Chapter 345: Intercepting an Opportunity, Outside Demon Burial Ridge

This Mo Qingyun was indeed very strong and handled matters quite smoothly.

However, Zhou Chen did not intend to rely on anyone.

What he wanted was to reach the peak using his own strength.

Returning to his Immortal Cave, Zhou Chen began preparing to set out.

He checked the treasures inside his storage ring once more.

The haotian mirror, the chaos bell, the Xianyou Ferry, the xuanyuan ferry, and that mysterious severed hand bone…

These trump cards were enough for him to handle most dangers.

"Demon Burial Ridge, Gu Changsheng's Opportunity, and the Outer Domain Evil Demons…"

Zhou Chen murmured to himself.

"This mission probably won't be very peaceful."

Three days later, at the border of the Central Continent.

A streak of azure light sliced through the sky; it was Zhou Chen driving the xuanyuan ferry toward Demon Burial Ridge.

The xuanyuan ferry truly lived up to its status as an Emperor Rank Top-Grade flying boat; its speed was astonishing, crossing over half of the Central Continent in just three short days.

Zhou Chen stood on the deck of the flying boat, watching the ever-changing terrain below.

From bustling cities to desolate Gobi deserts, and now to this lifeless black land.

The closer he got to Demon Burial Ridge, the more eerie the surroundings became.

The sky was a murky gray, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and a faint smell of blood permeated the air.

Huge cracks and pits covered the ground; some pits were bottomless, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.

This was one of the battlefields where the great experts of the past fought the Outer Domain Evil Demons.

Countless powerhouses had fallen here, and their resentment and Evil Qi had yet to dissipate, turning this land into a forbidden zone for life.

"The outskirts of Demon Burial Ridge are just ahead."

Zhou Chen put away the xuanyuan ferry and landed on the ground.

Before his eyes was a continuous range of black mountains.

The mountains towered into the clouds, their bodies covered in strange patterns that looked like some kind of ancient runes.

Zhou Chen first located an ancient cave indicated by the opportunity panel. Sure enough, inside a storage ring held by a skeleton, he discovered a bottle of Venerable Rank Low Grade Medicinal Pills: Mysterious Origin Breakthrough Pills.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for intercepting the Child of Destiny Gu Changsheng's Opportunity: a bottle of Venerable Rank Low Grade Mysterious Origin Breakthrough Pills (10 pills). Triggering Hundredfold Return.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a bottle of Venerable Rank High Grade Spirit-Ascending Breakthrough Pills (10 pills).]

Zhou Chen showed a satisfied smile.

However, this place was not suitable for refining them. He walked out of the ancient cave and began to carefully observe the sealing patterns of the mountain range.

The great experts of old had set a Seal here to trap the Outer Domain Evil Demons in the deepest part of the mountains.

But now, these runes were clearly much dimmer, and cracks had even appeared in some places.

"For some reason, the Seal has indeed weakened significantly."

Zhou Chen's brow furrowed.

If this situation were allowed to continue, it wouldn't be long before the Seal completely collapsed.

At that time, the Outer Domain Evil Demons trapped within would see the light of day once more.

Zhou Chen took out the recording Jade Slip given by the Academy and began to record the state of the Seal in detail.

Just then, he suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.

Zhou Chen retreated instantly as a black sword light slashed through the spot where he had just been standing.

Boom!

The sword light carved a deep trench into the ground, with black smoke still rising from the edges.

"Your reactions are quite fast."

A cold voice rang out.

Zhou Chen looked up and saw a middle-aged man wearing black robes hovering in mid-air.

The middle-aged man had a sinister face, his eyes flashing with an eerie red light, and his entire body emitted a thick Evil Qi.

Sixth Layer of the Emperor Realm!

Furthermore, this aura was clearly abnormal.

Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes: "Who are you?"

The middle-aged man sneered: "Who I am isn't important. What's important is that you shouldn't have come here."

"Jixia Academy's inspection plan is truly meddlesome."

"Since you've come, then stay here forever."

With that, the middle-aged man attacked again.

This time, it wasn't just one sword light, but dozens of sword lights slashing out simultaneously.

Each sword light contained terrifying Evil Qi, sealing off all of Zhou Chen's paths of retreat.

Zhou Chen's expression darkened.

This guy was coming for him.

And from the other's words, he clearly knew about the Academy's inspection plan long ago.

Could this be that treacherous Imperial Clan?

Zhou Chen checked the opportunity panel silently.

[Name: Jiang Yongqiang.]

[Fate: One of the Jiang Family Elders. He defected to the Outer Domain Evil Demons and completely lost his sanity after absorbing demonic power. He was eventually controlled and died in battle, stopping at the Sixth Layer of the Emperor Realm.]

[Recent Opportunity: None.]

Without time for further thought, Zhou Chen circulated the spiritual energy in his body, and a layer of azure light suddenly surfaced on him.

Azure Lotus Creation Body!

The azure light enveloped Zhou Chen, and the moment those sword lights slashing at him touched the light, their power was reduced by more than half.

Zhou Chen raised his hand, and an azure longsword appeared in his palm.

It was his imperial dao imprint, the qingping sword.

"Slash!"

The qingping sword phantom slashed out, colliding with those sword lights.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions rang out as a terrifying shockwave spread in all directions.

The surrounding rocks were shattered by the shockwave, and within a radius of several miles, not a single blade of grass remained.

As the dust settled, Zhou Chen was still standing in his original spot, completely unharmed.

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly: "You have some skill; no wonder you dared to come to Demon Burial Ridge."

"However, this alone is not enough."

He formed hand Seals, and the Evil Qi on his body suddenly surged.

A black aura erupted from his body, condensing into a massive demonic shadow behind him.

The demonic shadow was a thousand feet tall, with a hideous face, emitting a suffocating pressure.

"This is… Demonization?"

Zhou Chen's pupils constricted.

Demonization was a signature ability of the Outer Domain Evil Demons.

Cultivators who were demonized would lose their sanity and turn into monsters that only knew how to slaughter.

But as a price, their strength would increase significantly.

The middle-aged man before him had clearly been demonized.

And since he could still maintain his sanity, the degree of Demonization was not yet deep.

"Neither human nor ghost. Was betraying the Human Race worth it?"

Zhou Chen said coldly.

The middle-aged man laughed wildly: "Betrayal? Ridiculous!"

"You fools have no idea how wonderful the world outside the Domain is."

"The great experts of the past sealed the demons because they were afraid—afraid that the demons' power would surpass theirs."

"But I am not afraid. I will use the demons' power to break through my shackles and achieve a higher Realm!"

Zhou Chen shook his head: "You're insane."

"Bewitched by demons and thinking you've gained power. How pathetic."

The middle-aged man's face darkened: "You're looking for death!"

He drove the demonic shadow behind him to pounce toward Zhou Chen.

The demonic shadow was extremely fast, reaching Zhou Chen in the blink of an eye, its massive claws reaching out to grab him.

Zhou Chen did not dodge; instead, he raised his right hand.

An invisible ripple spread out from his palm.

Tai Xu Domain!

The Domain expanded instantly, enveloping the demonic shadow within it.

Within the Domain, all Laws were severed.

The demonic shadow's speed dropped abruptly, and the originally terrifying pressure was also reduced by more than half.

Zhou Chen seized the Opportunity, and the qingping sword phantom slashed out once more.

This sword strike contained the power of the Law of Severance.