Chu Xuan took out an object at this moment.
It was a lantern, predominantly blue in color. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, with unremarkable patterns etched on its surface. Yet, atop the lantern burned a black-red flame! The flame emitted intense heat, yet it struck a chilling terror to the heart, as if the mere gaze could sear one's primordial spirit.
True Master Tiancang's expression flickered with suspicion.
Was that an top-grade magic treasure? Why did it make him feel such a strong sense of danger? Could it be...?
True Master Tiancang, being a seasoned veteran, immediately condensed his spiritual sense into a massive barrier to protect his primordial spirit.
At that moment, Chu Xuan gave a low shout, channeling a surge of Spiritual Qi into the lantern. The black-red flame on the Green Hell Lamp flared and rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a towering inferno, engulfing True Master Tiancang!
It was the Netherfire Devouring Flame, a flame that not only burned the body but also tormented the soul.
As Chu Xuan unleashed the Netherfire Devouring Flame, he subtly waved his right hand. Fire bees, invisible to the eye and concealed by the surrounding aura, flew out, spreading throughout the entire area, covering every inch of space.
When dealing with any opponent, one must always prepare for contingencies. Especially when facing a Deity Transformation cultivator.
Under the inferno of the Netherfire Devouring Flame, the massive wall of spiritual sense in front of True Master Tiancang began to rapidly dissolve and melt, visibly weakening.
True Master Tiancang's face twisted with shock and fury. He immediately poured more spiritual sense into the wall, almost sacrificing his primordial spirit to keep the barrier intact.
Yet, despite his efforts, the pressure was overwhelming, and the wall could only hold on by a thread. His gaze toward Chu Xuan changed completely.
The man before him was no longer a fat, juicy lamb for the slaughter, but a formidable opponent he had seriously underestimated.
Gripping his teeth through the excruciating burning sensation, True Master Tiancang roared, gathering all his spiritual sense in a desperate effort to fight back.
"Soul Painting Wolves!"
His spiritual sense condensed into a massive, howling wolf, far larger than the two previous ones. This wolf stretched a full ten zhang in length.
Before it, Chu Xuan seemed no more significant than a tiny ant.
"Die!" True Master Tiancang bellowed, his primordial spirit flickering weakly like a shadow, nearly transparent. But he gritted his teeth and roared again, commanding the spiritual sense wolf to break through the Netherfire Devouring Flame and charge toward Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan shook his head slightly.
As expected of a Deity Transformation cultivator, they were indeed difficult to kill. But now, it was time to reveal his trump card.
At that moment, the spiritual sense wolf leaped into the air, its enormous jaws open and sharp claws poised to strike. It aimed directly at Chu Xuan.
True Master Tiancang's plan was simple: as long as he killed Chu Xuan, or even severely wounded him, it would force the man to retract the Netherfire Devouring Flame in self-defense. That would shatter the powerful offensive and bring an end to this battle.
"Fire!" Chu Xuan shouted.
At his command, a swarm of fire bees that had been hiding in the darkness suddenly appeared.
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The black-red flames surged, sweeping across the battlefield like a tidal wave. In an instant, they formed an impenetrable net of fire!
True Master Tiancang's pupils contracted sharply, and he desperately tried to slow down the spiritual sense wolf. However, by the time he reacted, it was already too late. The spiritual sense wolf slammed into the fire net.
"Ah!" True Master Tiancang screamed in agony.
The excruciating pain from his spiritual sense being seared made it impossible for him to think clearly. The spiritual sense wolf, surrounded by the Netherfire Devouring Flame, was rapidly dissolving. It didn't take long before it completely dissipated.
True Master Tiancang fell into total despair. His primordial spirit was gravely weakened. His Ghost King, He Ze, was now entangled by the other two Ghost Kings and could not move. He had lost all ability to resist.
He looked at Chu Xuan, who was walking toward him unhurriedly, and said in despair, "Who are you? Who exactly are you?"
Chu Xuan's expression remained indifferent. "You've been searching for my whereabouts all this time, and now you ask me who I am?"
True Master Tiancang froze.
Searching for me?
Suddenly, distant memories surged into his mind.
He gasped, his face filled with anger and realization. "You are the alchemist He Liang!"
Chu Xuan gently clasped his hands together. "Correct. As a reward, you'll get to keep shining and burning... for a little while longer."
Before True Master Tiancang could say anything, Chu Xuan struck his primordial spirit with a palm, completely taking control of him and performing the Soul Search technique.
One by one, True Master Tiancang's past actions unfolded before Chu Xuan's eyes like the pages of a thick book, flipping over one after another.
"True Master Tianqing is dead... So it was indeed caused by this man," Chu Xuan sneered.
True Master Tianqing, the genius of the Reincarnation Sect who had researched the Body-Snatching technique, was also True Master Tiancang's senior brother.
"True Master Tianqing, I have killed this bastard. I suppose this is your revenge for you," Chu Xuan continued flipping through True Master Tiancang's memories.
Soon, he saw the scene where True Master Tiancang had gone to Celestial Sound Star and used the Soul Search technique on He Ze. Afterward, True Master Tiancang employed divination to learn that a great treasure would emerge in the Starshatter Sea within the next century.
As a result, he had joined the Black Dragon Merchant Guild's convoy and traveled to the Starshatter Sea.
"The Starshatter Sea has a great treasure? Could it be the ancient body-refining sect hidden beneath Desolate Island?" Chu Xuan thought to himself.
It didn't seem likely.
Although the treasures on Desolate Island were valuable, they could only attract Deity Transformation cultivators in the early stages. Higher-level cultivators had not yet arrived.
This suggested that the treasure here did not pique their interest. For them, it would be more worthwhile to search for opportunities in the second and even the first rings of the Starshatter Sea than to waste time here.
Chu Xuan didn't dwell on it any longer. He withdrew his spiritual sense. After the Soul Search, True Master Tiancang was now on the brink of death, completely devoid of consciousness.
Chu Xuan glanced at He Ze once more and sighed softly, "It's time for you to depart. Perhaps for you, this is true redemption."
A Ghost King was indeed important. It would take some effort to sever the master-servant bond between True Master Tiancang and He Ze, but given time, Chu Xuan would gain another formidable Ghost King. However, that was not something he would do.
He had the opportunity back then to turn Liu Zhenxiong, who retained the form of the Black Beast, into a corpse puppet, but he had not. Instead, he had personally buried Liu Zhenxiong.
After all, cultivation was not only about killing and fighting—it also involved human connections and etiquette.
With that thought, Chu Xuan casually slapped his palm down, shattering True Master Tiancang's primordial spirit.
Since True Master Tiancang and He Ze shared a master-servant relationship, once True Master Tiancang died, He Ze would naturally be destroyed along with him.
In the final moments before He Ze completely vanished, a look of immense relief spread across his terrifying face. He gazed deeply at Chu Xuan, and then he dissipated without a trace.
Chu Xuan reached out and took True Master Tiancang's universe bag, casually tossing the corpse into the Heavenly Corpse Tower.
He then unleashed a burst of Netherfire Devouring Flame to erase any traces of the battle, ensuring the area was entirely obliterated. Finally, he took another route and left.
He knew that the commotion here would undoubtedly attract the attention of rogue cultivators. Therefore, the quicker he left, the better, to avoid becoming their target.
Sure enough, not long after Chu Xuan's departure, groups of cultivators began arriving on the desolate island. However, all that awaited them was a vast expanse of scorched earth.
There was no treasure to be found, not even a single hair.
...
On the other side, Chu Xuan had already returned to the Blue Star.
True Master Tiancang's universe bag floated before him. The spiritual sense imprint on it had been thoroughly erased.
"Let me see what secrets a Deity Transformation elder from the Reincarnation Sect holds."
Chu Xuan rubbed his hands in anticipation, extending his spiritual sense to explore the bag's contents.