The Jade Stone 

In Lian Chen dantian, Lian Chen is currently looking at the Lotus Flower that is currently dormant in his dantian.

"Hmm.. Looks like the 2nd Lotus Flower Petal is about to bloom once I break through to the Nascent Soul stage…" Lian Chen could vividly see that a light green color was radiating from the 2nd Lotus Flower Petal.

As Lian Chen was about to exit his dantian, and focus on breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, the cores around the Lotus Flower caught his attention.

"Wait! Why are there three cores instead of two?" Lian Chen exclaimed in astonishment, taken aback by the unexpected presence of three cores encircling his Lotus Flower within his dantian.

"I should only have formed 2 cores during my breakthrough to the Core Formation Stage… Since when did another core get formed?" Lian Chen pondered, deciding to go closer for further inspection on the new core.

"Isn't this?! Isn't this the jade stone that I bought from the roadside?" Lian Chen exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes fixed upon the core. He struggled to comprehend how the very jade stone he had acquired from a roadside merchant could have found its way into his dantian.

Nonetheless, the appearance of the jade stone within Lian Chen's dantian differed significantly from the one he had purchased from the roadside.

The jade stone he had acquired from outside appeared to be an obsidian-like stone, marred by numerous impurities and dirt that clung to its surface.

However, the present jade stone appeared to have undergone a purification process, devoid of impurities, and intriguingly, it bore an engraved inscription of the word "devil".

As Lian Chen got curious, his arm decided to reach out for it, trying to grasp the jade stone in his hands.

Upon making contact with the jade stone, Lian Chen experienced a sudden shift in his surroundings, as if he had been drawn into the very essence of the stone itself.

When he opened his eyes, Lian Chen found himself suspended in the sky, surrounded by an expansive desert that stretched endlessly in every direction. To his dismay, the once barren landscape was now dotted with lifeless bodies, a haunting sight that spoke of past conflicts and battles.

The air was filled with the lingering echoes of clashes, the sounds of weapons clashing against one another, serving as a constant reminder of the fierce conflicts that had transpired in this desolate realm.

* BAM BAM BAM *

Lian Chen looked up towards the sky, where the source of the sound came from.

On closer inspection, Lian Chen witnessed a fierce confrontation between two figures. Among them, a lady donned in gleaming white armor wielded a majestic sword with an aura that exuded the ability to effortlessly cleave through any foe

Opposing the figure in shining white armor, Lian Chen beheld another being adorned in a sinister reddish-black armor.

This man brandished a spear that bore the marks of countless fallen foes, emanating an overwhelming aura of bloodlust that permeated its surroundings.

Each clash between the two warriors sent reverberating shockwaves rippling through the surroundings, causing the environment to tremble under the force of their confrontation.

The very fabric of the surroundings bore the marks of their clashes, visibly affected by the immense power unleashed by both combatants.

"I can't see anything, tsk!" There was some debris that blocked off Lian Chen line of sight, thus Lian Chen decided to go closer to both of them.

* SHINGG *

Suddenly, the man in the reddish-black armor was pierced by a swift and precise strike from the woman in the shining armor, causing him to fall to the floor, crashing heavily onto it.

The woman descended gracefully, her sword pointed menacingly at the man's neck, as she spoke with firm resolve, "Surrender the devil stone. With that stone, untold calamity shall befall all realms!"

"Calamity? All you pricks just want the stone to get stronger! Just for your own selfishness! Fine… You all want this stone right? Take it then!" The warrior immediately extracted the stone from his own heart and it appeared in his hands.

As the lady extended her hand towards the devil stone, the man in the reddish-black armor swiftly crushed it within his grasp. In that moment, three radiant lights soared into the sky, scattering in different directions, disappearing into the unknown.

"You! Where did you send it to?!" The lady questioned the man in a tone of urgency and anger.

"I wonder? Hahahaha. With that, only the fated one will be able to lay his hands on it.." The man in the reddish-black armor smirked before he collapsed onto the ground.

"Damn it!" The lady swiftly ascended into the air, giving chase to one of the three radiant lights that streaked across the sky in a particular direction.

As the lady had left, Lian Chen decided to approach the man that was lying lifelessly on the floor.

About 3 ft away from the warrior, the warrior suddenly opened his lifeless eyes and it was as if he was looking towards Lian Chen and said: "The fated one… you must restore the stone… and always believe in your heart…."

"What do you me-" Just as Lian Chen was about to ask what does the man mean, he immediately felt a suction of power and he got sucked out of the jade stone.

Lian Chen was once again back to his dantian, the surroundings that he was familiar with.