154: Shura Field starts, verbal battle with the old monster

Above the ancient city, the sky suddenly descended.

That was not the gathering of dark clouds, but the concretization of a certain will.

An invisible, yet mountain-heavy terrifying Divine Might, poured from the Nine Heavens into this abandoned dead city.

The air stopped flowing.

Dust solidified in mid-air.

The crumbling walls and broken bricks groaned under the unbearable weight, and fine cracks spread across the stone pillars and floor tiles.

All living beings in the city, whether they were Yao Beasts hiding in the shadows or lingering resentful souls, had their minds crushed and completely returned to silence at this moment.

Absolute dead silence.

An ancient and grand voice, as if coming from eons ago, echoed throughout every corner.

"Outsider, come out and show yourself."

There was no emotion in the voice, but it contained the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, where words became law, directly exploding deep within Lin Fan's Divine Soul.

Soul Transformation.

And it was an Old Monster who had lived for countless years in the Soul Transformation Realm.

Lin Fan stood before the ancient mural depicting a great battle and a key, slowly raising his head.

The corner of his clothes remained still.

The Divine Might, enough to crush a Nascent Soul Cultivator's Dao Heart, fell upon him like a gentle breeze, quietly dissipating.

He was about to speak.

Just then.

Two completely different streams of light tore through this solidified world.

One came from the east, its radiance gentle, like flowing moonlight, carrying an elegant and serene aura.

The other came from the north, its sword light clear and cold, like ten thousand years of Profound Ice, carrying an unparalleled sharp chill.

They arrived above the ancient city almost simultaneously.

Then, at the same time, they discovered Lin Fan, who was locked onto by that Soul Transformation Divine Might.

Without the slightest hesitation.

The two streams of light suddenly accelerated, one on the left and one on the right, accurately landing beside Lin Fan.

On the left was Zhao Linger.

She wore a moon-white long dress, her brows and eyes as gentle as a painting, but at this moment they were tightly furrowed, her gaze filled with undisguised worry, as she vigilantly looked up at the sky.

On the right was Li Hanyue.

She wore a plain white close-fitting outfit, her temperament as cold as snow, the ancient sword on her back hummed softly, and her icy gaze, like a drawn sharp sword, pierced directly into the sky.

This sudden scene caused the grand will above the sky to pause for a moment.

And on the ground.

A silent war had already broken out.

Zhao Linger and Li Hanyue almost simultaneously sensed each other's presence.

Their gazes collided in mid-air.

In Zhao Linger's eyes, there was first surprise, then a hint of complex and hard-to-read vigilance.

In Li Hanyue's eyes, there was pure surprise, and a confrontational scrutiny.

A subtle and tense atmosphere permeated the air.

Su Meier, who had been standing silently behind Lin Fan, quietly took half a step forward.

Her entire body was almost pressed against Lin Fan's back.

Her soft, voluptuous body, with astonishing warmth, clearly transmitted through his clothes to Lin Fan.

Her enchanting fox-like eyes, capable of captivating all beings, vigilantly swept over Zhao Linger, then over Li Hanyue, and finally, with a hint of possessive reliance, looked at Lin Fan's profile.

The corner of Lin Fan's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Alright.

A debt collector came from the sky, and two more came from the ground.

Now there was one more pressed against his back.

This situation was perfect.

He could clearly feel three gazes, three completely different auras, fiercely clashing with him at the center.

If this continued, before the Soul Transformation Old Monster even made a move, his own side would start fighting.

Lin Fan quickly made a judgment in his mind.

To fight external threats, one must first stabilize internal affairs.

No.

He must first stabilize the big one outside.

A helpless, yet somewhat comforting smile appeared on his face as he softly spoke to Su Meier behind him, in a voice only they could hear.

"Don't be afraid, and don't move."

After speaking, he ignored the gazes from Zhao Linger and Li Hanyue beside him, which almost seemed to pierce him, and took a step forward.

He looked up at the sky enveloped by the Divine Might, his tone as calm as if he were chatting with a neighbor.

"May I ask, Senior, what brings you to me?"

Above the sky, that ancient voice sounded again, this time with a hint of obvious surprise.

"Are they your companions?"

Old Ancestor Xuan Ming was indeed very surprised.

He didn't expect that this mysterious Outsider would have helpers by his side.

Moreover, they were two female Cultivators at the Peak of the Nascent Soul stage, with incredibly solid Foundations and pure, sharp auras.

Judging by their unhesitating, protective stance just now, their relationship was far from shallow.

This made things a bit tricky.

Lin Fan's smile remained unchanged.

"Senior must be joking."

"Junior merely happened to pass by this place, seeking a quiet spot to study the local customs of this Flowing Light Realm."

"As for these two Fairies..."

He paused in his words.

"Mere passing acquaintances."

As soon as these four words were uttered.

Lin Fan immediately felt two icy gazes, almost solidifying, shoot at him from his left and right sides.

Zhao Linger's jade hand, holding the Pill Furnace, tightened slightly.

The sword hum behind Li Hanyue became even clearer.

Lin Fan's expression remained unchanged as he continued to speak to the sky.

"Senior is a Soul Transformation mighty expert, a pillar of the Flowing Light Realm."

"Surely, you haven't come here with such a grand display just to trouble an unknown nobody like Junior, have you?"

Old Ancestor Xuan Ming fell silent.

This young man's words were impeccable.

Neither admitting nor denying.

And he praised him highly, blocking his reason for directly taking action.

What a shrewd mind.

"Hmph."

Old Ancestor Xuan Ming snorted coldly, deciding not to beat around the bush anymore.

"I don't care where you came from, nor who is with you."

"Upon your arrival in this realm, you caused a phenomenon in heaven and earth and severely injured my Nine Heavens Immortal Palace Elder."

"This act has already broken the rules of the Flowing Light Realm."

"Today, I have come to ask you one question: what exactly is your purpose?"

These words carried a sense of judgment.

The Divine Might of Soul Transformation intensified again.

This time, the Divine Might no longer enveloped the entire city, but condensed into a single line, pressing directly upon Lin Fan alone.

Just then.

Su Meier's figure blocked in front of Lin Fan.

A powerful aura belonging to a Yao Race Nascent Soul soared into the sky, and pink Yao Qi formed a tough shield around her.

She stared intently at the sky, not giving an inch.

Her Bloodline aura, belonging to the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, although it couldn't pose a substantial threat to a Soul Transformation Old Monster, caused Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's Divine Soul to feel a faint, elusive irritation.

Zhao Linger and Li Hanyue, seeing Su Meier's selfless protective stance, had even more complex expressions.

Passing acquaintances?

Who would believe that!

What exactly was the relationship between this demoness and Senior Brother Lin Fan?

This thought flashed through their minds simultaneously.

Lin Fan gently pulled Su Meier back and patted the back of her hand.

He once again met the Divine Might, and the smile on his face finally receded.

In its place was a profound seriousness.

"Rules?"

He quietly retorted.

"Does Senior know what era this is?"

"Does Senior know why heaven and earth are changing? Why is Spiritual Qi chaotic?"

"And does Senior know that an Era Calamity, sweeping across all heavens and myriad realms, from which no one can escape, has already descended?"

Lin Fan's voice was not loud.

But every word seemed to carry a grand power that pierced through time and space.

He did not answer Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's question.

Instead, he posed a bigger question.

He instantly elevated himself from an "intruder" to a "prophet" and "breaker of the deadlock."

"I came to this realm not for conflict, nor for power."

"Only to seek a glimmer of hope in this great calamity."

"For myself, and for... this world."

After these words were spoken, the entire abandoned ancient city fell into a deathly silence.

Even Old Ancestor Xuan Ming above the sky was silent.

Era Calamity?

This term touched the oldest fear deep within his heart.

As one of the oldest existences in the Flowing Light Realm, he could naturally feel that some ominous changes had been occurring in heaven and earth over the years.

But he had never thought it would be linked to legendary terms like "Era Calamity."

He looked at the young man below.

The other party's eyes were calm and profound, as if he had truly witnessed the rise and fall of heaven and earth, and understood the secrets of eons.

This made him dare not easily treat the other party as an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator anymore.

"Nonsense!"

Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's voice, though still majestic, lacked some of its previous decisiveness.

"I don't care if the calamity you speak of is real or fake!"

"You must give me an explanation!"

Before his voice faded.

A Divine Thought power, even more condensed and terrifying than before, like an invisible sharp needle, fiercely pierced towards Lin Fan's Sea of Consciousness.

He wanted to forcibly investigate Lin Fan's Foundation!

This was his final test.

Lin Fan's eyes instantly turned cold.

"You refuse a toast and choose a forfeit."

He snorted coldly in his heart.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the ancient chaos bell phantom trembled slightly at this moment.

"Buzz—"

A low, inaudible chime, following Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's probing Divine Thought, flowed backward.

Above the sky, that grand will suddenly fluctuated violently.

Old Ancestor Xuan Ming only felt as if his Divine Soul had been violently struck by an invisible giant hammer.

A sharp pain and dizziness almost made him unable to maintain his Soul Transformation Dharma Idol.

What terrifying recoil force!

Just as Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's mind was shaken.

A profound and mysterious aura flashed across Lin Fan's body.

It was a concept that transcended life and death.

An immortal Dao charm, as if it shared the lifespan of heaven and earth, and the age of the sun and moon.

This aura was a hundred times clearer than what Xuan Yangzi had felt before.

Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's shaken Divine Soul immediately captured this trace of aura.

A monstrous wave surged in his heart.

Immortal!

Immortal body!

The rumors were true!

This young man truly possessed an immortal body!

An unfathomably strong individual, with a mysterious background, who also held shocking secrets like the "Era Calamity," and most importantly... he couldn't be killed.

How could he fight this?

Suppress him?

What if he couldn't suppress him, and formed a deadly enmity with such a monster? Who in the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace, or even the entire Flowing Light Realm, could bear his retaliation?

All of Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's thoughts, at this moment, turned into two words.

Dread.

Profound dread.

The Divine Might above the sky receded like a tide.

Old Ancestor Xuan Ming's ancient voice sounded again, but it already carried an undisguised solemnity.

"Take care of yourself."

"I don't care what kind of 'Dao Protector' you are, nor what 'calamity' you speak of."

"As long as you don't actively disrupt the order of the Flowing Light Realm, we will not make things difficult for you."

"Otherwise..."

"At that time, even if we exhaust the power of this realm, we will thoroughly suppress you!"

After speaking, the Soul Transformation aura that had enveloped the entire ancient city completely vanished without a trace.

As if it had never appeared.

The crisis was resolved.

Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

He finally managed to bluff this old fellow away.

However.

He hadn't finished sighing yet.

"Senior Brother Lin Fan."

A gentle, yet somewhat resentful voice, sounded from the left.

"You, aren't you going to explain?"

Zhao Linger turned around, her beautiful eyes fixed on him.

In her eyes, there was joy at their reunion, shock at his strength, worry for his safety, but more than that, countless doubts, and... the grievance of being defined as "passing acquaintances."

On the other side.

"And her."

A cold, yet questioning voice, sounded from the right.

Li Hanyue also turned around, her gaze moving back and forth between Lin Fan and Su Meier, who was pressed tightly against him.

"You have more secrets now."

Lin Fan felt his head begin to ache.

A Soul Transformation Old Ancestor, he could engage in a war of words, relying on information asymmetry and his immortal characteristic to scare the opponent away.

But these two in front of him... reasoning wouldn't work.

Lin Fan's face immediately adopted an expression of sorrow for the world, as if he were caught in an impossible situation.

He let out a long sigh, his eyes gazing melancholically into the distance.

"Alas, it's a long story."

"Since our last parting, I have been swept into a huge vortex, barely escaping death countless times, unable to control my own fate..."

He began to play the victim, making up a story, trying to steer the conversation towards his "heroic and tragic" misfortunes.

However.

Just as he was racking his brains, thinking about how to get through this "Shuraba" crisis.

An unexpected change suddenly occurred!

Behind him, the ancient altar carved with "key" shaped runes suddenly began to flash violently.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

The black runes lit up one by one, emitting Devilish Qi and Chaos power a hundred times more intense than before.

A powerful, heart-pounding suction force suddenly erupted from the center of the altar.

As if it wanted to swallow everything around it.

[Urgent Alert!]

[The glazed key is about to manifest!]

[Warning! Its Dao Protector has been deeply corrupted by Devilish Qi, its strength is comparable to the Transformation Initial Stage, danger Rank: extremely high!]

Cold System prompts flashed wildly in Lin Fan's mind.

Lin Fan's gaze was instantly drawn to the altar.

All expressions on his face, at this moment, completely faded.

Only an icy solemnity remained.

He knew.

The real challenge had just begun.