase instead of decrease!"

All along, Luo Chen had secretly harbored this worry.

That was, after practicing the "Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture," all his magic power had converted into fire-attribute magic power, and the magic power of the other four elements no longer existed.

This resulted in him being unable to unleash many of the methods he was proficient in.

In that case, he would become a so-called "embroidered pillow" with only cultivation realm but no matching combat power.

These worries had especially become reality in the last few months when he tried to cast other spells.

The defensive spell "Glazed Heavenly Curtain," which he had practiced to Great Perfection in his early years, could no longer be cast.

The Grass-Cutting Geng Metal Sword Art, Wave Technique, Entanglement Technique, etc., all had problems.

Even if he could barely cast them with preparation, relying on his Great Perfection proficiency.

But in the heat of battle, who would give him so much time to prepare?

Fortunately, there is gain in loss.

Gradually, in the process of practicing on the vast ocean, Luo Chen slowly explored a combat path that was more suitable for him today.

Although most of it was fire-based, it was slowly becoming comprehensive.

In terms of offense, he had a series of Great Perfection fire-based spells: Blazing Sun Technique, Mountain Collapse, Qingyang Great Handprint, and Blazing Fire Miasma.

Additionally, combined with the magic treasure Profound Xuan Xuan Huo Jian, although its function was singular, its power was even more formidable.

In terms of defense, there was nothing much to say; in his early years, Luo Chen relied on the Glazed Heavenly Curtain and his own physique to resist.

Now that he no longer had the Glazed Heavenly Curtain, he had the Hunyuan Cauldron as a supplement; in any case, his body could withstand the counter-shock force.

Moreover, Luo Chen had already begun to develop fire-based defensive spells.

Back in the Qi Refining stage, he already had concepts for similar fire-based defensive spells, but he just hadn't continued to explore them further at that time.

Now, combined with the "Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture" and the proficiency panel, he had the confidence to derive a defensive technique most suitable for himself.

Besides offense and defense, for displacement, he had the "Ninety Thousand Li" augmented by the Moon-Breaking Wings!

This technique now had even greater speed than in the past.

Especially since the Moon-Breaking Wings, under his constant refinement for so many years, had long since shed all impurities and become perfectly integrated; its level of refinement was the highest among all his magic treasures!

It was even possible that others might mistake it for Luo Chen's natal magic treasure.

This was for long-distance displacement; for short-distance, Luo Chen combined the "Li Li Xiaoyao Roaming," Wang Yuan's "Ascending Dragon Step," and his own powerful physique to figure out a method of shifting shadows.

He called it the "Explosive Void Step!"

Luo Chen's mind stirred, he leaped backward, then surged forward, swaying and shifting left and right.

Instantly, in the void, afterimages of firelight appeared.

During the displacement, explosive sounds even came from the air!

If Tao Wan of the Green Elixir Valley saw such a scene, she would likely be greatly shocked.

It looked exactly like her "Nine Variations of the Swift Wind!"

But clearly, the essence of this technique was more than that.

"Qing Shuang..."

Luo Chen stopped his movement, revealing a look of envy.

Relying on her own racial talent, Qing Shuang had comprehended the fur of spatial laws at the Nascent Soul stage, combining it with her body refinement path, thus achieving speed that suppressed those of the same level!

When she moved, she was elusive and impossible to guard against.

Luo Chen had also caught a fleeting glimpse, and the woman's demeanor had left a deep impression on him.

He had imitated Qing Shuang's method and figured out the Explosive Void Step.

With body refinement as the foundation, supplemented by "Li Li Xiaoyao Roaming," "Ascending Dragon Step," and the magic power cultivated by the "Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture."

As a result, his Explosive Void Step also had similar effects.

In short-distance displacement, it was full of explosive power, as if the blazing sun in the sky were exploding.

Although it was only the fur of Qing Shuang's method, at the Core Formation stage, it definitely counted as a top-tier method, and ordinary people couldn't practice it.

After all, no one possessed Luo Chen's physique, nor his fire-attribute magic power full of extreme explosive power.

"Offense and displacement are not lacking, and there is also the 'Mirror Flower, Water Moon' for auxiliary combat."

"As long as I thoroughly develop the defensive aspect, then I can be called to have no more shortcomings!"

Luo Chen let out a long sigh of relief.

From then on, the hidden worry he had felt upon first arriving in the North Sea completely dissipated.

His spiritual sense stirred, issuing a command.

Before long, the five Blue-Ringed Giant-Toothed Sea Snakes gathered in one place.

Luo Chen descended from the sky, stepped on the head of the Sea Snake King, pointed in a direction, and the Sea Snake King carried Luo Chen away.

Standing on the snake's head, with the sea breeze blowing in his face, Luo Chen thought about his next plans.

It was time to seek a third-rank spiritual land for himself.

No matter how good the cultivation technique is, it's just software.

Without the hardware support of a "spiritual land," his cultivation speed wouldn't be able to pick up.

Additionally, besides the spiritual land, the elixir aspect also needed to be reconsidered.

The medicinal power of the Star Elixir was too weak and too mixed.

It wasn't very suitable for himself, who now only cultivated fire-attribute magic power.

As for what elixir to switch to?

In this regard, Luo Chen already had a plan in mind.

Arriving under the Sea-Gazing Cliff, Luo Chen issued a command, and the five Blue-Ringed Giant-Toothed Sea Snakes dispersed.

With the Sea-Gazing Cliff as the center, they patrolled and swept the vicinity, while also guarding against the approach of high-level monsters.

Luo Chen leaped and flew toward the cave dwelling.

"Eh?"

The white mist parted, and Luo Chen looked at the woman sleeping soundly on the threshold, revealing a look of surprise.

She was, after all, a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.

Although Cheng Haixin had fallen asleep while waiting bitterly due to her worries about family matters and entanglement with her own future, now that Luo Chen had returned without concealing his aura, she woke up immediately.

The woman stood up somewhat nervously, "Senior..."

Luo Chen walked into the cave dwelling on his own, and seeing her still standing outside, he shook his head.

"Don't stand outside like a fool, come in!"

The woman's heart leaped with joy, and she walked in quietly.

Looking at the woman's nervous appearance, Luo Chen couldn't help but smile helplessly.

"Is something the matter? Or is it that you want to warm my bed again?"

Instantly, the woman's face turned completely crimson.

She pinched the corner of her clothes, then as if remembering something, hurriedly took an item out of her storage bag.

It was a jade slip.

"Senior, this is what my brother entrusted me to pass on to you."

After Luo Chen took it, she added somewhat coyly: "Actually, warming the bed is not impossible."

Luo Chen chuckled and browsed through the jade slip in front of her.

Gradually, the corners of Luo Chen's mouth lifted, forming a beautiful arc.

That Cheng Dou really couldn't hold back anymore!

(End of chapter)