Chapter 1230: 1230: Tit for Tat

Chapter 1230: Chapter 1230: Tit for Tat

An ancient voice, ethereal and fleeting, filled with eeriness, evoked a strong sense of unease.

The voice was utterly unfamiliar; Feng Wuchen had never heard it before.

Feng Wuchen frowned slightly, his gaze shifting to the high heavens, but he could not pinpoint the exact location of the voice.

The disciples of Tianshi Immortal Mansion were a bit panicked. For so many years, no one had ever dared to intrude upon Tianshi Immortal Mansion so boldly. Apart from the Eight Great Heavenly Emperors, there was truly no one who had the audacity to invade Tianshi Immortal Mansion like this.

“This voice… it’s the Ghost Valley Master!” Su Xuan froze for a moment and then cried out in shock.

“Indeed! It’s him!” Zhen Xuantong frowned deeply, recognizing the identity of the intruder merely by the voice.

“Ghost Valley Master?” Feng Wuchen frowned again. He had heard the name many times but had never met the person.

A boundless and terrifying aura suddenly descended from the heavens, covering the grand and majestic palaces of Tianshi Immortal Mansion. The horrifying pressure caused the disciples of Tianshi Immortal Mansion to collapse to the ground one by one, unable to withstand it, their faces pale and drained.

Zhen Xuantong, his face filled with terror, exclaimed, “The late-stage peak realm of the Heavenly Emperor!”

“No, it’s even stronger,” Su Xuan furrowed his brow deeply, feeling the intense pressure of the terrifying aura that weighed heavily upon him.

“The sheer momentum is already so dreadful. This old man’s cultivation has clearly surpassed the realm of the Heavenly Emperor. Even Ying Hun, the Pavilion Master, is inferior to him. Moreover, his soul power has reached the Celestial Immortal Grade realm, far stronger than Senior Su Xuan. Truly worthy of the title of once being the Ling Realm’s foremost alchemist,” Feng Wuchen muttered as he furrowed his brow deeply.

This level of terrifying might was far more intimidating than Emperor Ling. Since arriving in the Heavenly Realm, Feng Wuchen had never encountered a stronger foe—and now, he had.

“Welcome, Ghost Valley Master,” Su Xuan greeted politely, enduring the overwhelming and terrifying pressure.

As Su Xuan’s voice faded, a vast cluster of radiant white light appeared out of nowhere in front of Feng Wuchen and the others, condensing instantly into the form of an elder.

The black-robed elder was Ghost Valley Master himself.

“Ghost Valley Master,” Su Xuan, Zhen Xuantong, and the others cupped their fists in respectful greeting.

Ghost Valley Master smiled faintly and said, “Su Mansion Master, Elders, it has been a long time.”

“Indeed, it has been a long time. Ghost Valley Master, please come in,” Su Xuan smiled and gestured, upholding the courtesy due to a guest.

“No need,” Ghost Valley Master replied indifferently.

“Master, Ghost Valley Master’s sudden arrival is definitely no good sign,” Zhen Xuantong transmitted his voice anxiously.

“He’s here for Lord Feng. Ghost Valley Master’s power is astounding; do not act rashly,” Su Xuan warned through a voice transmission. Despite the strength of Tianshi Immortal Mansion, even they could not afford to offend Ghost Valley Master.

Feng Wuchen scrutinized Ghost Valley Master and asked calmly, “Senior, you are Ghost Valley Master?”

Ghost Valley Master replied plainly, “I am.”

“Ghost Valley Master, what brings you to seek me out?” Feng Wuchen inquired.

Fixing his elderly gaze on Feng Wuchen, Ghost Valley Master said, “You carry the aura of someone I once knew.”

“He must be referring to the young master of the Dragon God Clan—back then, he nearly met his end at the hands of the Dragon God Clan’s young master and has an acute sensitivity to his aura,” Feng Wuchen thought to himself.

“Who is the person Ghost Valley Master is referring to?” Feng Wuchen feigned curiosity and asked.

“I know your identity, and you likely know some things about me as well. Do you need me to make things clearer?” Ghost Valley Master smiled as he asked.

“And then?” Feng Wuchen asked, not believing that Ghost Valley Master had come just to confirm an aura from an old acquaintance.

“At the Artifact Refining Conference, I heard that you demonstrated the divine skill of Thought-Forming Instrumentation, which only Divine Grade artifact refiners have the opportunity to comprehend. You hid it deeply; even I didn’t realize you were an artifact refiner,” Ghost Valley Master said with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Feng Wuchen responded with a faint smile, “What exactly does Ghost Valley Master wish to say?”

“Legend has it that top-tier alchemists can also achieve One-Thought Pill Concoction, which is akin to Thought-Forming Instrumentation despite being a different path. I have researched it for many years but have made no progress,” Ghost Valley Master shook his head and said.

“Ghost Valley Master has already pointed out that both One-Thought Pill Concoction and Thought-Forming Instrumentation can only be comprehended at the Divine Grade realm. Although your soul power is astonishing, it is merely at the Celestial Immortal Grade realm—a step short of the Divine Grade. Without reaching the Divine Grade, no amount of research will yield results,” Feng Wuchen said with a faint smile.

“At the Artifact Refining Conference, your soul power was merely at the Innate Grade realm, not the Divine Grade. How could you achieve Thought-Forming Instrumentation?” Ghost Valley Master countered, his skepticism about Feng Wuchen’s Divine Grade realm evident.

“So the essence of Ghost Valley Master’s visit is for this,” Feng Wuchen laughed, surmising the reason for Ghost Valley Master’s arrival.

“Exactly. I wonder if Wind Shadow Master would be willing to share it with me? As for your killing of Moon God Palace’s thirty-six Heavenly Monarch experts and Grand Commander Jiang Shuihan, I won’t hold those against you,” Ghost Valley Master asked with a smile.

“What?” As these words left Ghost Valley Master’s lips, Su Xuan and the three elders’ expressions drastically changed.

“Thirty-six Heavenly Monarchs, including Jiang Shuihan? Could Lord Feng really kill so many Heavenly Monarchs on his own? This old Ghost Valley Master is ambitious—could his true intention be to force Lord Feng into revealing the secret of Thought-Forming Instrumentation?” Su Xuan thought in shock.

“Even Jiang Shuihan fell at Lord Feng’s hands? The rumors of Lord Feng’s terrifying strength are undeniably true,” Mu Tian thought with a furrowed brow.

“Th… Thirty-six Heavenly Monarchs! Jiang, the realm’s strongest commander, was also slain by Lord Feng!”

“Moon God Palace’s Grand Commander perished at Lord Feng’s hands! Is Lord Feng’s strength truly so fearsome?”

“How frightening! Thirty-six Heavenly Monarchs…”

The disciples of Tianshi Immortal Mansion were utterly terrified, their souls seemingly escaping their bodies.

“What if I refuse?” Feng Wuchen asked with a faint smile, unperturbed.

The faint smile in his words carried an unmistakable hint of tension.

As Feng Wuchen’s words fell, the smile on Ghost Valley Master’s ancient face vanished instantly.

Ghost Valley Master, a Grand Elder of Shengxian Divine Hall, wielded command over the Eight Great Heavenly Emperors and was one of the chief rulers in the Divine Clan’s hierarchy of power.

Faced with such a formidable foe, how could Feng Wuchen ever consider sharing the secret?

Ghost Valley Master was simply deluding himself.

The atmosphere instantly turned eerie and oppressive. The silence was deafening, yet an intangible pressure descended, suffocating everyone present.

Su Xuan’s old face grew even graver, clearly sensing the escalating tension.

“Mansion Master, if Ghost Valley Master takes action, what do we do?” Nie Guhong asked anxiously through a voice transmission, utterly uncertain about his next move.

On one side was the insurmountable Ghost Valley Master; on the other was the Divine Grade artifact refiner Feng Wuchen.

Su Xuan gave no response—for he, too, was at a loss.

Feng Wuchen gazed at Ghost Valley Master, his face unflinching, his eyes calm and unwavering.

Ghost Valley Master locked his profound, ancient eyes on Feng Wuchen, a confrontation of wills!

In terms of cultivation, Feng Wuchen admitted he could not match Ghost Valley Master. However, his alchemic mindset far surpassed Ghost Valley Master’s, and his domineering soul power had reached the Celestial Immortal Grade realm.