Traveling across Tiannan was no sudden whim on Luo Chen's part.
Ever since learning that the Dao Sect's territory had been cleaved into three, he had harbored a vague notion of doing so. More importantly, this continent might hold something he needed!
Of course, taking the opportunity to understand the composition of the powers across the Tiannan Continent was also necessary; it would prove advantageous for the future rise of his avatar.
After leaving Bailu Marsh, Luo Chen journeyed northward at an unhurried pace.
Along the way, he refined the Crimson Firmament Sword Qi as he traveled, while Xiao Bai ranged about, scouting and gathering intelligence on his behalf.
One had to admit that the Tianyuan Dao Sect's foundation was far deeper than the world could fathom. Even after waging wars on all fronts back then, even after suffering the catastrophe of the Demon Phoenix, and even after being fractured into three, the strength on display across the Tiannan Continent remained exceptionally formidable.
At the top, two prominent clans held sway!
The Zhan family was anchored by the great cultivator Zhan Bingtao, who was at the late Nascent Soul stage, while the Mo family—descendants of Sect Master Mo Shouzhuo's lineage—had managed to produce two new Nascent Soul True Persons in just over a decade!
Combined with their extraordinarily capable clan head, Mo Shengxing, they had stabilized the situation.
As for the backbone, it was composed of Nascent Soul clans formed by various Tianyuan prominent families and former Star Gate guest elders.
This middle echelon was by no means weak; according to the figures Xiao Bai compiled, there were roughly a dozen Nascent Soul True Persons alone among them.
When combined with the True Persons of the two great clans, the entire Tiannan Continent boasted around twenty Nascent Soul experts!
In the Tianyuan Dao Sect's heyday, such a number would have been negligible.
At present, however, it was remarkably substantial.
As far as Luo Chen knew, following the great war between humans and demons in the Eastern Desolation, only some twenty Nascent Soul True Persons remained there.
In other words, even the weakest of the three continents governed by the Tianyuan Dao Sect possessed high-end combat strength approaching that of the entire Eastern Desolation.
Naturally, with the batch of Nascent Soul Formation Pills Luo Chen had released and the major sects recuperating in peace, a steady stream of new Nascent Soul True Persons was bound to emerge in the coming years.
As for the modest clans at the very bottom, Luo Chen paid them little heed.
While they might occasionally manage to support a Nascent Soul True Person, their limited foundations ensured such occurrences would be rare.
Aside from evaluating the overall power structure of Tiannan, another major development caught Luo Chen's eye: the Tianyuan Dao Sect had established an organization known as the Dao Palace on the Tiannan Continent. Acting on the sect's behalf, it recruited talented disciples from across this land and provided them with resources to groom them into pillars of strength.
*Establishing branches to keep the sect's name alive—this must be a compromise forced upon the Tianyuan Dao Sect after the collapse of the Central Continent,*
Luo Chen mused upon hearing the news.
The three continents were separated by vast oceans; while crossing them was trivial for high-tier cultivators, it posed an insurmountable chasm for low-tier practitioners.
To maintain fundamental cohesion within the sect, setting up branches to absorb talent was an unavoidable yet exceptionally wise move.
Xiao Bai added from the side, "The Tiannan Dao Palace is overseen by Great Cultivator Zhan Bingtao as its abbot, commanding the overall situation. Beneath him are the Four Imperials Halls, with three Dao Sect core disciples and one former Star Gate guest elder serving as hall masters. All four are formidable in strength and authorized to accept disciples. Moreover, the resources sent over from the ancestral seat of the Dao Sect on the Dongyuan Continent are in their hands."
*Zhan Bingtao?*
Luo Chen muttered the somewhat familiar name to himself.
During his journey to the Southern Border, he had met the man and had brief interactions with him.
He had previously heard that Zhan Bingtao narrowly survived the attack launched by Divine Lord Youli prior to his ascension, but he had not expected him to be entrusted with such heavy responsibility now, overseeing an entire continent.
Who knew if his injuries had fully healed?
Luo Chen merely reflected on him in passing without giving him much further thought.
With his present strength, even if Zhan Bingtao stood before him at his peak, Luo Chen could easily best him.
Luo Chen was far more curious about the masters of the Four Imperials Halls.
If his avatar were to enter the core ranks of the Dao Sect in the future, crossing paths with them would be inevitable.
He thus inquired further, only to unexpectedly uncover two acquaintances.
Recalling the intelligence gathered earlier, Xiao Bai recounted the origins of the Four Imperials' hall masters one by one.
"Ziwei Hall is led by Zhang Bairen, patriarch of the Nascent Soul Zhang clan, who is at the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul stage. Changsheng Hall is held by Long Ting, patriarch of the Nascent Soul Long clan, who sits at roughly the fifth layer. Zhongxing Hall is headed by Hui Yuanhong, a guest elder from the Star Gate; he is a great cultivator and boasts the highest realm among the four hall masters. Rumor has it that he had already filled the vacancy among the Star Gate's Nineteen Elders left behind when the Alchemy Saint ascended..."
"Hui Yuanhong... so it's him!" Luo Chen murmured. Back then, this man had even attempted to recruit him, but Luo Chen had hastily departed the Central Continent, and their paths had never crossed again.
By all rights, when Monarch Qixia attacked the Central Continent, Heaven and Earth Peak was at the very center of the onslaught. As one of the Nineteen Elders, Hui Yuanhong had actually survived.
Not only that, he had been appointed one of the Four Imperials' hall masters on the Tiannan Continent, second only to Abbot Zhan Bingtao.
Surviving a great catastrophe truly seemed to bring lasting fortune.
Xiao Bai continued her explanation.
"Lastly, Houtu Hall is overseen by Fairy Qinglan, head of the Nascent Soul Fu family. Her cultivation is not particularly high, only at the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, but she has practiced for the shortest time. Moreover, she took first place in the Grotto-Heaven Tournament back then, mastering law true intent and bearing the Deity Transformation legacy of the mighty Chun Yuan. Among the four halls, she possesses the greatest potential and is counted among the future Deity Transformation seeds of the Tianyuan Dao Sect. It's said that many clans across the Tiannan Continent yearn to send their nurtured prodigies to Houtu Hall just to forge ties with Fairy Qinglan in advance."
Hearing that familiar name, Luo Chen felt momentarily dazed, his expression turning thoroughly complex.
*It's her!*
The granddaughter of Fu Chaosheng, the proud daughter of the Fu clan, and a core disciple of the Dao Sect whom he had once guarded.
In the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven, his shortcut to comprehending the Wither-Bloom True Intent—apart from the advancement of the Wither-Bloom Divine Fire—had been somewhat aided by observing her perceive the origin of wood.
After claiming first place in the Grotto-Heaven Tournament, Fu Qinglan had entered Zuowang Peak in the Lanke Mountain Range, taking the Deity Transformation expert Chun Yuan as her master. Her cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, enjoying smooth sailing ever since.
She had shared a good rapport with him, and there had even been a subtle thread of affection between them.
Word had it that after the Minyuan Sect was destroyed and the Tianyuan Dao Sect took over the Eastern Desolation, she had searched for him.
Under normal circumstances, they were friends, and Luo Chen might have paid her a visit. Yet wasn't Luo Chen's current plight also tied to Fu Qinglan?
Had he not entered the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven, his life soul would never have been seized.
Nor would he have embarked on this path of enmity against the Dao Sect.
The entanglements of gratitude and grievance were impossible to unravel, leaving Luo Chen at a loss as to how to face her.
"Never mind. We won't be visiting the Dao Palace."
Luo Chen shook his head before asking about something else.
"Xiao Bai, did you find any leads in that regard?"
Xiao Bai perked up. "Though clues are scarce, I managed to find out about a few locations. They're currently marked as restricted areas forbidden to outsiders, which makes them perfect for us to explore."
Luo Chen's spirits lifted as well. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Then let's go!"
...
God Burial Valley!
One of the forbidden zones on the Tiannan Continent today.
Its peril was on par with the Fallen Dragon Abyss guarded by the prominent Zhan clan.
However, given the Dao Sect's current scarcity of personnel and the valley's remote location, God Burial Valley received far less attention than Fallen Dragon Abyss; no guards had been dispatched to watch over it. They had merely erected a hasty isolation barrier, set up boundary stele markers, designated it a forbidden zone, and left it unattended.
Even without guards, no cultivator dared recklessly trespass into God Burial Valley.
After all, legend held that a ghost god lay buried here!
On this day, a black streak of light flew in from the south, touching down on the outskirts of God Burial Valley.
The flying shuttle vanished, and Luo Chen, accompanied by Xiao Bai, arrived before the stone stele at the entrance of the valley.
Sweeping his gaze across it, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Aside from the three characters "God Burial Valley," the stele bore a eulogy listing countless names, every one of them belonging in life to renowned figures of the Tianyuan Dao Sect.
Yet Luo Chen cared nothing for them; his focus was drawn to four words alone: "Minyuan Ghost God"!
"Just as I thought."
Luo Chen knew this trip would not be in vain.
When Monarch Qixia attacked the Central Continent back then, she had not been alone.
Not only did she command the Four Great Desolate Beasts, but she also utilized the Spirit Treasure Myriad Beasts Chart to enslave nine rank five ghost gods from the Netherworld Abyss, each comparable to a Deity Transformation grand cultivator!
It was precisely due to such a magnificent roster, combined with Qixia's own world-shaking power, that she shattered the Central Continent into pieces in a single campaign despite waves of Dao Sect experts laying siege to her!
Over the years, Luo Chen had gradually learned the aftermath of that battle.
Of the Four Great Desolate Beasts, the weakest, the Nether Earth Dragon, was slain on the spot; Qinghexian was gravely wounded and taken away unconscious by Monarch Qixia; Ghost Immortal Tower was hunted down by Dao Sect experts and eventually fled back to the Underworld Sea, its corpse left at Broken Soul Cliff. As for the strongest, the Golden-Winged Roc, it relied on its formidable prowess after the assault on the Central Continent to escape back to the Western Desert.
Such were the fates of the four desolate beasts—some dead, some alive, a decent outcome all things considered.
The nine ghost gods, however, were not so fortunate.
Their very existence came about when Ancestor Tianyuan, a Deity Transformation expert of the Minyuan Sect, sacrificed his life to summon them specifically to contend with Monarch Qixia.
Grudges already ran deep between them, so Monarch Qixia enslaved them merely as expendable fodder.
Confronting the grand cultivator avatars descending from the Profound Realm via the Star Gate, these ghost gods suffered catastrophic blows.
Every single one!
Every last ghost god had been left behind on the lands of the Central Continent.
After their utter demise, the shattered wills of these ghost gods swept up the tragic souls of countless fallen Dao Sect cultivators, forming ghost domains across the five fractured landmasses of the Central Continent.
Two such domains had existed on the collapsed Western Continent before being swallowed by the Underworld Sea.
There was one on the Libei Continent, two on the Dongyuan Continent, and reportedly as many as three on the ruins of Heaven and Earth Peak.
As for the final ghost domain, it lay right here on the Tiannan Continent—the very God Burial Valley before Luo Chen's eyes!
"Master, are we really going in?" Fear flickered in Xiao Bai's eyes.
Luo Chen asked, "Are you afraid?"
Xiao Bai did not hide it. Trembling with fear, she said, "When I was gathering low-tier ghosts in the Netherworld Abyss, I heard many legends about ghost gods from them. Every one of those entities is an ancient existence dating back thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Had the Minyuan Sect not suppressed them, the entire Eastern Desolation might have been shrouded under their reign."
Luo Chen chuckled and shook his head. "Yet they are already dead."
Xiao Bai pursed her lips, deeply worried. "We ghost cultivators possess numerous life-saving techniques. Even if our forms are shattered, we have means to reconstitute ourselves. Entities like these ghost gods possess souls and wills on par with the primordial spirits of grand cultivators; how could they be extinguished so easily? The mere fact that the Tianyuan Dao Sect only classified God Burial Valley as a forbidden zone rather than purging it outright shows just how dangerous it is. Master, please think twice!"
One could hardly blame Xiao Bai for being terrified.
For beasts, ghost cultivators, and even gu insects—non-human beings—the suppression of superior beings was an instinct etched deep into their bloodlines and souls.
Luo Chen, however, laughed heartily, brimming with confidence.
"Stay behind me and just keep yourself safe."
Seeing his mind was set, Bai Meiling could not help but ask, "Master, why are you so determined?"
"Have you forgotten that my Million Fiend Soul Banner is still lacking a primary fiendish soul?"
Bai Meiling froze in astonishment. Was Master planning to use the remnant soul of a ghost god as the main soul?
Before she could process it, Luo Chen stepped into God Burial Valley without the slightest hesitation, leaving Bai Meiling no choice but to scurry after him.
...
Tiannan Dao Palace!
As the newest Dao Sect branch established on the Tiannan Continent, this sprawling, majestic complex gathered the most elite experts across the land today.
One year after its completion, Abbot Zhan Bingtao personally convened a meeting.
The agenda was simple: pooling the strength of all clans to vigorously cultivate a new generation of disciples.
This task fell upon the Four Imperials Halls and the Seven Stars Court.
The Seven Stars Court was responsible for scouting promising seedlings across the Tiannan Continent and assessing the talents submitted by each family, subsequently handing them over to the hall masters of the Four Imperials Halls for guidance and instruction.
With the core agenda settled, Zhan Bingtao began distributing the vast resources sent over from the ancestral seat of the Dao Sect.
The four hall masters eagerly awaited their shares of these generous resources.
Before handing them out, however, Zhan Bingtao issued a stern warning.
"None of you may go through the motions or treat the instruction of disciples lightly. According to custom, the Lanke Mountain Range will hold a tournament every century, and the tournament rankings will determine the next allocation of resources."
"Therefore, once you take these resources, I demand to see results!"
The hall masters of the Four Imperials Halls and the elders of the Seven Stars Court voiced their compliance one after another.
With that, the meeting could be brought to a close.
Just then, a clansman of the Zhan family rushed into the hall, reporting grave news.
"Abbot, there is an anomaly in God Burial Valley! For the past month, ghostly wails have echoed relentlessly from within. Several clan elders suspect that the ghost god shattered and suppressed there is showing signs of revival!"
The announcement caused Zhan Bingtao's expression to change drastically.
Below, one of the four hall masters spoke up without hesitation: "A reviving ghost god rivals a Deity Transformation expert! This matter must be reported to Ancestor Liancheng at once!"
Zhan Bingtao, however, shook his head.
"Out of the question. The ancestor is currently occupied with other pressing matters and cannot spare the time to deal with this ghost god."
"Then what should we do?"
Zhan Bingtao pondered for a moment before offering his assessment.
"Back then, of the nine ghost gods, some were slain and others shattered. How could one revive so easily? Perhaps our subordinates misjudged the situation and mistook ordinary disturbances for a ghost god's return."
"Are we to simply leave it be?"
Zhan Bingtao waved his hand. "Of course not. We will observe the situation before deciding on a course of action. This time, you will accompany me to God Burial Valley. If it truly shows signs of revival, we will suppress it once again!"
This was the best course of action to avoid disturbing Ancestor Liancheng.
Raising no further objections, the crowd followed Zhan Bingtao out of the Tiannan Dao Palace, setting off toward God Burial Valley.
Chapter 1025