274: Incompetent Lu Chen

Bai Jingjing didn't know whose memory it was, nor did she know where the monstrous hatred came from.

But one thing she knew clearly—

As long as she stepped out of Lu Family Village, that Divine Thought would find her, and she would surely die!

Only on this land protected by Lu Chen could she barely survive.

She slowly rose, her lotus steps moving lightly, approaching Lu Chen, a faint orchid fragrance subtly emanating from her body.

She lifted her face, her red lips slightly parted, her voice soft and bone-numbing:

"Master has been wandering outside for these ten years, he must have suffered immensely... Tonight... let this servant serve you well, to wash away your fatigue, would that be alright?"

Before her words finished, she had already raised her jade hand, her fingertips gently touching the tie on her shoulder, and with a slight tug—

With a "hiss," her plain white dress slipped halfway down, revealing a snow-white fragrant shoulder and a faintly discernible collarbone, gleaming with an alluring luster under the candlelight.

Lu Chen swallowed: "Stop, if you continue like this, I'll have to make you leave."

Bai Jingjing deliberately turned sideways, letting the moonlight outline her perfect profile, her red lips close to Lu Chen's ear, her breath like orchids:

"Master... why are you so resistant to me? Have you ever touched a woman? Do you know... how intoxicating a woman's tenderness can be? Would you like... this servant to teach you?"

Lu Chen frowned, raised his hand and waved, a gentle force lightly pushing her back three steps, and said coldly:

"No need!"

Bai Jingjing froze in place, her beauty radiant, yet unappreciated.

She bit her lip, a hint of shame and confusion flashing in her eyes.

Master... am I not beautiful enough? Or... do you simply not like women?

Could it be... that you're not good in that aspect? Is that why you've always been cold to me?

Countless conjectures churned in her heart—

Lu Chen ignored her wild thoughts, turned and walked into the inner room, his voice calm but unquestionable:

"I will enter seclusion early tomorrow morning."

"This seclusion might last for several years, or even longer."

"You stay and help me watch over the village. If anything major happens, you can inform me."

Bai Jingjing looked at his retreating figure, slowly pulled up her dress, and a faint light flickered in her eyes: "Yes, Master!!!"

The next day, early in the morning, Lu Chen bid farewell to the Village Chief, Lu Xiaohu, and the others.

"I'm going to the back mountain for seclusion. This time, it might be very long. Of course, if anything important happens in the village, you can inform Bai Jingjing and have her come find me."

Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately became solemn.

Every time Lu Chen made a Breakthrough, Lu Family Village gained another measure of peace and dignity!

Village Chief nodded tremblingly:

"Go... The village is in our hands."

Lu Chen arrived at the back mountain, shook his sleeves, and eight spiritual lights shot out consecutively from his hands, hovering in mid-air—these were the eight heaven-reaching spirit treasuress he had obtained through life and death in the heavenly dao instance!

The dragon fiend spear, its thrust like a dragon's roar, capable of summoning the Evil Qi of the Nine Netherworlds;

The Four Symbols Statues: four stone statues of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, containing ancient Formations that could suppress a region of heaven and earth;

The Five Elements Dragon Pillars: five giant pillars of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, each inscribed with ancient Talismans, capable of drawing upon the power of the Five Elements and reversing Yin and Yang;

And in the very center, an ancient bronze lamp with a flowing, faint light quietly hovered—

The nine lives reincarnation lamp!

This item was a heavenly dao forbidden item, capable of reversing death and granting Rebirth!

Lu Chen's expression was solemn, he formed a hand seal, and let out a low cry:

"Activate Formation!"

In an instant, using the eight heaven-reaching spirit treasuress as a Foundation, he set up an Eight Extremities Heaven-Sealing Formation!

The Formation patterns spread from the ground, like dragons and snakes coiling, layer upon layer, setting up a total of nine Restrictions!

Furthermore, thirty-six defensive Talismans encircled the Void Realm, forming a "Formless Barrier" that isolated all aura.

If not for this, the aura emitted by these supreme treasures, even a hint of it, would be enough to alert the top powerhouses of the entire Tianqi Continent, and might even tear space, causing anomalies in heaven and earth!

He sat cross-legged in the center of the Formation's eye, closed his eyes to adjust his breathing, and began to refine these heaven-reaching spirit treasuress one by one.

The Four Symbols Statues sank into the four directions, guarding the Formation's eye and stabilizing its Qi mechanism;

The Five Elements Dragon Pillars rooted themselves in the earth, drawing upon the power of the Five Elements of heaven and earth, providing him with a continuous supply of Spiritual Qi for his subsequent Breakthroughs;

And that nine lives reincarnation lamp was far from an ordinary resurrection artifact.

It contained a trace of the Heavenly Dao's Law of Origin—controlling life and death, determining Reincarnation, and severing Karma.

Lu Chen sat quietly at the heart of the Formation, his fingertips lightly touching the lamp body, feeling a sense of connection.

His heart of the heavenly dao within his body actually produced a strange resonance with the Nine Lives Lamp!

In an instant, the lamp's core light surged, and a wisp of golden supreme heavenly dao energy slowly overflowed from the lamp, like liquid divine light, flowing along his Meridians into his Dantian, merging with the heart of the heavenly dao!

This energy was incomparably pure, containing the power of rules that transcended the mundane!

Lu Chen immediately activated the "Six Paths Primordial Heaven Qi Art"!

Based on the Six Paths of Reincarnation, it fused Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, ultimately condensing the "Primordial Heaven Dharma Aspect." Once it reached Major Achievement, one could wield the authority of the Six Paths, unparalleled under heaven!

His eyes suddenly opened wide, and he let out a low cry:

"Condense!"

Immediately, the golden energy surged within his body, rushing through his Meridians along the circulation route of the "Six Paths Primordial Heaven Qi Art," reshaping his Dao Foundation!

With each cycle, his Physical Body grew stronger, his Divine Soul solidified by an inch, and even the Golden Core in his Dantian began to take on a chaotic color, as if nurturing an existence beyond the Nascent Soul Realm!

At this moment, he was no longer simply absorbing the power of the Spirit Treasure, but was forging his own Dao with the hand of the Heavenly Dao!

Using the lamp to comprehend the Law, using the Law to merge with the Dao, ascending to heaven step by step!

This process was extremely slow and extremely perilous.

But Lu Chen was not at all impatient.

He was not in a hurry to Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm.

On the contrary, he wanted to refine his Foundation to the extreme—

Every wisp of Spiritual Qi had to be as condensed as mercury, every Meridian had to be widened to its limit, and every inch of his Divine Soul had to be indestructible!

He knew in his heart:

Once he Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm, it would definitely trigger a world-shaking Lightning Tribulation. At that time, not only the Tianqi Continent, but even the Spirit Realm would probably sense it!

Those Soul Transformation old monsters and Undergoing Tribulation giants who were slumbering, which one of them hadn't lived for thousands of years and possessed heaven-reaching means?

If his Foundation was unstable and he rashly made a Breakthrough, he would not only be unable to contend, but would instead become the target of all, attacked by the masses!

So he had to ensure—

Once he broke through his Realm, he would possess the strength to directly confront Soul Transformation cultivators and even contend with Undergoing Tribulation powerhouses!

Only then could he truly stand undefeated in this world!

...Since that day when they smuggled into the Tianqi Continent from the shattered passage of the Spirit Realm, Lady White Bone, Green Crow, and Blood Luo Ji had been quietly lurking in this Small World, secretly accumulating strength.

Among them, Lady White Bone, You Tan, had hidden deep within the Desiccated Bone Forest of the Southern Barbarian Lands for ten years, nourishing her Primordial Spirit with the Yin Evil Qi of the earth veins.

Although her main body was incomplete, her methods were cunning. In ten years, she had refined tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment Realm Yao Race Puppets, quietly becoming the largest force in the Southern Barbarian Lands.

While absorbing the Spiritual Qi from these Puppets, she recovered one-tenth of her Soul Transformation cultivation.

Don't underestimate this one-tenth; it was enough to sweep across the entire Tianqi Continent.

At the same time, she had these Puppets help her investigate the Tianqi Continent.

Finally, she uncovered a shocking secret—

Ten years ago, a deep abyss fissure appeared in the depths of the Southern Barbarian Lands, from which supreme treasures emerged, attracting many powerhouses such as Bai Qi, Wan Yuan, and Ming Hui to flock in.

But strangely, all who entered disappeared without a trace, not even leaving behind a Divine Soul imprint!

Lady White Bone's eyes flickered with a faint light:

"The Spirit Realm's turmoil, Qing Ming's disappearance... must be related to this matter!"