Living in the deep palace

With his hands behind his back and an air of composure, Su Chen walked directly alongside the renowned centenarian Nascent Soul True Monarch, stepping onto the broad and cold city wall of Zhenmo City.

Beneath the city walls lies the awe-inspiring, star-river rift, like a scar on a star field.

Within it, thick, ink-like black mist surged and roared, with countless twisted, tormented demonic shadows faintly visible, emanating eerie whispers and mad thoughts that eroded the mind.

"You're Lu Cheng?"

Su Chen looked down at the crack and spoke calmly.

"Yes."

"Junior Lu Cheng."

Lu Cheng followed half a step behind, answering respectfully with impeccable posture.

He truly couldn't see through the person in front of him, but it was precisely this inability to see through him that made him feel uneasy.

What level of cultivation does the other party possess?
Beyond the Nascent Soul stage, there's the Void Breaking stage, the Tribulation Transcending stage, and the Mahayana stage.

Or perhaps a true immortal?

As for Xuanxian, there is only one in the whole world, and that is the ancestor Gu Chenzi, the Xuanyu Immortal!

It couldn't possibly be him, because he knows the other person.

True immortal?

Perhaps, but he always felt that the other party was more than that.

Otherwise, the wisp of malice within him wouldn't have been so terrifying, causing him to cower in fear, as if encountering a natural enemy.

He even had an even more terrifying guess in his mind, but he didn't dare to think about it at all. How could such a person be someone that a mere Nascent Soul True Monarch like him could possibly meet?
"You have guarded this place for thirty years."

Su Chen's gaze remained fixed on the surging demonic energy, his tone calm and indifferent.

"You've been purifying them?"

"Yes."

"This junior has received the divine grace of the Dao Ancestor in opening up a new path, which has enabled me to awaken my spiritual root and embark on the path of immortality."

"This kindness and virtue is like a second birth! I will do my utmost to protect this new era of starry sea that the Dao Ancestor created with his own hands!"

He pointed to the demonic energy beneath the city wall, his voice suddenly becoming sharp: "These evil spirits bewitch people, distort the path of cultivation, and slaughter living beings; they are a malignant tumor that erodes my star sea!"

"They are traitors who have betrayed the order established by the Dao Ancestor!"

"This junior, with the body of a Nascent Soul cultivator, is willing to transform into a sharp sword to purify the world! For the Dao Ancestor..."

His voice was high-pitched, with a martyr-like resolve:
"Kill all the evil spirits!"

"Purify all living beings!"

"You're very good." Su Chen nodded, seemingly quite approving, and praised him sincerely.

He changed the subject slightly, mentioning it as if in casual conversation:
"He is indeed much stronger than... that playboy named Feng Shaoyu from Xinhuo Ancient City."

"Feng Shaoyu?"

Lu Cheng was visibly taken aback, a perfectly timed look of confusion appearing on his face, which quickly turned into a wry smile and a hint of regret.
"I have also heard about the imperial edict that recently came from Xinhuo Ancient City?"

"Alas, the Feng family members are indeed arrogant, even provoking the Dao Ancestor, who has not manifested his power for a long time, to issue a decree to deal with them personally and establish the laws governing immortals and mortals..."

"This is truly a disgrace to us cultivators."

"No." Su Chen slowly shook his head, his tone still calm, but he dropped a bombshell that could shatter the stars.

"I was in Xinhuo Ancient City at the time."

He paused, turned his head to look at Lu Cheng, and clearly uttered the last few words:

"And, I personally... crippled him."

"?!"

These few simple words, to Lu Cheng's ears, were like the first thunderclap at the beginning of chaos!
His heart, which had endured countless trials and tribulations and was as firm as a rock, suddenly stopped beating violently at this moment, unlike anything he had ever done before!
he……

What did he hear?!

The Dao Ancestor's decree incident in Xinhuo Ancient City has already spread throughout the Star Sea. Although the details are not very clear, everyone knows the core of it—the Dao Ancestor transformed into a mortal, crippled an immortal with a single finger, and established the law between immortals and mortals!

And now...

This senior, whom he couldn't understand at all... actually said... that he was present at the time, and... personally crippled Feng Shaoyu?!
Unless he's not a mortal at all!

Unless he is...

A guess that sent shivers down his spine spread through his entire body like wildfire!
Daozu!

Yes, the news of the Dao Ancestor's travels has spread throughout the entire Star Sea cultivation world. It's not impossible that this person is the one right in front of us.

"thump--!"

This is the number one demon-suppressing figure who commands respect throughout the starry sea and strikes fear into the hearts of countless inner demons!
This young man is hailed as the strongest and most dazzling prodigy of the new era!

Lu Cheng! He quickly performed the prayer ceremony.

"Your younger brother...disciple Lu Cheng..."

"No... I didn't know it was the true form of the Dao Ancestor descending! I was blind! Utterly negligent! I failed to greet you properly! I deserve to die!"

"May the Dao Ancestor live a long and prosperous life, and may the Great Dao flourish forever!!"

The entire section of the city wall was deathly silent.

The guards patrolling in the distance saw their god-like city lord perform such a grand salute to a mortal.

Upon hearing the earth-shattering words "Dao Ancestor," they all froze on the spot, dumbfounded, their minds blank.

Su Chen slowly turned around, looking down at Lu Cheng kneeling on the ground, his body trembling slightly. His face was expressionless, his gaze as deep as the starry sea, and no one could know what he was thinking at that moment.

"stand up."

“I am merely taking a brief stroll through this world; such grand gestures are unnecessary.”

"Many years ago, I also went through the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul stages." Su Chen's voice was very calm.

"Yes! Dao Ancestor!"

Lu Cheng stood up.

A dazzling light burst forth from his gentle eyes!
"Dao Ancestor! You...you also came because of inner demons?!"

"You must have come to... guide your disciple on how... to completely purify them, right?!"

He was so excited.

He was tormented by his inner demons for thirty years!
He can only purify, but cannot eradicate!
And now, the Dao Ancestor has arrived!

Everything will be resolved!

however.

Su Chen shook his head.

"I'm not here to guide you."

"I came to see you."

"Also... to see..."

Su Chen's gaze pierced through Lu Cheng and landed behind him, on the long shadow cast by the setting sun over the Demon Suppression City.

"Daozu?"

Lu Cheng followed Su Chen's gaze and turned around.

All I saw was...

He is his own shadow.

"What...is there something wrong with this?"

"You purify your inner demons every day," Su Chen said slowly. "How do you do it?"

“This…” Lu Cheng, though doubtful, still answered respectfully:
"Reporting to the Dao Ancestor."

"I don't know why, but I was born with the ability to control my inner demons."

"All inner demons, when they encounter my Daoist methods, are like ice and snow meeting the sun, melting away on their own."

"This disciple calls this method...Taiyi Purification Technique!"

"Although it's only a Nascent Soul technique, my disciple can even kill some powerful Nascent Soul demons!"

As he spoke, he extended his hand.

"Om-!"

A ball of moon-white light, pure to the extreme, appeared in his palm.

"Dao Ancestor, please look."

"This is the light of purification for your disciple."

Su Chen looked at the ball of light.

Birth?
No.

It's not born.

order?

It doesn't look like either.

This is a kind of...

Su Chen, a Dao I've never seen before!
"It is with this light that I purify my inner demons!" Lu Cheng said with pride.

"is it?"

Su Chen smiled.

"Then... purify it once and show it to me."

"As ordered!"

Lu Cheng took a deep breath.

He thought this was a test from the Dao Ancestor!

"Dao Ancestor! Please... step back!"

Lu Cheng suddenly took a step forward!
The aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage erupted with a thunderous roar!
"Beast!"

He roared at the crack in the starry river!

The Dao Ancestor is here!

"You all... why aren't you purifying it at once!"

"boom--!"

He single-handedly stirred up the inner demons within the crack!
"Roar--!"

"Jiejiejie——!"

Within that crack, endless black mist surged!
Hundreds and thousands of twisted, crazed demonic shadows soared into the sky!

Towards Lu Cheng...

Do not!
It was pointing towards the mortal beside Lu Cheng, whose life force had completely vanished...

Su Chen!

Pounced over!

They could clearly sense that as long as they parasitized the body of this human figure, they would be blessed with extraordinary fortune.

They can leap over the dragon gate!
Unfortunately.

They had no idea how extraordinary Su Chen was.

Su Chen didn't take this seriously and didn't deliberately make a move to kill these minor demons who were only at the Nascent Soul stage or even those who were hiding at the Void Breaking stage.

"court death!"

Lu Cheng is furious!

Before the Dao Ancestor, how can one allow inner demons to run rampant!
"Taiyi Purification Technique!"

"Radiance...forever!"

"boom--!"

Lu Cheng has erupted!

He transformed into a moon-white sun!
It was billions of times smaller than the Azure Sun of Su Chen's Jianmu tree.

But the will to purify is exactly the same!
"Chichichichi——!"

The moonlight shines on all places!

Those hundreds of inner demons actually...

Melt like ice and snow!

It let out a piercing scream!
"No...no! It's the Purifier!" "Run! Run!"

"Ahhhh——!"

In less than ten breaths!

All the countless inner demons...

Purify!
The sky above Zhenmo City was clear and bright.

"call……"

Lu Cheng dissipated his divine light and returned to the city wall, his face pale.

But his eyes were incredibly bright!

Before the Dao Ancestor, he displayed his most perfect Dao!

"Dao Ancestor!" Lu Cheng exclaimed excitedly, bowing deeply. "This disciple... has not failed in his mission!"

“You…you see, this inner demon has already…”

"Are you full?"

Su Chen interrupted him.

He uttered a sentence that made Lu Chengdao's heart tremble.

"What?" Lu Cheng was stunned.

"Are you...full?"

"Dao Ancestor...why do you say that?"

Su Chen did not answer him.

Su Chen simply watched him quietly.

Looking at his pale white Taoist robe.

And that, because of the setting sun, the shadows... stretched out.

"You really purified them?"

Su Chen asked softly.

"still……"

"You just... put them away?"

"boom--!"

Lu Cheng's sea of ​​consciousness exploded!

"Dao Ancestor! What...what do you mean by this?!"

"Disciple...disciple does not understand!"

"This disciple's loyalty to the path of immortality is as clear as the sun and moon!!"

He thought that the Dao Ancestor... was doubting him!

"You do not understand?"

Su Chen smiled.

"it is good."

"Too."

"You are still too insignificant in front of it. Perhaps you could sense its presence before, but as you grow, it has far surpassed you at a terrifying speed. It is too easy for it to modify your soul and memories."

"Then, I will let you...understand."

"What exactly is hidden inside you?!"

"hehe."

"Although to me, no matter how much I grow, I'm still just an ant... I can't cause any trouble at all, but I'll still take care of it anyway."

Su Chen slowly raised one foot.

He was looking towards Lu Cheng's shadow.

Gently...

Stepped on it.

"boom."

A soft sound.

"The Dao Ancestor?" Lu Cheng was even more bewildered.

Why... did you step on his shadow, Dao Ancestor?
What is going on now?
Could it be... that he has really forgotten something?

For some reason, whenever he thought about recalling something, he felt a sharp pain in his mind, as if his soul was incomplete.

however.

next moment.

Lu Cheng was shocked.

he……

He can't move!

Su Chen's foot clearly only stepped on his shadow.

However, his Dao body at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage...

His immortal body, the number one demon suppressor...

They were frozen in place!

It was as if one's shadow had been stepped on...

Not a shadow.

But it was his...

The vital point!

is his……

soul!

"Dao... Dao Ancestor... You..."

Lu Cheng was scared!

For the first time, he felt fear!
"do not move."

Su Chen said calmly.

"The wind is about to rise."

"Look clearly."

"Look closely... at you over the past thirty years..."

"They've all been purified...something."

Su Chen, stepping on the shadow's feet.

Slowly...

I crushed it.

"boom--!"

"Do not--!"

A piercing scream, not belonging to Lu Cheng, erupted suddenly from Lu Cheng's shadow...

It erupted!
“Ahhhhh——!”

"Stop...stop!"

"Stop...stop!"

"Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch!!"

Lu Cheng lowered his head in horror!

He saw it!

His shadow, which should have been lying flat on the city wall...

It's twisted!
It's rolling!
Wailing!
The shadow seemed to come alive!

It was at Su Chen's feet...

beg for mercy!

"This...this...this..."

Lu Cheng's Dao heart, at this moment...

Broken.

"My...shadow?"

"Do not."

Su Chen, stepping on the shadow, shook his head.

"This is not your shadow."

"This is……"

"You have purified the inner demons that you have been purifying for thirty years."

"That is also true..."

"You, a hundred years ago, had the greatest opportunity."

Su Chen suddenly lifted his foot!
"boom--!"

A force billions of times larger than the one Lu Cheng purified of hundreds of inner demons…

Pure malice!
Utter chaos!
Purely...

An aura of impending doom!
From that shadow...

Soaring into the sky!

"Jiejiejie——!"

"Hahahaha!"

The shadow suddenly stood up the moment it was freed!

It's no longer flat!

It transformed into a three-dimensional entity, composed entirely of pure black mist and malice...

Humanoid!

one……

With Lu Cheng...

Exactly the same...

Dark Lu Cheng!

"Su...Chen!!"

That dark Lu Cheng, the fragment of that calamity, the source of that inner demon!
Surprisingly, he called out Su Chen's real name in one breath!

"a hundred years!"

"You finally... saw me?!"

"Hahahaha!"

Dark Lu Cheng laughed maniacally.

"You think you've won?!"

"You think you've purified the Heavenly Calamity?!"

"you are wrong!"

"You just... shattered it!"

"but me……"

Lu Cheng, in the darkness, greedily sniffed the murderous aura and malice of the cultivator in the Demon Suppression City.

"...Nourished by this new Immortal Path..."

"Already...reborn!" (End of Chapter)