Before the echo of her words even vanished, she flicked a finger toward Luo Chen. A streak of ghostly light shot toward him at high speed, carrying clear killing intent. She had no intention of giving a potential rival the chance to become a threat.

Luo Chen's expression tightened as the attack closed in. Yet when it came within one zhang of him, it vanished without warning. There was no collision, no flash of light, and not even the faintest ripple of spirit energy. It simply disappeared without causing the slightest disturbance.

"HUH?!" The Seagon Matriarch cried out in shock, clearly not having expected this at all. 

Luo Chen was no less surprised. "Hmm…"

Before they could make sense of it, the same weak voice that had evaluated the pill suddenly sounded. "Within the Alchemy Realm, only the Dao of Alchemy matters. Do not pick a fight, and do not harbor any intention to kill. Anyone who violates this rule again will be executed."

The voice was low and faint, yet it echoed through the mountains, rivers, and drifting clouds of the realm. This time, it was no longer emotionless; there was some killing intent in it, just as faint as the voice itself but no less chilling for it.

When she heard the voice, the Seagon Matriarch's expression turned ugly. Luo Chen, on the other hand, chuckled. He had been fully on guard and already prepared for battle. Yet, while the attack she had just launched had been swift and strangely restrained, the power contained within it had been beyond what an ordinary Adept could take on. Had it truly come down to it, he would have been forced...