Qin Tianming? No, that was only a fake name the white-robed cultivator used. He had borrowed somebody else's identity to conceal himself and mislead the four of them into misjudging his combat style. This man was not from the Blood Sea Lineage at all, but from the Soul Refinement Lineage!

From the moment the Ten-Direction Shadowless Formation was activated, he had already revealed his skill in the soul path. He spread his aura among the many shadows and confused everyone's divine consciousness. At the time, the only one who may or may not have seen through it was the Angler. As for Luo Chen, he relied on his own exceptional divine consciousness to locate the man once the number of the shadows decreased. That was why he was able to warn Hao Ye. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The man then used multiple enchanted treasures—the pearl, the flying sword, and the Soul-Refining Banner. He perfectly controlled many enchanted treasures at once, surpassing anything an ordinary Adept could manage. This showed how powerful his divine consciousness was. If that was not enough proof, then the moment he surrounded Hao Ye with the banner ghosts and killed him instantly spoke volumes about what he actually specialized in.

Hao Ye may have seemed weak at a glance, but he was actually strong. Whether it was his proficiency with the talisman or the spirit beast he summoned at the last moment, both demonstrated considerable power. The Chiwen was not an ordinary beast; it carried true dragon blood and the potential to become a Titan Beast. It was fierce by nature and resistant to fire. When enraged, its roar was a divine soul attack that disturbed the mind. Those who were struck felt as if their bodies were being burned alive, and the pain was simply unbearable.

With such things at his disposal, Hao Ye was not weak even relative to actual early-stage Adepts. If he caught someone off guard, they would suffer heavily. Yet even after he revealed his trump card, the white-robed cultivator remained completely unaffected. Being able to withstand the Chiwen's roar meant his divine soul foundation far surpassed that of an early-stage Adept.

"I see, so that’s a cultivator of the Soul Refinement Lineage..." Luo Chen murmured. He instantly recalled some of the lineage’s well-known characteristics. The most iconic thing associated with them was the Soul-Refining Banner. Next came their unpredictable combat style. Finally, and most dangerous of all, were the unavoidable divine soul attacks. The white-robed cultivator had revealed all of this in a very short time and matched perfectly with the description of such a cultivator.

Good thing I only pretended to make the first move and I was just watching from the sidelines. Otherwise, those things might have caused me a serious loss. But now...

Luo Chen curled his lips and put the Flowing Fire Hammer into his storage ring. With a flick of his wrist, a long object wrapped in white cloth appeared in his hand. Across from him, the white-robed cultivator stared at Luo Chen as if he were some god or demon. Disbelief filled his eyes as he pointed straight at Luo Chen. "How is that possible?! That green flame pearl was personally refined by a master of fire control of my sect. Anyone below the late stage would be crippled just by touching it, if not killed outright. So how are you completely unharmed?"

Luo Chen chuckled softly. A master of fire? He was such a master himself. The structure of the green flame pearl was somewhat unusual, but it posed no real challenge. Years of alchemy had honed his fire control to a high level. A few adjustments were enough to stabilize the pearl’s energy and bring it under control. The Azure Yang Devil Flame within was pure and powerful, but it was only third-tier. Under the suppression of his Withering-Flourishing True Fire, it could not cause any trouble. It was merely like a startled kitten whose temper he easily soothed. He even had the spare capacity to collect some of the Azure Yang Devil Flame that had poured out of it.

Suddenly, Luo Chen's brow arched. The nine crimson chains floating around him moved as if alive. They converged and struck into the void.

CLANGGG!

A burst of force exploded, and a black shadow that had somehow appeared behind him was smashed backward. It was a flying sword!

Luo Chen's gaze shifted to the white-robed cultivator's outstretched finger. His smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "I thought people were exaggerating when they talked about your lineage. Turns out, I was the one underestimating you. Constantly scheming even in the midst of battle... How insidious."

The white-robed cultivator frowned as his sneak attack failed. The anger faded from his face. He looked at the three Adepts with a calm gaze. At last, his eyes settled on the Angler. "Liu Ziweng, I have no grudge against you. Do you truly want to kill me?"

The Angler curled his lips. "Save it. This has nothing to do with what I want. It's an order from the Myriad Immortal Society."

At the mention of the Society, the white-robed cultivator fell silent. Finally, he said with bitterness and unwillingness, "Pang Bujue, Leng Xiaoyue, Fengling Jushi... that makes sense. They've got a blood feud with my sect. Of course, the Society they built would fight us to the death. Back when my sect still stood, they were nothing but ants, and I wouldn't have even bothered lowering my head to look at them. And now... these nobodies have risen and they want to wipe us out?"

By the end, his expression turned vicious. "You won't let me leave, huh? You really think you've got me scared?"

As he spoke, both his hands shot upward. A sinister surge of mana burst out from his body. The long banner behind him snapped in the air, and dense black light spread outward.

The cries of ghosts and howls of wolves echoed through. Shadows streamed out from the banner and spread everywhere. In moments, they covered the entire area.

The Angler had already been on guard. He formed a hand seal, and his figure faded from sight. When he appeared again, he stood outside the range of the black light. The white-robed cultivator cast him a regretful glance. As expected of the renowned rogue cultivator Liu Ziweng, his combat experience and perception were so sharp that he had sensed the ghostly domain as its energy built up. But that was fine. If Liu Ziweng didn’t get involved, that gave him room to deal with the two remaining opponents.

He glanced at Duan Li, then turned his gaze to Luo Chen. "With your strength, you could've left earlier, so why didn't you?"

"Leave?" Luo Chen said calmly. "Why should I? If I did and you finished off Fellow Daoist Duan Li, it'd only make things harder for me when I deal with you later."

"Deal with me?" The white-robed cultivator sneered. "Big words for someone in your position!"

As he spoke, his figure flickered and disappeared into the dense mass of ghostly shadows. At the same time, an indescribable pressure emerged within the dark domain. Duan Li raised his jade ruler and stayed on guard. He felt his mana stalled, becoming sluggish and difficult to draw upon. Shock showed on his face. "What kind of technique is this?"

Luo Chen looked around at the Ghost Generals and Ghost Kings roaring everywhere, revealing a thoughtful expression. It resembled the ghostly domains where Ghost Kings dwelled, yet the pressure felt similar to a Nascent Soul domain. The only flaw was that it could not control the spirit energy. The devil sect cultivators’ abilities really are extraordinary. But this one shouldn't affect me.

In a flash of thought, Luo Chen unwrapped the white cloth around the long object in his hand. With a tap, ghostly cries erupted, and countless souls surged out, forming a storm that enveloped him. The storm continued to expand and pushed back the dark domain. As expected, the pressure on him vanished, and his mana flowed freely once more.

A voice of surprise came from within the domain. "Didn't expect you to have a Myriad Soul Banner of that caliber. But your control over it is way too rough."

After the surprise came disdain. The next moment, ghostly energy surged within the domain and violent winds arose. From the void came a single word. "Merge!"

Under Luo Chen's gaze, a strange Ghost King that was neither human nor demon charged toward him. As it ran, countless ghosts from all directions converged upon it. Among them were Ghost Soldiers, Ghost Generals, and even Ghost Kings. As they continued to merge, the leading Ghost King grew larger and larger. By the time it reached Luo Chen, it radiated the aura of a late-stage Adept, and it seemed just as solid as a real person. It threw a punch, and the very air seemed to warp.

Luo Chen ordered the countless ghosts within his banner to meet it. But under that punch, the ghosts were like mantises trying to stop a chariot, unable to resist even for a moment. The weaker ones shattered, and only the Ghost Kings barely retained their forms.

Seeing this, he did not hesitate and summoned countless blazing suns behind him. With a beckon, the blazing suns piled up like a mountain and then collapsed violently. Against the massive explosion, the force of the punch was instantly cancelled, and the enormous Ghost King staggered backward.

Luo Chen watched this with satisfaction. As expected, Solar Flare and Landslide could be combined seamlessly. Back in Jadecold City, his moment of enlightenment had brought him many gains. Most of it concerned the path to Nascent Soul, but the rest had allowed him to refine and elevate some of his techniques. This new spell, Solar Landslide, was one of the best results. Its power was at the very peak of the third tier, and with Luo Chen's pure and domineering fire-element mana behind it, its power increased even further.

Even so, the strange Ghost King formed by the white-robed cultivator was not so easy to deal with. It steadied itself and charged again. It roared as it advanced, and waves of sound spread outward and struck at the soul. Anyone else would have lost focus, and even their divine soul foundation would’ve been damaged. Yet Luo Chen remained unaffected and continued to cast fire spells, forcing the massive Ghost King back again and again. At the same time, his divine consciousness swept across the surroundings in search of the white-robed cultivator.

In the distance, a streak of sword light flickered in and out. Each time it appeared, it shot toward Duan Li. The attack was erratic and hard to track. Even with his life-bound jade ruler protecting him, he found himself completely overwhelmed. With one lapse, the streak of sword light pierced through his body and left a bloody hole.

"This is not going to work. I am too passive," said Duan Li. He gritted his teeth and took out a flower basket from his storage pouch. He poured what little mana he had left into it, and the basket immediately triggered a beautiful phenomenon. Flakes of light scattered through the air like falling plum blossoms. As his hand shifted, countless petals gathered into the basket, and the surrounding ghostly shadows were drawn into it despite their struggles.

A vortex formed within the dark domain. The black light around Duan Li cleared away, and the blue sea once more appeared beneath his feet. The domain had been torn open at one corner, and the suppressed mana within him began to flow smoothly again. He felt a surge of joy and prepared to swing his jade ruler.

At that moment, the strange flying sword reappeared. Without hesitation, he struck with his jade ruler and knocked it down. As it fell, its appearance was finally revealed—a sword that seemed to be made of a pitch-black wood. The jade ruler split into countless shadows and sealed it in place. The black sword shook violently, but it could not break free.

Duan Li shouted, "Azure Yang, I've got his flying sword pinned down. If he tries to control it, his divine consciousness will spike! Track it and find him!"

But the only response he got was a shout, "WATCH OOOUT!!"

Duan Li froze for a moment, then focused his mind and turned back. A pale arm shot out from the dark domain and struck toward his heart.

BOOOMMM!

The blow sent Duan Li flying like a kite with its string cut, falling uncontrollably into the sea. The flower basket dropped with him, and its spirit light dimmed. The white-robed cultivator cast a regretful glance in that direction. Damn it! If that bastard Azure Yang hadn't warned him, Duan Li wouldn't have been on guard. At the last second, he used that flower basket artifact to block it. Otherwise, that attack would've killed him outright.

It made little difference, however. That strike had left Duan Li severely wounded; he didn’t look like he’d be able to fight again anytime soon. The white-robed man did not bother to pursue. He shifted his focus, and the pitch-black wooden sword rose into the air under the control of his divine consciousness and flew into the hands of the massive Ghost King. There, the sword grew in size, eventually turning into a gigantic blade that seemed able to split mountains and rivers. At the same time, the Ghost King's eyes burned with eerie blue flames, as if it had gained intelligence.

"Now, it is your turn!"

He had expected Azure Yang to panic when faced with the surging aura of the Ghost King. Yet the latter merely smiled

"You have already fallen into my trap. Just give up."

As Luo Chen’s voice rang out, chains emerged from his body. At the same time, chains appeared across the Ghost King as well! Luo Chen had bound it in place!

A crushing force descended and sealed the massive body completely. The white-robed cultivator hidden within tried to break free, only to find himself unable to struggle loose.

"How could this be?" The white-robed cultivator was filled with shock and anger. He quickly realized that ever since he had unleashed his secret technique, the Ghost King had been entangled in battle with Azure Yang. It had seemed evenly matched, but in truth, his enemy had been laying traps in every exchange.

Clearly, the white-robed cultivator was not one to surrender. His eyes flared with blue light as he stared directly at Luo Chen. But Luo Chen met that gaze without fear; black light spread around him to block the incoming divine soul attack. Meanwhile, strange visions rose within the white-robed cultivator's sea of consciousness. Flowers bloomed and withered; moons rose and fell. In the end, shadowy towers began to take shape.

"Ghost Immortal Tower? An illusion?"

Suddenly, the white-robed cultivator snapped back to awareness. His reaction was swift, worthy of a cultivator proficient in the soul path. He hadn’t been distracted for more than a moment. But in a clash between experts of their level, a single moment decided life and death.

Even as Luo Chen acknowledged his opponent's skill, he struck down with a palm. The Azure Yang Great Handprint appeared once more!

The white-robed cultivator glared at the palm. With no way to evade, he mobilized the power within his soul banner while shouting, "This is useless against me!"

But when the palm fell, a flood of green flames surged within it. This time, the Azure Yang Great Handprint carried the Withering-Flourishing True Fire! With a single strike, the Ghost King was shattered. The white-robed cultivator hidden within was blasted out like a burning fireball. He was badly injured and could no longer sustain the dark domain. The black light that filled the sky dissipated.

Luo Chen ignored how the Ghost Kings from his banner were frantically devouring the remaining hostile souls. He reached out toward the scorching fireball in the air. Crimson chains shot in and pierced the enemy's body.

"Come back!" Luo Chen beckoned, and a charred corpse flew toward him. He remained calm and composed as he turned away.

The Angler looked at him with admiration and approval. "Congratulations! You have officially become a four-star demon hunter of the Myriad Immortal Society!"