At the summit of Danxia Peak.
The majestic aura receded like a falling tide back into the green thatch hut.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
Seeing this, Luo Chen could not help but freeze.
"Did it fail?"
"That shouldn't be possible!"
In the next instant, the wooden door slammed open with a bang.
Wang Yuan strode out, clad in hemp clothes and bare feet, his long black hair draped down his back, stirring even without wind.
Deep within his dark eyes shone joy he could not conceal.
Luo Chen smiled.
"Congratulations on reaching Foundation Establishment!"
Wang Yuan smiled faintly and was just about to speak when his body stumbled slightly.
Looking at that large foot sunk deep into the mountain rock, both men were taken aback.
Wang Yuan knitted his brows. "My cultivation surged so suddenly that my control over my physical strength is off. It seems consolidating my realm is of utmost urgency."
This was something Luo Chen had not anticipated at all.
Yet thinking carefully, it made sense.
Wang Yuan's body refinement cultivation had always stayed ahead of his Qi Refinement cultivation.
Even in the past, his strength had occasionally fluctuated up and down.
Now that his realm had leapt forward by an entire major stage, this phenomenon would only be more pronounced.
With that, Luo Chen abandoned any thought of holding an internal Foundation Establishment ceremony for Wang Yuan.
"Here, take this as my congratulatory gift for your breakthrough!"
"Hm?"
Wang Yuan took the red storage bag, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.
"Is this Huo Hu's old storage bag?"
Luo Chen nodded and smiled. "Yes, it was originally your spoils of war. It took me two years, but I finally unraveled its spiritual sense restrictions completely."
"Now is as good a time as any to return it to you."
Wang Yuan directed his still somewhat clumsy spiritual sense into the storage bag. Scanning it briefly, sheer delight bloomed across his face.
He patted the storage bag.
"It comes at the perfect time!"
"I was just worrying about where to find resources for the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and now here they are!"
As a genius of the Huo clan and a disciple of the Flame Alliance, Huo Hu had never needed to rely on himself to earn cultivation resources on his journey.
Before orchestrating the battle on the Gaoling Plain, he had personally hosted an auction, keeping a portion of the Huo clan's proceeds on his person.
Therefore, this storage bag of his was brimming with wealth!
Luo Chen had inspected it before as well.
Even with his own substantial wealth, he had been shocked by Huo Hu's legacy.
Huo Hu alone was worth more than half of the Duan clan.
Back when he first cracked the restrictions, to be entirely honest, Luo Chen had felt a fleeting moment of greed.
Yet he had quickly suppressed it.
This was Wang Yuan's spoil of war.
With these resources, Wang Yuan would not have to worry about cultivation needs in the short term.
Luo Chen could still clearly distinguish right from wrong.
"Luo Chen, thank you."
Weighing the storage bag in his hand, Wang Yuan voiced his gratitude.
If he had been left to undo the restrictions on Huo Hu's storage bag himself, it would have taken at least several years, which would have been far too troublesome.
Luo Chen's gesture had truly done him a massive favor.
"We are brothers, why bring up thanks?"
Luo Chen waved his hand and said magnanimously, "This was just a small favor, hardly a real congratulatory gift."
Wang Yuan blinked in surprise.
Luo Chen gave a knowing wink. "There's one thing I didn't tell you before. Inside Duan Qiankun's storage bag, I found two magic treasure embryos. I plan to give one to Duan Feng and one to you. However, they're still in the embryo stage, and we need to gather the materials to complete the final steps."
"I'll have our people keep an eye out. When the materials turn up, I'll definitely secure them."
"Once the magic treasure takes shape, you'll possess one of your own."
A warm feeling stirred in Wang Yuan's heart.
He touched the bracer on his wrist. "Actually, I already have a magic treasure. You can keep that embryo for yourself."
The Dragon-Tiger Bracer!
It was a magic treasure that Huo Quan had traded vast amounts of resources to acquire for Huo Hu, containing Dragon Qi and Tiger Fiend of immense power.
This magic treasure happened to be perfectly suited for Wang Yuan, who made use of fiend energy year-round to temper his body.
When Huo Hu was captured back then, this treasure had naturally fallen into his possession.
It was only because he had not yet reached Foundation Establishment that he had been unable to fully utilize it.
"I'm not lacking in such things. Why stand on ceremony with me?"
What Luo Chen did not mention was that there weren't merely two magic treasure embryos in Duan Qiankun's storage bag.
Strictly speaking, the scabbard he himself had acquired could also count as a magic treasure embryo—indeed, it was already formed, lacking only the sword pill as its final component.
However, that object nominally belonged to Tianxingzi.
One could not speak carelessly of such matters, lest it invite unnecessary trouble.
Therefore, the fewer people who knew, the better.
The three of them had essentially divided Duan Qiankun's legacy equally among themselves.
Afterward, Luo Chen simply stayed on the mountain for two days, exchanging insights with Wang Yuan regarding cultivation after reaching Foundation Establishment.
Although Wang Yuan had no intention of treading too far along the path of immortal dao, he at least needed to stabilize his Foundation Establishment realm. Only then would an extended lifespan allow him to venture further along the path of body refinement.
Two days later, Luo Chen descended the mountain.
Yet he did not leave Danxia Peak.
Wang Yuan's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment was a major event and a joyful occasion. Even if they could not celebrate it grandly in public, the cultivators of the Luotian Association ought to feel that joy.
A Foundation Establishment ceremony could not be held,
but there was another way to mark the milestone.
***
"Have you settled on a date?"
Luo Chen looked at the couple standing before him.
The man possessed sharp, starry eyes and sword-shaped brows, handsome and spirited; though the woman was not exceptionally beautiful, she possessed a gentle, skilled demeanor.
United in marriage, they were a match made in heaven in everyone's eyes.
Duan Feng and Feng Xia exchanged glances, then nodded to Luo Chen.
"My realm is mostly stabilized now, and there is no reason to delay the wedding any further. I also asked Min Longyu to calculate an auspicious date. Nine days from now is a fortunate day, suitable for marriage!"
"Good, then nine days it is!"
Luo Chen clapped his hands. "Don't worry about the wedding arrangements. I'll have the Luotian Association take care of everything for you. You just need to wait to enter the bridal chamber!"
Hearing the words "bridal chamber," Feng Xia lowered her head, a visible blush creeping along her neck.
Her relationship with Duan Feng had long ceased to be a secret within the Luotian Association.
Yet so as not to hinder Duan Feng's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, even though they lived together, they strictly observed proper decorum between man and woman.
Now that Duan Feng had finally attained Foundation Establishment, certain things could naturally take place.
***
At Luo Chen's command, the Luotian Association sprang into action.
In truth, it didn't take much time at all.
Murong Qinglian led a group into the city to make massive purchases of everything required for the wedding.
Sima Huiniang hung red silk ribbons and large red lanterns across Danxia Peak, while instructing the logistical cultivators to slaughter pigs and sheep and prepare spiritual wine.
With the efficiency of cultivators and so many hands helping, they didn't even need the full nine days to get everything ready.
As for the tedious rituals of a traditional wedding, since both lacked living elders, they dispensed with whatever could be avoided, inviting only Luo Chen to serve as the wedding witness.
Nine days later!
A grand and boisterous banquet unfolded atop Danxia Peak.
Unlike Duan Feng's internal Foundation Establishment ceremony, which had included only the high-ranking members, this was a celebration for the entire faction, from top to bottom.
Inside the Luotian Great Hall, Luo Chen did not sit alone in the seat of honor. Instead, he stepped down to drink alongside everyone.
The main target of everyone's toasts was Duan Feng, and the secondary target was Luo Chen.
It was precisely under Luo Chen's leadership that they had advanced step by step to their current heights, their hearts filled with hope for the future.
Since it was a rare day when Luo Chen was not standing aloof and detached, they naturally seized the opportunity to drink heartily with him.
Luo Chen accepted every toast offered.
While a crowd surrounded Duan Feng to ply him with wine, Luo Chen breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
The wine used today was of fine quality, purchased in bulk at great expense from Zuixian Dwelling in Tianlan Immortal City.
He had not intentionally expelled the alcohol, and having drunk so much, a pleasant drunkenness began to take hold.
With hazy, drunken eyes, he looked across the hall.
Gu Caiyi moved between the tables like a butterfly darting through blossoms, able to chat and share a few cups with anyone.
Xiugu sat together with Murong Qinglian, chatting about raising children.
Qu Lingjun held Mili's hand, sitting quietly in a corner, while the latter gazed at the large character for "Double Happiness" with envious, yearning eyes.
Qin Liangchen pulled Min Longyu along, reminiscing about the old days on the Dao Discussion Platform in Dahe Market, even thumping his chest and claiming that if he had gone up first back then, he definitely would have flattened him.
Min Longyu merely smiled, not believing a word of it.
This made Qin Liangchen anxious, as he began listing how great his advantages had been back then—having top-grade Dharma robes, and having...
Sima Huiniang sat with her two brothers, sipping her wine in small mouthfuls.
She was usually far too busy.
Moreover, as the director-general, she often had to present an impartial, cold, and ruthless demeanor.
As a result, over the years, the affectionate bond between her and her brothers had grown somewhat distant.
Now sitting together, she pulled Sima Wenjie along to earnestly urge their elder brother, Sima Xian, to start a family.
She knew every fine young woman within the Luotian Association like the back of her hand.
Even if Sima Xian wasn't interested in insiders, there was always the outside world!
As the director-general of the Luotian Association, she had gradually earned a reputation in the surrounding region, and her network of connections had expanded.
Finding a cultivation clan to arrange a marriage for her elder brother would by no means be a stretch.
Pressed by his younger brother and sister, Sima Xian's usually impassive, stoic old face began to show signs of awkward bashfulness.
Aside from them, there were many familiar faces:
Zhou Yuanli, Liu Qiang, Bian Zhen, Su Xiaolin, Xu Xiaoliu, Yuan Dongsheng...
Watching those familiar faces and listening to past memories, Luo Chen drifted deeper and deeper into his cups.
Along the journey, so many people had gathered by his side.
Aside from his cultivation, this was his most precious "wealth."
They were the witnesses along his road to longevity.
"This journey has truly not been in vain!"
Murmuring softly, he stepped outside the hall.
Danxia Peak was ablaze with lights and vibrant colors, with fireworks being shot into the sky from time to time, blooming into dazzling blossoms of fire.
Everyone was reveling.
From Dahe Market to Tianlan Immortal City, they had endured far too much.
The cultivators of the Luotian Association truly needed a grand feast like this to vent the emotions pent up over the years.
Yet this scene felt faintly familiar in Luo Chen's eyes.
"Back when we established our footing on Mount Xiaohuan, there was a wedding feast like this as well."
Back then, the protagonists of the feast were the reformed prodigal Zeng Wen and Xiugu.
Now, times and people had changed.
The Luotian Association was no longer a ragtag group of two or three strays; it now possessed three genuine Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
If they were still in Dahe Market, they would already be an undeniable colossus.
Yet Zeng Wen was no longer here.
"On the road of cultivation, such lively joy is but a fleeting moment."
Although Luo Chen enjoyed such an atmosphere, he knew well that he could never lose himself in its pleasure.
If he wished to witness such scenes again,
only through strength and longevity could he continue watching these landscapes.
As for the present,
there was only Core Formation!
Bang!
A plume of fireworks launched into the sky, bursting in an instant into brilliant sparks.
From behind him came boisterous cheers.
Duan Feng, smelling of alcohol, was being ushered toward his immortal's cave by the cheering crowd.
"President, are you coming to tease the newlyweds in the bridal chamber?"
"No, I won't be going."
Luo Chen waved his hand with a smile, letting the crowd move on.
Watching Duan Feng's radiant, spirited demeanor, a faint sense of emptiness touched his heart.
Yet an instant later, he shook his head vigorously, casting that feeling aside.
"Duan Feng should be pleased with the wedding gift I gave them!"
Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen returned to his residence on Danxia Peak.
It was an immortal's cave where the spiritual energy was relatively dense.
Inside the quiet, desolate cave, Fierce Spirit Incense was gently lit, and a Soaring Dragon Pill was swallowed into his belly.
The solitary figure circulated his cultivation technique, absorbing spiritual energy from all directions.
***
The clamor gradually faded.
Dressed in a form-fitting red ceremonial robe, Duan Feng stepped into the bedchamber.
Gazing at the lovely figure sitting alone upon the bed with a veil over her head, a rare tenderness surfaced on his face.
Taking the auspicious wedding rod, he lifted the veil.
"Sister Xia, I'm back."
Feng Xia's eyes rippled with gentle affection.
"Husband, you must call me your wife from now on."
"Wife!" Duan Feng chuckled, but his smile soon froze. "Your voice?"
The sound reaching his ears was smooth as silk and flowed like a clear spring, tinkling with melodic grace.
Though slightly strange, it was remarkably pleasant to hear.
Gone was the scratchy, dry harshness of past days.
"Your throat!"
Feng Xia touched her throat and sighed softly. "It was Luo Chen. He cured it for me."
For a moment, Duan Feng was at a loss for words.
Only after a long while did he say with deep emotion, "That we could come together is all thanks to him!"
Who could say otherwise?
If not for Luo Chen's dissuasion back then, Duan Feng might have plunged headlong into the flesh-and-blood meat grinder that was the Golden Core ruins of the Guyuan Mountain Range.
In all likelihood, he would not have returned alive.
Without Luo Chen's aid, after Feng Xia was dismissed by Baicao Hall, she would not have survived by running the milk tea shop, let alone having the chance to deepen her feelings with Duan Feng during that time.
That the two could walk together, Luo Chen deserved immense credit.
"In the future, we must repay him properly!" Feng Xia said.
"That's for the future. Let's not speak of that tonight."
Duan Feng climbed into bed and drew the large crimson bed curtains closed.
***
The wedding of Duan Feng and Feng Xia brought a massive impact.
First, it released the gloom the Luotian Association had harbored for years, elevating their solidarity to a whole new level.
Second, the wedding was noticed by all the neighboring factions.
How could they not notice?
On that day, red banners fluttered, crowds gathered in droves, drums and gongs thundered, and firecrackers roared in unison...
The festivities lasted late into the night.
Such a spectacle was rare in the cultivation world.
Only factions with genuine confidence could afford to do so.
Only with strength did one have confidence.
Through this wedding, the Luotian Association had effectively declared its strength to the surrounding factions, large and small.
In the beginning, the Luotian Association possessed only Luo Chen at Foundation Establishment.
Yet in a short time, it had become a force boasting three Foundation Establishment True Cultivators!
Moreover, they had the backing of Ice Fort.
As such, everyone had to take the Luotian Association completely seriously.
Not long after the wedding concluded, good news arrived one after another from Sima Huiniang's side.
The Geng family agreed to cooperate, moving into Biyou Valley to resume their previous business operations.
At the same time, they opened a small market under their family's control, allowing the Luotian Association's pill business to circulate there.
This was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Another development was purely good news.
Previously, because of the pill business, several factions had secretly targeted the Luotian Association, imposing severe restrictions on raw material supplies, prices, and even security deposits.
Now, they lifted all restrictions.
When the Luotian Association's cultivators went to purchase supplies, not only did the other side treat them with far greater respect, but they bluntly stated that the massive deposit was no longer required.
Straightforward cash-on-delivery.
They even hinted at deeper cooperation, suggesting that in the future, the Luotian Association could enjoy the privilege of receiving goods before payment.
Furthermore, a cultivation clan residing on the banks of the Qinhua River downstream of Tianlan Immortal City, after several interactions, actually proposed a marriage alliance with the Luotian Association.
The Foundation Establishment ancestor of this clan had reached the end of his lifespan, with only a few days left to live.
Yet their clan had no capable junior who could attempt Foundation Establishment.
They desperately needed a backer.
Otherwise, they would never be able to hold onto the resources in that territory, and in the future, they would have no choice but to follow the Fu family's example and flee far away.
Now, the wealthy and powerful Luotian Association had entered their sights.
This news was delivered directly to Luo Chen's desk.
"The Li family?"
"Yes, the Qinhua River Li family," Sima Huiniang said.
Looking at the letter, Luo Chen asked in puzzlement, "I recall their family also refines pills, doesn't it? We had commercial conflicts with them before."
"Times have changed. Their ancestor doesn't have much lifespan left and will soon pass away. What's worse, their pill business was battered repeatedly by us and the Zheng family, causing their revenues to dwindle. They could no longer even afford the stipend of a Foundation Establishment consecrated elder they had hired."
"Now that the ancestor is dying and the consecrated elder has departed, the Qinhua Li family is on the verge of collapse."
"Therefore, they desperately crave a new backer to hold things together for a while until a new Foundation Establishment cultivator emerges from their clan."
Through Sima Huiniang's explanation, Luo Chen gradually gained an understanding of this clan.
Looking at the proposal, Luo Chen learned about the general resources of the Qinhua Li family.
Situated beside the river, they possessed a vast grassland where many medicinal herbs were cultivated.
Without a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator to guard it, such an asset definitely could not be held.
A marriage alliance?
"What do you think?"
Sima Huiniang's spirits lifted. "I think it's feasible. The Qinhua Li family's foundation isn't especially deep, but the resources they control are quite remarkable."
"If we win them over through a marriage alliance, whether for mutual benefit or for future absorption and annexation, there is tremendous potential!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly.
It seemed Huiniang was thinking quite far ahead.
Mutual benefit naturally referred to the initial phase of the alliance, where the treaty between both sides would have a time limit.
If they truly produced a new Foundation Establishment cultivator, both sides could continue to benefit each other.
If the time limit expired and they failed, the Luotian Association could absorb them and annex their territory completely.
"Very well, I agree. Was a candidate for the marriage mentioned?"
"The Li family put forward Li Yingjun. Her cultivation isn't very high, barely at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement. Her main appeal is her noble status—she is the granddaughter of the ancestor who is about to pass away."
Sima Huiniang revealed the other side's chosen candidate.
Then, with a slight hesitation in her tone, she said slowly:
"They hope to arrange a marriage with our Luotian Association's Pill Hall Master... Qu Lingjun!"
Not long ago, as Qu Lingjun advanced to the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, Luo Chen had stepped down from his concurrent post as Pill Hall Master and handed it over to Qu Lingjun.
It was to reduce his own burden, and also to encourage Qu Lingjun's progress in alchemy.
As a result, Qu Lingjun had become the youngest and lowest-cultivation Hall Master among the various halls of the Luotian Association.
Yet no one questioned it!
Because Qu Lingjun was Luo Chen's disciple.
And because back when Luo Chen was in the Mountain Breaking Gang, he had assumed the position of Pill Hall Master at that very same cultivation realm.
Yet now, the person the Qinhua River Li family wanted for the marriage alliance was actually Qu Lingjun.
"Now that is rather interesting!"
Chapter 251