Chapter 124: Paranoia and Formation Mastery (I)

Boom!!!

The black beam slammed into the massive defensive shield with a deafening roar, shaking the treetops and sending waves of sound rippling through the grove. The earthen-colored barrier trembled violently, its surface rippling like a great, coiling earth dragon. But it held strong, dissipating the overwhelming force layer by layer.

From above, Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang exchanged grim looks.

"Ninth stage of Qi-Refining," Liu Qiang muttered.

The Qi-Refining realm was divided into early, middle, and late stages. Each stage was distinctly separate. If one ignored factors like spirit roots, meridians, acupoints, and physical toughness—which were less relevant to low-tier cultivators—then the amount of spirit power within the body became the best criterion.

An early-stage Qi-Refining cultivator could barely cast a few basic spells, often struggling to wield even a single low-grade enchanted artifact. In the middle stage, their spirit power expanded significantly. Multiple spells could be cast consecutively, and they might be able to control two or three artifacts at once. If they had a special top-grade enchanted artifact, they could even wield it with difficulty in battle.

Still, mid-stage combat was stiff and formulaic. To onlookers, battles resembled turn-based strategy games: one move, one counter.

It wasn't until late-stage Qi-Refining that things began to change. The cultivators' spirit power allowed fluid combat, their movements becoming swift and graceful, especially with Wind-Control and flight-enhancing artifacts. They finally began to display the poise and precision one would expect from an immortal cultivator.

Among late-stage Qi-Refining, those at the ninth stage stood at the summit. Because the path to Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining was so long, many ninth stage cultivators focused on refining every technique, shoring up every weakness. They were polished, relentless, and efficient.

By comparison, seventh and eighth stage cultivators still needed to focus on breaking through, so their techniques were far less refined and seamless. That's why, most of the time, it took another ninth-stage cultivator to defeat one.

Back on the Debate Platform, out of eighteen cultivators locked in a deathmatch, seventeen were in the ninth stage of Qi-Refining.

The sole exception was Wang Yuan, who followed the path of physical cultivation. The strength of a physical cultivator lies not just in their realm but also in their physical vitality and blood qi energy. Though their realm may be lower, their overwhelming physical prowess often enables them to surpass higher-tier cultivators of the same rank.

In reality, such exceptions were exceedingly rare. And now, with the black-robed cultivator openly revealing his ninth-stage cultivation, Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang both knew—this situation was going downhill fast.

Yet, they showed no sign of panic.

Zhou Yuanli stepped back, leaving Liu Qiang at the front, single-handedly wielding the top-grade defensive artifact.

Luo Chen watched as Zhou Yuanli retrieved a jade token from his storage pouch, muttering under his breath.

"Gang Leader, ambushed in the southwest outskirts, Green Hemp Grove.

"Four enemies. Leader at ninth stage of Qi-Refining."

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

No sooner had the message been sent than a pained grunt rang out from Liu Qiang.

"Old Zhou, I can't hold on much longer!"

Zhou Yuanli stared at Luo Chen. "In a moment, we'll hold off this ninth stage cultivator. You escape when you find an opening. I know you're fast in flight."

Before Luo Chen could even respond, he stepped forward and joined Liu Qiang, each drawing a weapon—one blade, one sword. The two enchanted artifacts radiated dazzling light, roaring like dragons and tigers as they surged toward the enemy.

Luo Chen had always heard that his two bodyguards were formidable, capable of jointly challenging a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator. Now, witnessing the synchrony of their matching top-grade enchanted artifacts, he finally believed it.

Feeling relieved, Luo Chen cast his gaze toward the ground. With Spirit Eyes activated, he discerned the opponents' realms. The black-robed cultivator was indeed ninth-stage, and the three gray-robed ones flanking him were each at the seventh stage. Altogether, they formed a deadly squad.

Just then, the black-robed man looked up and locked eyes with him.

"So, you're Dan Chenzi of the Poshan Gang," he called, his tone casual, even friendly. "My brothers and I are just passing through your little market. Thought we might borrow a few spirit stones."

With that, he chuckled lightly and waved his hand.

Behind him, the three gray-robed cultivators moved in unison, casting their spells without hesitation. Three streaks of spirit light curved around Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang, racing straight toward Luo Chen.

But Luo Chen merely grinned, not bothering with a retort. In the next heartbeat, he turned and bolted. One moment he was as light as drifting snow, the next, he shot through the sky like a soaring roc, wind curling beneath his boots. Within the blink of an eye, he had already slipped beyond the range of the incoming spirit attacks.

The three gray-robed men were momentarily stunned, only to hear their leader's exasperated shout.

"Chase him!" their leader roared. "What are you standing around for? He's the alchemist—he must be loaded!"

The black-robed cultivator remained locked in place, restrained by the combined pressure of Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang's enchanted artifacts. With a curse, the three subordinates launched into pursuit, spirit light trailing behind them as they chased after Luo Chen at full speed.

But after only a few breaths, it became clear that their target was getting farther and farther ahead.

"Damn, this Dan Chenzi is fast!"

"Wait... he's not even using a flying artifact?"

"No, wait, look at his boots!"

"Damn, how are we supposed to explain this to the boss if we can't catch him?"

"Doesn't matter—just keep chasing!"

Though they couldn't close the distance, Luo Chen's figure remained within view—until, suddenly, it staggered. He faltered in the air, then plummeted down into the forest below.

The three were overjoyed, assuming Luo Chen had used some kind of burst technique earlier and was now running out of strength, slowing down.

Emboldened, the trio dove into the snowy forest in pursuit. As they neared the ground, they spotted a lone figure scrambling clumsily through the snow, his face painted with panic.

"There's nowhere to run!" one sneered.

They moved to flank him—one ahead, two to the sides—cutting off all escape routes. The only escape route left was the one they had initially come from. And over there, a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator was still present.

However, before they could secure their positions, Luo Chen had already stopped.

"Who said I was running?" he said calmly.

The entire forest, blanketed in white after days of snowfall, shuddered at his words. With a solemn clap of his hands, Luo Chen activated the formation beneath their feet.

The forest ahead seemed to come alive. Snow burst into the air as massive green vines erupted from the earth, thick and alive, writhing like dragons. In an instant, the environment seemed to transform; it was no longer a snow-covered forest but a verdant jungle brimming with killing intent.

At this moment, this place had become Luo Chen's battleground. The lead cultivator paled and instinctively tried to rise into the sky. But just as his feet lifted, seven beams of green light lashed out from the snow, swirling and weaving through the air like ribbons of death.

A storm of blades had formed.

Meanwhile, Luo Chen calmly turned to the cultivator on the right and made a simple grasping motion. Ten tiny sparks shot from his fingertips.

"A mere Fireball, and you dare act so brazenly?" the man sneered, raising a round wooden shield to block the fireballs before counterattacking.

Yet, in the next moment, the ten sparks grew as they met the wind. In less than a breath, they expanded into massive fireballs the size of basins.

To his astonishment, they came crashing down like a torrential storm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent explosions, flying snow, and piercing screams did not cause Luo Chen to relax in the slightest. He knew the real danger lay with the enemy on the left.

Whoosh!

A crystal-clear, snow-white longsword slashed through the air.

"An ice-element top-grade flying sword?" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow as his mid-grade enchanted robe fluttered without wind, seemingly ready to withstand the strike.

The attacker's sneer deepened. "You're relying on that ragged robe to block my top-grade flying sword? Looks like you're out of tricks.

"Die!"

Yet in the next moment, a shocking scene unfolded before him.

Clang!

A miniature cauldron materialized in Luo Chen's hand—and in the next breath, it expanded into a towering, zhang-tall cauldron. It descended with a thud, blocking the sword mid-air.

Not only did it block the high-grade flying sword, but it also emitted streams of radiant light.

Gold, red, blue, and green light cascaded like tassels, enveloping Luo Chen.

"A top-grade defensive artifact! How is this possible...?" Even as the realization sank in, his heart clenched. Something felt... off.

He activated his Spirit Eyes—and his blood ran cold.

The forest floor, the trees, even the air—everything had been quietly saturated with countless tiny, multicolored stone beads. Each stone bead appeared ordinary. But in such overwhelming numbers, they gave him a nauseating sense of claustrophobic dread.

"Unified Chaos—Detonate," Luo Chen whispered.

Countless stone beads, like swallows returning to their nests, swarmed toward him at the center.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A rapid, drum-like rhythm filled the air, reminiscent of rain pounding on banana leaves—sharp, constant, and unrelenting.

The cultivator beneath the onslaught gritted his teeth, pushing his enchanted defensive artifact to its very limits. But no matter how much spiritual power he poured into it, the barrier fractured—first with hairline cracks, then in jagged shards, until it splintered completely under the rain of explosive beads.

In desperation, he slapped a talisman onto his chest. A translucent shield flickered into existence, but it barely held for three breaths before it too shattered with a brittle crunch, like thin ice under a boot.

Spurt!

He coughed up blood, and a beat later, came the sound of stone beads tearing into flesh. One. Then another. And another.

Once inside his body, the beads did not just explode—they erupted. The force, amplified within the constraints of flesh and bone, was devastating. Within seconds, the cultivator's spirit light extinguished, and all that remained in his place was a swirling mist of blood and steam.

From afar, Luo Chen retracted his gaze.

With a flick of his wrist, he called back the ice-element flying sword, its blade still gleaming with the cold aura it had absorbed from the battle. He gave the battlefield no further glance.

In truth, the explosive force of Jade Essence waste beads wasn't that impressive—not individually. Even with the element of surprise, they only posed a real threat when the enemy was caught off guard.

However, when the quantity reached into the thousands, the power was incomparable. It was a terrifying quantitative change that resulted in qualitative transformation.

Turning his head, Luo Chen looked toward the front.

The one who dared to stand at the forefront was, as expected, no ordinary opponent.

Despite Luo Chen's careful setup—embedding jade blades beforehand, instantly triggering the Matron Blade Formation, and casting a Grandmaster level Entangle—the opponent had managed to escape.

Barely.

He now fled in a state of complete disarray, spirit garments torn and blood seeping from multiple wounds. When he saw Luo Chen looking at him again, panic surged into his eyes. His body trembled, and he turned tail without a second thought.

"I knew it," Luo Chen murmured, watching the man vanish. "Late stage Qi-Refining cultivators... they're never easy to kill."

The Cloud-Stepping Boots beneath his feet shimmered with spirit light. Empowered by Wind-Control and Carefree Wanders, Luo Chen soared into the air, light as a feather.

He passed over a massive crater still burning from earlier blasts. Off to the side, a lone figure writhed in agony.

Without a change in expression, Luo Chen tossed a single bead.

Thud!

Amidst the blazing fire, a struggling cultivator, his gaze filled with pain, suddenly had a small hole appear in his forehead.

Then, the bead detonated.

Boom!

The man's eyes widened in disbelief. His lips twitched into a gruesome smile.

Then his skull burst open like an overripe melon, scattering brain matter into the firelit snow.

Luo Chen, already rising above the forest canopy, did not look back.