Sovereign of the Three Realms

As Ghostbranch used an ever-increasing amount of energy to direct the plants, the aura surrounding him gained in intensity, finally giving Jiang Chen a rough estimate about his position.

"Now's my chance!" rejoiced the young lord. His consciousness firmly latched onto an area roughly ten miles in radius. The demon powerhouse he'd been hunting for so long was certainly hiding there.

Without panic or hurry, he slowly inched closer.

The Immaculate Robe concealed his figure. Even though he strolled among the demonic vegetation, it seemed entirely unable to sense him, as if he had been cut off from this world.

Although formidable, the plants were nothing but puppets controlled by the forefather and weren't particularly perceptive.

To discover the young lord once he was clad in the robe, one needed greater cultivation than him for a start, and also mastery over powerful spatial arts.

Otherwise, it was impossible to perceive the existence of a peculiar pocket of space within a sea of nothingness, or sense the unique fluctuations within that pocket. Following his trail was a hopeless proposition.

Naturally, the demonic vegetation was far from meeting these conditions, as was Ghostbranch.

Jiang Chen progressively made his way closer to his target. The denser demonic presence in the vicinity was an even stronger hint of the forefather's presence.

Absolutely worthy of a treasure left behind by my father. With this robe on, the enemy can't detect me even at such close range!

There were many ways in which he could destroy the demon if he could sneak up on the latter.

No matter how strong the opponent, if one could stand under his nose undetected,

it would be mere child's play to take him by surprise. One was simply spoilt for choice when it came to killing blows.

Ghostbranch indeed hadn't sensed anything, but he had a strange premonition at this precise moment. An Kasyapa had been on the verge of retreating earlier, but he'd suddenly changed his tune, opting to stay behind and prolong the bitter fight.

For one as vigilant as Ghostbranch, such a strange turnaround naturally triggered the alarm.

But what exactly was wrong here? He couldn't tell.

"Did backup arrive?" He immediately strengthened his defenses while sending his consciousness into the vicinity, attentive to any detail that might hint at danger.

Yet, despite scanning the area repeatedly with his mind, he found no threat in the surroundings.

Although extremely suspicious, he fully trusted his own judgment.

He pursed his lips and made up his mind. "This human must be an extraordinary cultivator among his race. He doesn't seem to fear for his life, so he must possess a secret art or a method that allows for immediate escape. To kill him, I must make sure to instantly seal his surrounding space for a moment to stop him from fleeing."

This plan could've easily been put into motion against an initial divine realm opponent, but this was a mid divine realm cultivator. Some extra steps were needed to lock the man into place.

Still, Ghostbranch was confident in his eventual victory.

He hadn't gone in for the kill yet out of a desire to probe the human's limits. He'd also held back, unwilling to use up all his trump cards in a single battle. After all, his greatest moves came at the cost of injury to himself.

But here and now, the intuition of a powerhouse insisted that he had to kill this human by any means necessary. He would more than likely come to regret it otherwise.

He didn't know where this hunch came from, but it was too insistent to ignore. Hence, he started to gather his power.

But at the same time, Jiang Chen stealthily arrived within a few hundred meters of him. The demon's presence was almost palpable at this range.

"So I really can hide this thoroughly." He kept his consciousness in check. The robe prevented him from being discovered, but the demon might sense an unbridled surge of mental activity.

All his efforts would be down the drain if the enemy forefather was to bolt. The young man had no assurance he could locate this particular demon a second time in the midst of his green ocean.

It would be very troublesome if his enemy was determined to flee. For that reason, he bided his time.

Against the demonic vegetation, the True Dragon Rope of Water and Fire was of no great use, and neither was the Measure of Heaven.

But the Great Veluriyam Torch and the Scrutiny of Existence were another story.

He planned to use only one of those two treasures. There was another item more suitable in the present situation: the magnetic golden mountain.

The mountain combined magnetic energy with the incomparably sharp power of metal; the latter was precisely the best counter for these demonic plants.

The magnetic golden mountain and the Great Veluriyam Torch was his ultimate combination for this fight.

The torch would enhance the metal-attribute attacks, while the Great Veluriyam Light could also pin down the opponent's consciousness, momentarily blinding his senses and buying enough time for the young lord to finish him.

A golden beam abruptly pierced the air. Without the slightest warning, the magnetic golden mountain shot to the sky and flashed into an enormous golden mountain that towered in the air. Its aureate radiance illuminated the entire area within a few hundred miles.

Countless magnetic storms roiled toward the ground from the peak of the mountain, sweeping up everything in their path and flattening the plants into dry, broken twigs.

On top of the mountain, balls of keen, golden light transformed into every kind of weapon. They pelted the heart of the area like a hail of ten thousand arrows shot in unison.

In the meantime, Jiang Chen's figure emerged from the void. With a clap of his hands, the Great Veluriyam Torch's divine light tightly shrouded the battlefield.

Not giving an inch, the plants snarled in anger, an army of ancient fiends struggling maddly to escape from their shackles.

Unable to stay hidden any longer, Ghostbranch's figure shook as he jumped out furiously.

Wielding a green bamboo staff, his hair and beard stood upright from the aura flaring around him, imparting a strange, eerie appearance.

Like the fires of the underworld, his two eyes burned a lush green.

As he murmured an incantation, a multicolored fog manifested in front of his staff and crawled through the air.