"Is that true?"

"True my ass! What do you take me for? A saint? You're dead!"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Luo Chen had already shot forward. The Qian family's Second Elder swallowed hard. He knew this rogue cultivator, who appeared to be only at the fourth stage, was far stronger than he looked. On his own, he might be able to protect himself, but he had no hope of holding Luo Chen back and stalling him until the Patriarch arrived. He had no choice, however.

"Close the family formation! Help me trap him!"

The nine Initiates behind him had long prepared. In an instant, they each took a position, their spirit power surging and intertwining before flowing into the Second Elder.

From within the Myriad Soul Banner, Han Zhan let out a soft sound of surprise. "A bloodline-link formation! Luo Chen, be careful!"

Luo Chen acted as if he had not heard and charged forward. Once he was a hundred zhang from the Second Elder, he struck out with a palm. A massive azure hand wreathed in green flames slammed down. The Second Elder's expression tightened. He spat out a rusted copper coin that expanded as it moved, instantly becoming a massive disc. It was round and had a small square hole in the middle, like a coin.[1] Half a breath later, the palm and the coin collided.

B-BOOMMMM!

The clash sent a violent surge of mana in all directions and stirred up a raging storm. At its center, the Qian family cultivators were thrown apart at once.

The Second Elder was shaken to the core. "What a terrifying spell. A single palm almost broke my Treasurefall Coin!"

But Luo Chen's eyes lit up at the sight. "Interesting... it can actually dissolve the power of my Azure Yang Great Handprint!"

That palm strike was something even a late-stage Demon King like Golden Pincer could hardly withstand. Yet a mere fifth-stage Adept had blocked it with a single enchanted treasure.

"I smell something good!" Luo Chen chuckled softly as the crimson chains drifting behind him extended toward the rusted copper coin in the air.

The Second Elder was not angered but instead delighted. His enchanted treasure was called the Treasurefall Coin for a reason. During its refinement, it had been infused with a drop of a special water-element material known as Weak Water. It could temporarily sever the connection between an enemy and their enchanted treasure! When an enemy lost connection with their life-bound enchanted treasure, their mind would fall into disarray. That was when he would strike. He did not know what kind of treasure those chains were, but once they touched the coin, Luo Hai would be at his mercy.

Nine crimson chains shot forward and closed in on the copper coin from every direction.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

In an instant, they pierced through the square hole of the coin and bound it tightly. The Second Elder laughed. "You've fallen for it. Drop!"

The rusted coin released a dim gray glow. The light spread outward and pressed back against the nine chains. Under that glow, the chains seemed to slacken and lose strength. Luo Chen furrowed his brow, but at the same time, a hint of delight flashed in his eyes. Just as he had thought, the treasure could indeed dissolve mana and sever the link between an enchanted treasure and its owner.

Sadly, the owner's combat sense was severely lacking. The chains were not actually part of any enchanted treasure; they were simply spawned by the Primordial Unity Cauldron. With a thought, Luo Chen infused more mana, and the chains instantly tightened. From a distance, they looked like nine dragons fighting over a pearl.[2] They wasted no time dragging the coin toward Luo Chen, no matter how much it struggled.

The Second Elder's expression changed drastically. "Wait, What?!"

Without hesitation, he tried to shrink the coin and pull it back. But no matter how small it became, the nine chains shrank with it. Only then did he realize it was he who had fallen into a trap. So his enchanted treasure has a similar effect... and since it's got my treasure locked, it has the upper hand!

The Second Elder did not hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, a golden longsword appeared in his hand. He slashed through the air, going not for the chains but directly at Luo Chen! It was a decisive gamble, and the only correct move he could do. Yet it was already too late!

BOOOOMMMMM!

A thunderous blast rang out. In the next instant, Luo Chen shifted dozens of zhang across the air and avoided the strike. The sword light tore into the valley, carving out a long trench.

At the same time, the rusted copper coin finally reached him. He extended his left hand and seized the violently trembling coin in a firm grip. Then, his right hand rose once more as a massive palm manifestation appeared in the sky. Every joint, every muscle, and every minor groove of each fingerprint was perfectly defined; without the dense green flames coiling around it, it would have been no different from a human hand.

"Let's see how you block this now!" Luo Chen shouted as he brought his palm down.

Rumbleeee!

The massive palm surged forward with overwhelming mana. Even the void seemed to warp under its pressure. The Second Elder stared in madness as his mana surged wildly. He split his golden longsword into countless sword lights, which then merged into one giant sword. He slashed downward, attempting to cut through the palm.

BOOOOMMMMMMM!!!

An instant later, a massive crater appeared on the ground. It spanned a hundred zhang and bore the clear shape of a gigantic hand. Within it, there were nine puddles of blood and flesh—the nine Initiates of the Qian family. The Second Elder knelt on the ground, propping himself up with his sword. Blood flowed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and his mana was in complete disarray. That palm strike had shattered his meridians and almost cracked his Golden Core. He raised his head with effort, and in his blurred vision, a figure rushed toward him at lightning speed.

I am dead.

But at that moment, a furious shout came from afar. "STOOOOP!!!"

Along with the shout came an unparalleled black saber light that caused the Second Elder's expression to brighten. The Patriarch is here!

But Luo Chen descended lightly as if he had heard nothing. He placed his palm on the Second Elder's head and sent his mana through. The man burst apart into a cloud of blood.

Worse still, he had clung to a sliver of hope and did not crush his storage pouch once he was grievously injured. His Golden Core and the golden longsword were also left behind.

Luo Chen grabbed them and looked up at the incoming saber light. A late-stage Adept and a mid-grade enchanted treasure! This strike will not be easy to take.

His thoughts raced, but his movements did not slow. The change in direction caused the saber light to hesitate for a moment. And that was enough for Luo Chen to cast his spell. His hand shifted, his Golden Core spun, and pure mana surged forth. Soon, layers of rings erupted in the air. It was the fire-element defensive spell he had created, the Sevenfold Skyblaze Ring!

Though named seven rings, he could only form five at his current level. The black saber light was incredibly sharp. As it descended, the five rings flared in response—some met it head-on, some dissolved its force, and others twisted and clashed against it. Yet under that strike, they ultimately broke apart. Luo Chen shook his head. Even after all his refinements, fire was never known for defense. The remaining saber light rushed at him, yet he showed no fear. He opened his mouth and spat out a gray cauldron. It blocked the saber without changing size.

Clang!

In the next moment, a black light revealed its true form as a dagger and flew back in disorder. Luo Chen drew in a breath and swallowed the Primordial Unity Cauldron. At the same time, two figures landed—one before him, one behind.

"I'm sorry, Master. I couldn't stop him."

Behind Luo Chen, Heavenjade's face was pale, her demonic power clearly depleted. Earlier, she had moved ahead and unleashed a vortex of demonic energy to delay the late-stage Adept. That bought Luo Chen the time he needed to finish his own fight.

"Don't worry, you've done well. We're leaving," Luo Chen said calmly.

"Leaving? Where do you think you're going?!" Qian Ting's eyes were bloodshot as he strode forward, a black dagger circling endlessly around him. "You killed two of my family's Adepts and nine elite Initiates, and you think you can just walk away!?"

"Why, that is exactly what I think. You think you can stop me?" Luo Chen chuckled as his crimson wings spread behind him. At the same time, Heavenjade unfurled her green wings.

Above the battlefield, the man stood tall and the woman slender, both like winged celestial beings.

"Use the flight technique from the Heavenspan Wing Codex," Luo Chen shouted. "Go!"

One man and one demon both activated Ninety Thousand Li. They turned into two streaks of light and shot toward the horizon. Qian Ting's face darkened with fury as he gave chase, but the moment he rose, a massive green handprint came crashing down. He sensed its power from the first instant and did not dare take it lightly. He blocked it head-on, but that brief delay was enough for the distance to widen.

A few moments later, another one of the family's Adepts, Jin Zhan, arrived at the scene. But before he could say anything, the Patriarch shouted, "Chase after them! They can't get away!"

Within that shout was not only rage but also deep grief and unwillingness.

As the two of them left, figures appeared across the shattered valley. They were Jadecold City cultivators who had come to watch a good show. The sight of the devastation and the massive handprint crater shook all of them.

"Who is that guy? How is he so damn strong? He took down two Adepts and over a hundred Initiates on his own. Even the patriarch of the Qian family couldn't stop him."

"I heard he's a rogue cultivator who made quite a scene at the auction. He goes by the name Luo Hai."

"Luo Hai... probably showed off his wealth and caught the Qian family's attention. This is going to be interesting!"

1. Traditional Chinese coins have a square hole at the center. ☜

2. The image of two or more dragons fighting over the cintamani bead is a classic visual motif in Chinese art. ☜