Chapter 670: Continuing the Hunt: True Lord Tiancang’s Strategy

Seeing Lu Changsheng and the Golden-Winged Roc disappear, True Lord Mingsha and his companions did not pursue recklessly, but instead, they began discussing how to deal with Yangming Zhenren next.

“His spirit beast may be unusual, but such an intense burst of flight can’t last long. Eventually, it will run out of stamina,” True Lord Tiancang remarked.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator from Beast God Mountain, he was quite familiar with the habits of demon beasts.

He understood that the Golden-Winged Roc couldn’t sustain such an explosive speed for many rounds.

And now that they were in the secret realm, they didn’t have to worry about Yangming Zhenren escaping.

“Don’t rush, Daoist Mingsha,” True Lord Tiancang said, noticing True Lord Mingsha’s pale expression.

He understood why Mingsha was so eager to eliminate Yangming Zhenren.

With an enemy of this magnitude still alive, the danger loomed over them, making it impossible to rest easy!”

“This person is quite extraordinary; he isn’t affected by my divine abilities. He might very well be a reincarnated Nascent Soul monster, undergoing a new cultivation cycle,” said True Lord Yunmei at this moment.

After their brief encounter, Yangming Zhenren seemed entirely unaffected by her spells, which was shocking.

This indicated that he either possessed some kind of soul treasure that granted immunity to her charms, or he had a Nascent Soul level spirit.

For a Core Formation cultivator to possess a Nascent Soul level spirit is extremely difficult—it’s several times harder than a Foundation Establishment cultivator having a Core Formation spirit!

Even if one were to miraculously attain a Nascent Soul spirit, they wouldn’t be able to outright ignore the effects of her divine abilities.

Thus, they speculated that Yangming Zhenren was likely a high-level cultivator aiming to break through the mystery of his birth, or a Nascent Soul monster who had taken over another’s body.

Otherwise, it simply didn’t add up for a Core Formation expert to wield this level of combat prowess!”

“Indeed, there’s a high probability he’s a reincarnated Nascent Soul monster who’s undergone a new cultivation cycle,” True Lord Mingsha nodded in agreement.

As three Nascent Soul cultivators, it was humiliating that they couldn’t even manage to kill a Core Formation cultivator who then got away!

If news of this leaked, they would surely become the laughing stock of the Southern Desolation cultivation world! If he was indeed a reincarnated Nascent Soul monster, it might somehow justify their lack of success.

Such occurrences, while rare, were not unheard of among Nascent Soul cultivators.

“Don’t worry; I’ve memorized their aura. He won’t be able to escape,” True Lord Tiancang said hoarsely, temporarily stabilizing his condition after taking a pill from his storage ring.

While he was eager to eliminate Yangming Zhenren, he realized that this adversary was not simple, so it was best to maintain his condition.

“We also need to be cautious; as far as I know, Qingluan Zhenren has also come to this secret realm. If Yangming Zhenren manages to contact her or any other allies, things will get troublesome,” True Lord Mingsha said gravely.

They had dared to hunt Yangming Zhenren because they had the advantage in numbers.

If Yangming Zhenren gathered allies, even just a single Nascent Soul cultivator, they would have to abandon their mission.

After all, without a clear advantage, capturing a Nascent Soul cultivator was exceedingly difficult, especially in a secret realm of this caliber.

“Qingluan Zhenren…”

True Lord Tiancang narrowed his eyes slightly at the name, then nodded slowly.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator from Beast God Mountain, he was even more aware of Qingluan Zhenren’s strength than Mingsha.

Years ago, there had been talks of seizing an opportunity from Qingluan Zhenren, but her impressive capabilities led to the loss of several Core Formation cultivators from Beast God Mountain.

If Yangming Zhenren managed to ally with Qingluan Zhenren, it would spell serious trouble.

A day later.

“Is this it?”

In a cave, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and, seeing that True Lord Tiancang and True Lord Mingsha had not found him, raised an eyebrow.

However, he didn’t let his guard down—he signaled for Ah Wu to continue monitoring the surroundings and to inform him at the first sign of trouble.

Thus, two more days passed.

Just when Lu Changsheng thought he had completely eluded True Lord Mingsha and his companions, the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror sounded an alarm, indicating that True Lord Tiancang’s aura was quietly approaching.

“It seems the issue isn’t just with the Golden-Winged Roc. That person must have some secret method to track me,” Lu Changsheng thought, his expression serious.

While he could use the Golden-Winged Roc to continue evading the three, if they pursued him relentlessly, the Roc’s stamina wouldn’t hold out for long.

Once the Golden-Winged Roc could no longer keep up, given his own speed and strength…”

“Even with the Misty Dragon Nirvana Pill, facing three Nascent Souls alone would be impossible! Plus, the risks are far too great,” Lu Changsheng shook his head gently.

Based on how formidable True Lord Mingsha had been earlier, he knew that if he were to push beyond his limits, as he had against the Heaven Corpse Sect Master in the past, there was a chance he could defeat any of them.

But if all three Nascent Souls were to gang up on him, it would be an entirely different story.

Unless he unleashed everything to fully activate the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror and burned the treasure’s essence! Yet doing so would create a massive commotion, even if he only utilized the Yin-Yang Qi.

“It seems I have no choice but to either kill True Lord Tiancang or injure him significantly,” Lu Changsheng thought, his gaze turning cold as he looked in True Lord Tiancang’s direction.

After spending these days in reflection, his physical condition had almost returned to normal.

The only issue was that the magical energy from his secondary dantian, the Heavenly Yuan Lotus, still needed some recovery.

However, as long as he didn’t fully unleash the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, a brief burst of power should still be enough.

At once, Lu Changsheng grasped the Da Luo Sword Embryo tightly, using the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror to probe True Lord Tiancang.

He could see that this individual was being quite cautious.

Once near these mountains, he began to tread carefully, his body weaving threads of silk, crystal-clear and flowing.

He searched the area as if he were waiting and watching, not rushing to charge in.

Due to earlier experience, Lu Changsheng recognized that he was waiting for True Lord Mingsha and True Lord Yunmei.

“You bastard!”

After their brief encounters, Lu Changsheng had a rough understanding of the strength of True Lord Mingsha and True Lord Yunmei.

True Lord Yunmei had the advantage over True Lord Mingsha.

However, with True Lord Mingsha possessing the Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool as his defensive treasure, Lu Changsheng wasn’t sure who was stronger.

As for True Lord Tiancang, he had broken through to Nascent Soul before True Lord Mingsha, but was not as strong as True Lord Yunmei. Unless he had a top-tier treasure on him, his combat power wouldn’t be that formidable.

“Cultivators of Beast God Mountain usually integrate demon beasts within themselves, resembling beastmasters who have long adopted their pets. Furthermore, they likely possess a spirit beast, so typically their combat power exceeds that of other cultivators of the same level,” Lu Changsheng mused, pondering how he might slay this True Lord Tiancang.

Considering True Lord Mingsha and True Lord Yunmei were not far off, Lu Changsheng felt he should first test this opponent’s capabilities before attempting any sort of confrontation.

Otherwise, if he rushed in recklessly, he might waste magical energy and injure himself.

“Golden Roc!”

Lu Changsheng summoned the Golden-Winged Roc from the Heavenly Yuan Lotus.

Having consumed top-tier pills and rare materials, the Roc was in much better condition.

However, no matter how effective the pill or resource was, recovery still required time, so the Roc had not yet returned to peak form.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to endure so much in the past days; later, I’ll take you back to fight,” Lu Changsheng said, patting the Roc’s head.

As a fierce and untamed demon king, being hunted and chased like this was more frustrating for the Roc than for Lu Changsheng himself.

If it were a wild demon king, it might have fought back with ferocity at the cost of its life!

“Cry!”

The Golden-Winged Roc nodded slightly, its golden eyes radiating a vicious aura assessing those around.

While it obediently listened to Lu Changsheng, laboring without complaint, and even helped him take care of things, it was still a fearsome beast!

“Whoosh!”

In an instant, Lu Changsheng and the Golden-Winged Roc shot forward, charging straight toward True Lord Tiancang.

During this, the Nine Treasures Dao Bone at his chest slowly awakened, surging with a warm energy.

As long as he didn’t push it to its limits, the Nine Treasures Dao Bone could provide Lu Changsheng with a sustained boost, and even heal him using its healing light.

“Hmm!?”

Though the secret realm limited the divine sense of cultivators, True Lord Tiancang, in his current state, possessed extraordinarily keen perception and instantly realized Yangming Zhenren and his Roc were headed his way.

“What kind of method is this? How come his Roc’s aura vanished completely, and now it has appeared again?”

True Lord Tiancang expressed mild surprise.

Since he arrived here, he had sensed the Golden-Winged Roc’s presence vanish and assumed the two had separated.

Nevertheless, seeing them charge together, he snorted coldly, “Do you think this True Lord is easily bullied?”

Following his previous failed hunt, he was taking things seriously with Lu Changsheng.

Moreover, he had initially planned to use his divine abilities to first cripple Yangming Zhenren’s golden Roc before hunting him, but there simply hadn’t been an opportunity.

Now, with the enemy advancing toward him, it was the perfect chance!

“Silk Bind! Poison Mist of the Heaven Silkworm!”

Watching the golden Roc shooting toward him like a meteor, True Lord Tiancang’s plump body seemed like a wall of flesh, countless sparkling threads appearing, forming an intricate web that he began to weave frantically.

Simultaneously, a strange, foul-smelling white gas oozed from his skin, creating an invisible boundary.

Lu Changsheng’s eyes were interlaced with golden runes, spotting the countless threads, and his Da Luo Sword Embryo trembled as endless sword light surged around him, ready to cut through.

At that moment, the Golden-Winged Roc seemed to hear the countless sounds of silkworms buzzing, becoming inexplicably agitated.

Its blood boiled, and it felt an instinctive aversion and sickness toward True Lord Tiancang.

“Hmm!?”

Seeing the Roc’s odd reaction, Lu Changsheng’s expression hardened. He realized something was wrong.

He didn’t know the extent of True Lord Tiancang’s abilities, but it was evident that the opponent had methods to restrain the Roc!

“Clang!”

Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng swung the Da Luo Sword Embryo.

A blinding sword light soared through the air, dazzling like the sun, bursting with endless sharp energy, severing the threads in front of him.

However, those threads seemed remarkably resilient, blending seamlessly with the indistinct energy permeating the area, converging toward the Golden-Winged Roc.

True Lord Tiancang’s bulky figure draped itself in a haze of white silk, isolating him from the brilliance of the Da Luo Sword Embryo.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The two clashes of magical energy surged violently, creating terrifying ripples in the air that crumbled rocks in the distance.

Lu Changsheng’s Chaos Body bore the effects of the Calamity Poison Body, making him particularly sensitive to poisons. He recognized that these threads contained a combination of poisonous energy specifically targeted at the Golden-Winged Roc.

He quickly summoned the Yin-Yang Diagram and cast a third-tier defense talisman to insulate himself from the energy. Then, he unleashed the Brahma Demon True Form, continuing to bombard True Lord Tiancang.

Under the onslaught of Lu Changsheng’s sword light, the portion of True Lord Tiancang’s heavenly silk garment dimmed slightly, but he remained unimpressed, deploying a magical net to weave around him, interlacing with the invisible field formed by the threads.

However, this silk net was merely a top-tier artifact and not a true divine treasure. In the face of the Da Luo Sword Embryo’s brilliant sword energy, several areas dimmed and shattered.

“No wonder Mingsha referred to him as possessing a slaying treasure!”

True Lord Tiancang’s expression grew solemn as he exerted all his Nascent Soul magical energy to accelerate the activation of his life’s magical treasure, the Heavenly Silkworm Garment.

The white silk shimmered brightly, radiating a foul stench as it erupted with brilliance.

“Cry!”

The Golden-Winged Roc screeched, its demon energy soaring to the heavens, its body glowing brightly as the image of the Roc battling a dragon appeared above it, attempting to break through True Lord Tiancang’s interference, yet still feeling inexplicably restless, its blood boiling.

“Another defensive treasure!”

Lu Changsheng discerned that killing True Lord Tiancang would not be easy, considering his precious defensive treasure.

In such circumstances, breaking through this defense would prove challenging within a short timeframe.

Moreover, the opponent’s offensive approach wasn’t directly aimed at Lu Changsheng but rather targeted at the Golden-Winged Roc!

In this scenario, if the Roc fell under the opponent’s influences, Lu Changsheng would be unable to shake off the pursuit of the other three.

“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”

At that moment, the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror in Lu Changsheng’s possession blared urgently, indicating that True Lord Mingsha and True Lord Yunmei were approaching.

“Golden Roc, retreat!”

Lu Changsheng decisively gestured for the Golden-Winged Roc to pull back before finding an opportunity to lay an ambush, using the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror to break through Tiancang’s defenses.

“You think you can escape!”

Seeing this, True Lord Tiancang summoned his magical net, attempting to block their retreat.

“Clang!”

Lu Changsheng unleashed all his strength, sending forth a brilliant sword light that shot like a dazzling meteor, creating a breach in the magical net.

“Roar!!!”

The crystalline threads surrounding True Lord Tiancang and the white mist swirled furiously.

He then unleashed a fourth-tier talisman, transforming it into a massive tiger dozens of feet tall, letting out a terrifying roar that formed a sonic attack before pouncing forward.

The Brahma Demon True Form manifested six powerful arms, striking down like a divine beast pounding a drum, targeting the illusory tiger.

However, this sound wave attack from the savage tiger was directed at the Golden-Winged Roc.

Since True Lord Tiancang’s divine abilities already affected the Golden-Winged Roc, unleashing another fourth-tier talisman pushed the Roc further into chaos, causing its aura to destabilize.

“Cry!”

The Golden-Winged Roc strained against the chaos, screeching loudly as the image of the Roc battling a dragon fused with the Yin-Yang Diagram, propelling Lu Changsheng through the formed chaos.

“This Roc is unusual! Even against my divine abilities, the unique medicine from Beast God Mountain hasn’t fully quelled its restlessness!”

True Lord Tiancang felt surprised that the Golden-Winged Roc could still resist the agitation. He deemed it a cause for caution.

Not wanting it to escape since it had already fallen under his influence, he activated his flying treasure.

True Lord Tiancang’s large body shot forth like a cannonball, driving his divine abilities alongside the Heavenly Silkworm Garment, continuing to interfere and obstruct the Golden-Winged Roc.

However, facing Lu Changsheng’s unparalleled sword light and the Brahma Demon True Form, his body and the Heavenly Silkworm Garment’s glowing brilliance began to wane, forcing him to slow his attack.

“Damn it! I really want to cut through your defenses!”

Lu Changsheng realized that True Lord Tiancang was weaker than True Lord Mingsha.

However, the sheer numbers of his opponents were a challenging factor.

Otherwise, he would have easily roped in this Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Golden Roc, hold on!”

Another wave of sword light erupted, forcing True Lord Tiancang back. Lu Changsheng glanced at the Golden-Winged Roc, feeling the Nine Treasures Dao Bone resonate, consuming his magical energy essence to stabilize its condition.

He also infused the Yin-Yang magical energy into the Roc, checking its status.

The Golden-Winged Roc indicated that its awareness was fading, feeling utterly exhausted, and an aura had completely thrown its blood and demonic strength into chaos.

Had it not been a true spiritual level demon beast, fiercely loyal to Lu Changsheng, it would have been lost to chaos by now.

“I underestimated these Nascent Soul cultivators. While their combat power may be average, their experience as centuries-old monsters grants them unparalleled abilities,” Lu Changsheng realized grimly.

He felt distressed as he sensed through the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror that True Lord Mingsha and True Lord Yunmei were en route to surround him.

“This Roc has already fallen victim to the effects of my Heaven Silkworm Breath and the secret medicinal concoction from Beast God Mountain. It’s about to lose its sanity, spiraling into madness. We cannot let it get away!”

True Lord Tiancang transmitted to Mingsha and Yunmei, charging full force to prevent any mishaps.

After all, Lu Changsheng’s combat power was extraordinarily potent, equating to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, and to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, they prepared to press the attack.

“Damn it.”

Seeing the three of them burning their lifeblood in relentless pursuit, Lu Changsheng glanced back at the Golden-Winged Roc, knowing that it was being compromised by True Lord Tiancang and couldn’t hold on much longer.

“If that’s the case, I can only kill you!”

Lu Changsheng’s eyes glinted coldly, knowing that continuing to prolong this chase would only bring him down, he resolved to risk everything.

Though the trio was fierce, they did not seem unanimously committed.

As long as he displayed a reckless abandon or severely injured one of them, the remaining two would likely hesitate to risk their lives.

If that wasn’t enough, he’d burn his lifespan and the essence of his divine treasures, unleashing the Sun’s brilliance to eradicate them all.

“Armed with the Misty Dragon Nirvana Pill, even if I’m injured and on the brink of death, I can quickly recover to my peak condition, perhaps even take it a step further!”

Over these past days, Lu Changsheng had come to realize that achieving a miraculous recovery from severe injuries through the conventional means would be nearly impossible.

Thus, it would be better to rely on the explosive power of the Nine Treasures Dao Bone to push his body to the very limits of life and death, activating its restorative properties.

It would be painful, but as long as he could take down a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would more than compensate for the loss.

“Golden Roc, go over there!”

Resolving his plan, Lu Changsheng gazed toward the edges of the secret realm, preparing to locate a relatively secluded spot to execute his burst of strength while minimizing the noise, preventing the notice of any Nascent Soul cultivators.