Chapter 452: The Price of Suppressing Lu Yi
In the skies above a city under Purple Crest Immortal Sect control, an Early-stage Nirvana Peering realm cultivator hovered, waiting with barely contained excitement.
Moments later, streaks of light tore across the horizon, moving far faster than any Nirvana Peering realm expert could hope to match. The six Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouses of the Purple Crest Immortal Sect had arrived.
"Supreme Elder! I found Jiang Chen’s trail!" The cultivator’s eyes gleamed as he hurled out a glowing object.
Sun Xiangyuan caught it without pause and shot forward, the other five close behind.
"Jiang Chen! I’ll see you dead!" His grip tightened around the imprint, hatred blazing so hot it looked ready to burst from his eyes.
Not far behind the six from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, Liang Youwen followed in silence, his eyes flickering with hesitation.
Should I make my move now? he wondered. They’re still far from their sect. No defenses, no advantage. This might be the best chance.
But their killing intent was obvious. Judging by their flight path, they had no thought of returning home—only the burning urge to tear Jiang Chen apart.
That wretch... he dared to scorn the goodwill of my Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace. He’s butchered our Nirvana Peering realm experts, wiping out the very foundation of our future. Unforgivable.
His hesitation faded. The hatred boiling in his chest left only one desire—Jiang Chen’s death.
First, killing him would ease the fury gnawing at his heart.
Second, if the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace and the Purple Crest Immortal Sect started fighting each other, Jiang Chen would be the one to benefit. That was something Liang Youwen refused to allow.
Third, since Sun Xiangyuan and his group had thrown everything into chasing Jiang Chen, they had no plans to return to their sect anytime soon. That gave Liang Youwen the perfect chance. Once Jiang Chen was dead, the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace could immediately turn their blades on the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, stripping them of any home-field advantage.
Fourth, this war wasn’t just about the Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouses clashing at the top. The lower ranks had their own part to play—securing spoils, keeping order, and dealing with the chaos that followed.
With all this in mind, Liang Youwen made up his mind. Jiang Chen had to die first.
For now, the two great powers—the Purple Crest Immortal Sect and the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace—were willing to set aside their rivalry, united by a single goal: Jiang Chen’s destruction.
...
Jiang Chen flew on with Lu Yi at his side, letting Ying Luo use her spatial ability from time to time to speed their journey.
They passed through several cities under Purple Crest Immortal Sect control along the way.
At one point, Lu Yi suggested plundering a few of them, but Jiang Chen shook his head. They didn’t have time to waste. He only struck back when a city dared to attack first—then he wiped out the cultivators inside and took everything of value.
All the spoils went straight into Jiang Chen’s hands. He shared nothing with Lu Yi.
Still, with Jiang Chen’s strength climbing steadily closer to the Nirvana Cleansing realm, Lu Yi could only swallow his dissatisfaction and keep quiet.
Time slipped by as they flew.
Then, a vast black ocean stretched out before them.
The waters and the land around it were lifeless—nothing stirred above or below.
What is this place? Jiang Chen frowned, his instincts—sharpened by the Death Calamity Dark Star Moon Dao Embryo—telling him there was something unusual here.
But after probing through the memories of cultivators bound to him by soul magatamas, he learned the truth. It was nothing more than a barren sea, known to locals as the Forsaken Black Ocean.
Countless cultivators had tried their luck here before—even Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouses from past generations of the Purple Crest Immortal Sect.
None of them found a thing. They left empty-handed.
Worse, the sea held no dangers either.
Because of that, the Forsaken Black Ocean was dismissed throughout the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star as a worthless stretch of water, hardly worth a glance.
But Jiang Chen felt otherwise.
His Death Calamity Dark Star Moon Dao Embryo reacted stronger with every step closer. The sensation of being watched grew sharper and sharper, pressing against his mind.
Something’s wrong. I can’t go this way. Jiang Chen shifted course without hesitation, sliding sideways to avoid the Forsaken Black Ocean.
But before he could get far, the waters below roared to life, churning like a storm. A rasping laugh rose from the depths.
"Hehehe... I never thought I’d meet a dragon-blooded cultivator here—no, not just that, but a true dragon—on this tiny Prosperous Stone Immortal Star! The heavens truly favor me today!"
The hoarse voice grew sharper. "Hand over everything you have, boy. Hehehe!"
Jiang Chen’s expression sank. His eyes turned cold as the truth hit him. This place isn’t ordinary at all.
Even Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouses never sensed anything here. For something to stay hidden from them... its strength must be terrifying. And now it’s set its sights on me. This has to be Heavenly Fate’s hand at work.
It seems I’ve pushed Lu Yi too hard. Now Heavenly Fate itself has chosen to interfere.
Thinking back on how he’d treated Lu Yi—cutting away nearly half of his Heavenly Fate Value while giving him nothing in return—Jiang Chen admitted he might have gone too far.
But it was already done. Handing Lu Yi resources now wouldn’t change a thing. The disturbance had already been triggered, and a terrifying enemy had locked onto him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Forsaken Black Ocean suddenly erupted. In the blink of an eye, the entire sea evaporated, revealing a massive pitch-black skeleton on the seabed.
A few withered strands of hair clung to its skull, drifting in the air.
Inside its hollow eye sockets, two black vortices spun slowly. The malice pouring out from them was so intense it could shatter the soul of any ordinary Transcendence realm cultivator instantly.
Even Jiang Chen, who had long since mastered the Soul Dao, felt a faint sense of danger pressing against him.
Nangong Wan’s voice rang out in his mind. "This thing was once a Void Tribulation realm powerhouse at its peak! Even now, it still carries the strength of a Peak-stage Nirvana Cleansing realm—and it may have even more hidden power."
"Jiang Chen, be careful!" Shangguan Ning’s worried call followed right after.
Peak-stage Nirvana Cleansing realm, huh? Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed, a breath slipping past his lips. It wasn’t relief exactly, but the weight on his chest eased a little.
His current strength was already beyond that of an ordinary Late-stage Nirvana Cleansing realm cultivator.
And after killing Qiu Feng’s seven-man group—two Peak-stage and five Late-stage Nirvana Peering realm experts—he had stored away a vast ocean of qi and blood inside the Wordless Heavenly Jade.
On top of that, the raw cultivation his bloodline had devoured from those seven was equal to about a quarter of their combined strength—a huge gain on its own.
And he hadn’t even touched the piles of spiritual plants he’d collected.
Not to mention the mountain of resources waiting in his grasp: spirit jades, pills, rare materials for forging and arrays, immortal tools, formations, and more.
But above all, Jiang Chen still held over a million points of Villain Value.
That was his ultimate trump card.
Beside Jiang Chen, Lu Yi was frozen stiff, eyes locked on the massive black skeleton. His gut clenched in terror.
Holy shit! A talking skeleton—and strong as hell too! This world really is insane!
On the outside, though, he forced a shaky smile and tried to sound respectful. "Senior, we’re just passing through. Please don’t mind us!"
At the same time, he was elbowing Jiang Chen nonstop, hissing under his breath, "Jiang Chen, we need to get out of here, now!"
"We can’t run!" Jiang Chen’s gaze sharpened. He held out his hand. "Quick, give me your weapon!"
His instincts screamed that trying to teleport away would be pointless. This thing would block it instantly.
After all, the being before them had once stood at the peak of the Void Tribulation realm.
It might not match the great demon tied to Jiang Chen’s Burning World Red Lotus, but the fact remained—this creature had ascended to that legendary height.
That alone was terrifying. Rumor had it there wasn’t a single Void Tribulation realm powerhouse across the entire Profound Jade Immortal Alliance. Even in the vast Everlasting Baseless Immortal Domain, where Nangong Wan once ruled, such figures were unbelievably rare.