Tit for Tat: Luotian Counterattacks on Three Fronts!

In accordance with Li Jinhuang's dying wishes, the funeral proceeded. However, the coffin held no remains, only the garments he had worn in life—a cenotaph, nothing more. Clad in his Red Cloud dharma robe, Luo Chen attended the ceremony from beginning to end. When he stepped forward to offer incense, every member of the Li clan bowed to him in solemn respect. Everyone understood. In this greatest crisis of the Li family's history, among all their past business partners and Li Jinhuang's old friends, not a single one had chosen to lend a hand. None except Luo Chen! Even when surrounded by the three Hu brothers, as well as mid Foundation Establishment powerhouses like Wei Tuo and Dan Yuanzi, he had held his ground without retreating half a step. For such boundless benevolence, the Li clansmen would be grateful for the rest of their lives. More importantly, before Li Jinhuang's soul dispersed, he had handed over the Chilong Sword—the symbol of the clan head's authority—and entrusted it to Luo Chen's safekeeping. This showed just how deeply he had trusted Luo Chen. Because of that trust, Luo Chen's standing within the Li family had skyrocketed, his prestige at one point even surpassing that of the current clan head, Li Yingzhang. At dusk. By the banks of the Qinhua River, Luo Chen handed a talisman treasure to Li Yingzhang. "Senior, this..." "Take it," Luo Chen said, resting his hands behind his back. "I know you don't lack supreme-grade dharma artifacts, but sometimes a talisman treasure can turn the tide of battle. I will keep the Chilong Sword safe for you. Come claim it after you reach Foundation Establishment." Li Yingzhang gripped the talisman treasure and nodded heavily. Luo Chen gazed into the distance, his eyes seemingly spanning mountains and rivers to rest upon the desolate, barren slopes of Mount Tanqiu. "When cutting weeds, one must dig up the roots." "It wouldn't be fitting for me to take action against a flock of Qi Refining remnants. Lead your men and go!" A fierce glint flashed across Li Yingzhang's face. "As it should be. If they dare strike first, I dare hit back harder. Tonight, I will lead our men on a surprise raid of Mount Tanqiu and wipe out the Hu family!" Luo Chen nodded and rode his cloud away. He had not discussed the details of future cooperation between the Li family and the Luotian Association with Li Yingzhang. Such trivialities would be arranged naturally once Sima Huiniang came out of secluded cultivation. With his heroic stand to protect the Li family paving the way, the partnership was bound to go smoothly. Factoring in Li Jinhuang's arrangements prior to his death, the Li family was sure to concede substantial profits. All in all, Luo Chen would not lose out on this deal! He had reaped great benefits, and under the watchful eyes of all, he had displayed awe-inspiring might. It could truly be called rising to fame in a single battle! From now on, his name would be counted among the myriad powerhouses of Tianlan Immortal City. First, he had defeated the Three Loose Cultivators of Danxia in a single strike, and then he had slain the three Hu brothers. Faced with a powerful foe of the same cultivation level like Wei Tuo, he had required only one move to shatter the man's body and soul. From start to finish, he had not even used a dharma artifact or magical treasure. In places Luo Chen was not yet aware of, countless loose cultivators had already begun spreading his fame. Trustworthy and true to his word, fiercely defending the descendants of an old friend's clan solely for the sake of several years of acquaintance! Generous and lenient toward his own, yet ruthless toward outsiders! Possessed of profound Dao arts and masterful in battle, particularly at prevailing against overwhelming odds! Because he had worn a Red Cloud dharma robe during the battle on the Qinhua River and had mostly displayed fire-element spells, loose cultivators gossiping over tea had already pinned numerous Daoist titles onto him. Daoist Red Cloud, Lord Fire Spirit, Danxiazi, Loose Cultivator of Qinhua... Titles of every sort, too many to enumerate. *** On a desolate mountain where spiritual energy was exceedingly scarce, Luo Chen took back the Soul Refining Banner. Then, he waited. Before long, a figure arrived riding the mist and clouds. "Brother Luo, you were truly grand and imposing today!" Luo Chen's eyes flickered, and he readily changed how he addressed the man. "Behind that grandeur, I had to rely on you to give me backing, Brother Chu!" Chu Kui landed before him and waved a hand. "It wasn't me who gave you backing. It was your spirit stones that gave you backing!" After waving, his outstretched hand remained open. Luo Chen gave an easy smile and tossed over a storage bag. "Here's the final payment. Go ahead and count it!" "Haha, as if I wouldn't trust you!" Even as he spoke, Chu Kui still counted the spirit stones right in front of Luo Chen. Watching him, Luo Chen took no offense. Business was just like this. Not counting in person showed courtesy, but counting openly was only natural. For this grand battle, Luo Chen had planned extensively in advance. Over at the Luotian Association, he had left every Foundation Establishment True Cultivator aside from himself at Mount Danxia. Not only that, he had also given two hundred medium-grade spirit stones to Min Longyu so that Min could activate the Seven-Color Danxia Grand Formation without any worries. Beyond that, he had prepared three backups for the Qinhua River. The first was Li Jinhuang's revival secret technique. The second was using the Soul Refining Banner to cover a retreat. If things went poorly and he had to flee, he could use Little Black from the banner to hinder the enemy's pursuit. The third was Chu Kui. To enlist this expert, Luo Chen had paid an upfront deposit of thirty thousand spirit stones alone. They had agreed in advance: Chu Kui would not need to intervene against enemies in the early or mid Foundation Establishment realm. If a late Foundation Establishment grand cultivator appeared, Chu Kui would be responsible for intercepting them. If Chu Kui did not need to fight, the final payment would be seventy thousand, rounding up to a total of one hundred thousand. This was Chu Kui's lowest asking price, typically what he charged for dealing with early Foundation Establishment matters. He had offered this discounted rate only because Luo Chen was wealthy and generous, and might bring more business in the future. After all, it was their first cooperation, so he treated it as testing the waters! Of course, if it came to a head-on battle with a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and Chu Kui actually had to fight, the price would certainly not stop at one hundred thousand. Two hundred thousand? No! That was only the rate for dealing with mid Foundation Establishment foes. If he truly had to do battle with a grand cultivator, Chu Kui's price usually started at five hundred thousand. For someone like Daoist Huangsha, who was a minor realm higher than him, Chu Kui would dare demand seven or eight hundred thousand from Luo Chen after the fight! However, Chu Kui was no battle maniac. Everything was solely to earn resources. If he injured himself for the sake of a few spirit stones and delayed his eventual breakthrough to the Golden Core realm, the loss would far outweigh the gain. Thus, earning one hundred thousand effortlessly was far better than risking life and limb for seven or eight hundred thousand. It could be said that Chu Kui was the true foundation of Luo Chen's confidence in holding the pass at the Qinhua River all by himself. Before long, Chu Kui finished tallying the spirit stones. "All clear, the balance is settled. Do you want this storage bag back?" Luo Chen smiled freely. "It's mere pocket change. There's no need for us to be so formal." "Generous!" Chu Kui gave a thumbs-up and openly tucked the storage bag into his robes. Having earned another hundred thousand in one go, he could slack off in a superior-grade cave abode for another two years. Seeing Luo Chen's furrowed brow and calculating expression, Chu Kui couldn't resist asking, "I imagine the Luotian Association isn't the sort to take a beating without striking back. You'll surely be making big moves next. "Is there anywhere else you need my help? "Just say the word, and I, Tianlan's Timely Rain Chu Kui, will be the first to back you up!" Luo Chen rolled his eyes. "Forget it. Hiring you is far too expensive. My Luotian Association can handle the upcoming matters on our own." Chu Kui shrugged, his interest waning. He didn't press the matter; after all, there would be plenty of time in the future! For any faction that wished to expand, conflicts with rivals were inevitable. In a tight space like Tianlan Immortal City, who wasn't tied to someone else through clan or marriage? When the time came, Luo Chen would surely have need of him. In any case, their first cooperation had gone very smoothly, and Luo Chen had his voice transmission jade token. There would be plenty of opportunities for Chu Kui to earn spirit stones! Before departing, Chu Kui suddenly spoke up. "Actually, even without me stepping in this time, you probably wouldn't have run into any real trouble." "Hmm?" Luo Chen frowned, looking puzzled. Chu Kui pointed toward Tianlan Immortal City. "That block of ice, Tantai Jin, came by here once earlier." Luo Chen fell silent at this revelation. Chu Kui chuckled, said nothing more, and took his leave. After he had departed, Luo Chen glanced around at his surroundings. Shaking his head, he too mounted a cloud and flew off. *** Late at night. Inside Luotian Hall on Danxia Peak. Luo Chen sat upon the high seat. Below him, voices swelled in a tempest of eager clamor. Aside from Sima Huiniang, who was absent, all the upper echelon of the Luotian Association had gathered. Foundation Establishment elders Wang Yuan and Min Longyu. Duan Feng of the Artifact Hall, Qu Lingjun of the Pill Hall, Bian Zhen of the Medicine Hall, Sima Xian of the War Hall, Murong Qinglian of the Merit Hall, Gu Caiyi of the Gold Hall, Zhou Yuanli of the Law Enforcement Hall, and Xu Xiaoliu of the Outer Branch. Beyond them, the deacons and senior members of every hall were present in full force. Among them, Qin Liangchen, Su Xiaolin, Sima Wenjie, Feng Xia, Liu Qiang, and a crowd of other ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivators were prominently in attendance. Looking upon this flourishing gathering of talent, Luo Chen could not help feeling a surge of heroic pride! Once upon a time, the Luotian Association could not produce a single Foundation Establishment cultivator, and its ninth-layer Qi Refining members could be counted on one hand. Even Luo Chen himself, then only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, had been forced to step forward to fill the void. Times had changed, and the world had turned upside down! Now, they had four Foundation Establishment cultivators and seven hall masters! As for ninth-layer Qi Refining experts, counting both inner and outer branches, they had thirty-six in total! Beneath them, late-stage Qi Refining cultivators numbered over a hundred! If this force were placed in Dahe Market back then, it would have been capable of contending against the five great cultivation clans and the two major gangs all at once. To claim they could turn the clouds and rain with a flip of the hand would not have been an exaggeration in the slightest. Even in Tianlan Immortal City, where Qi Refining cultivators were as common as stray dogs and Foundation Establishment cultivators walked every street, they were a local hegemon. So long as late Foundation Establishment cultivators did not intervene, Luo Chen was confident he feared no one. And yet! There were always people who assumed their foundation was shallow and their footing unsteady, attempting to snatch chestnuts from the fire during this transitional period when the city had changed hands. Outrageous! Luo Chen was the one who loved snatching chestnuts from the fire the most, yet this time someone had dared to take advantage of the chaos to rob him. What should be done? Was killing the few Foundation Establishment cultivators who had charged at the forefront enough to call it a day? That was not Luo Chen's nature. Since he had been forced to act, not only would he recover his principal, but he would also collect the interest in full! If they dared strike first, he would hit back harder! As Luo Chen gently raised his right hand, the surging clamor inside the hall instantly vanished into absolute silence. This showed just how towering his prestige had become. Without wasting words, he cut straight to the point. "Since some people dared to move against us, they should have been prepared to pay the price for their failure! "I don't know whether they ever considered this. "But I have already considered it for them!" Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, Luo Chen said in a deep voice, "Wang Yuan!" Wang Yuan rose from his seat. On occasions like this, he would never fail to show his brother proper respect. "Dan Yuanzi provoked me at the Qinhua River, attempting to attack an ally of our Luotian Association. Now that he is dead, there is no longer any need for the Dan Yuan Sect to exist. "Take your men, march upon the Dan Yuan Sect, eradicate their lineage, and seize their wealth! "Both the Pill Hall and the Medicine Hall will accompany you and obey your commands. Be sure not to leave behind a single brick or tile! "Depart at daybreak!" Wang Yuan clasped his hands and boomed, "By the association leader's command!" Even as he accepted the order, Qu Lingjun of the Pill Hall and Bian Zhen of the Medicine Hall had already stepped up behind him. Qu Lingjun was particularly thrilled. In the history of the Luotian Association, there had been multiple major battles, but he had never taken part in any of them due to his young age. Even during the most recent battle on Gaoling Plain, he had been one of the protected. Now he was twenty-four or twenty-five, and under Luo Chen's dedicated grooming, his cultivation had reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining, barely stepping into the late Qi Refining realm. Among Qi Refining cultivators, that was a respectable standing. A man had to see blood eventually! To be able to march out today alongside Elder Wang Yuan, the strongest person in the Luotian Association aside from his master—the very thought filled him with immense excitement. Razing a sect and destroying its heritage! Eradicating their lineage and seizing their wealth! Just thinking about it made him eager beyond measure. Of course, he also understood roughly why his master had assigned him to Wang Yuan. His master had the closest relationship with Elder Wang, so by following Wang Yuan, he would surely receive special care. Furthermore, he possessed considerable alchemy skills, and the Dan Yuan Sect was a small sect whose legacy was centered on alchemy. On this expedition, they would naturally need to scour and gather all relevant resources with great care. *Later, I'll bring Big Brother Tang Quan and Ma Shoupu along. Brother Tang is experienced, and Ma Shoupu's ability to identify medicinal herbs is on par with the experts of the Medicine Hall.* *That way, my Pill Hall's harvest certainly won't fall short of the Medicine Hall's.* While Qu Lingjun was plotting with excitement, Bian Zhen of the Medicine Hall was harboring similar thoughts. Yuan Dongsheng was still staying with the Li family and had not returned. In addition to the mid-tier cultivators of the Medicine Hall, Bian Zhen planned to bring Deacon Feng Xia along. She was intimately familiar with herbs and was the Dao companion of Hall Master Duan Feng; with that connection, Elder Wang Yuan would naturally not stand by if danger arose. While these people were making their calculations, Luo Chen continued barking orders. "Where is Sima Xian!" "Present!" Without the slightest hesitation, Sima Xian stepped out from the ranks. Luo Chen looked at him and said in a grave tone, "I authorize you to lead all personnel of the War Hall to assault Yuzhen Temple and Tianying Peak. Can you do it?" A look of difficulty crossed Sima Xian's face. Using the strength of a single hall to conquer Tianying Peak's Ying family, who specialized in rearing flying spirit beasts, as well as a Daoist temple with its own ancient heritage, was practically a suicidal task for him. Yet under the gaze of the entire hall, and beneath the association leader's expectant eyes, he could not show the slightest cowardice. Not merely for his own pride, but also for his second sister, Sima Huiniang! As the director of the Luotian Association, she was absent at a moment when the association had faced a crisis of life and death. Even though she had the excuse of being in seclusion to break through to Foundation Establishment, it would still leave room for gossip. As her elder brother, Sima Xian had to stand tall! Facing Luo Chen's gaze of expectation, he gritted his teeth and slammed his fists together in a salute. "I swear to fulfill the mission!" "Good! Excellent!" Luo Chen praised him twice in succession, admiration showing in his eyes. Not only him, but the other senior figures in the hall also viewed Sima Xian with newfound respect. Faced with such a task, anyone else would have hesitated to accept. Even so... Why had the association leader entrusted such an arduous mission to Sima Xian alone? Could it be that he sought to pacify the restless sentiment among the association's cultivators caused by Sima Huiniang's absence, using her elder brother to quell their resentment? Amid their bewildered gazes, Luo Chen acted as though he were oblivious to their conjectures and said plainly, "Rest easy, I'm not sending you to your death." *Clap, clap!* He clapped his hands firmly, and a figure walked in from outside the hall. "Association Leader Luo, I have arrived." Following the sound, the newcomer appeared before everyone's eyes. Murong Qinglian cried out in astonishment, "Senior Xing, your injuries?" Xing Zonghan waved a hand, his eyes brimming with impatience. "Though my injuries are severe, they cannot stop my resolve to annihilate the Ying family!" Luo Chen nodded, looking at the overjoyed Sima Xian. "Proceed with peace of mind. Fellow Daoist Xing will accompany you." "Thank you, Association Leader! Thank you, Senior Xing!" Sima Xian shouted in delight. A heavily injured Foundation Establishment True Cultivator was still a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator! With his imposing might, striking when the enemy was leaderless would throw their ranks into total disarray. Besides, the cultivators of his War Hall were no weaklings either. An army was trained for a thousand days to be used in a single hour. It was high time the people of Tianlan Immortal City learned that the War Hall of the Luotian Association had emerged from blood and fire! Luo Chen shifted his gaze, coming to rest on Duan Feng, who was practically itching for a fight. Yet Luo Chen shook his head. Duan Feng's condition was poor; his spiritual power was depleted, and he would need at least several days to recover. Finally, his gaze fell on Min Longyu. "If I assign the cultivators of the Law Enforcement Hall and the Artifact Hall to you, what do you think of paying a visit to the Geng family?" Min Longyu smiled freely. "No need. I alone am enough!" He was full of confidence, and Luo Chen appreciated that, yet there were still things that needed a word of caution. "Do not create excessive slaughter." Min Longyu frowned, but he still nodded. At this point, someone volunteered! "Association Leader, the more than one hundred cultivators of our Outer Branch can fight as well!" It was Xu Xiaoliu. Like Su Xiaolin, he served as one of the two deacons of the Outer Branch. As of now, the Outer Branch had not yet appointed a supreme head like the hall masters, making him a figure of real authority. Looking at him, Luo Chen smiled. "Naturally, I haven't forgotten you. "The Outer Branch currently has one hundred and thirty-seven people. You and Su Xiaolin will each lead fifty men to follow Elder Wang and Hall Master Sima, placing yourselves at their disposal. "Any objections?" Xu Xiaoliu and Su Xiaolin exchanged a glance, then nodded heavily. Luo Chen continued issuing commands. He dispatched Murong Qinglian and Gu Caiyi to lead the cultivators of the Merit Hall and Gold Hall in handling logistics, piloting medium-sized flying boats back and forth between locations to haul away wealth and transport any wounded. Additionally, he instructed Zhou Yuanli to lead the experts of the Law Enforcement Hall and Artifact Hall to hold the center, ready to provide reinforcement to any front. By this point, the mobilization for the war was complete. "I want you to capture your targets within three days! "Can it be done?" Without the slightest hesitation, several dozen cultivators within Luotian Hall roared in unison: "It can!" Luo Chen let out a fierce grin. "In that case! "Tomorrow at first light, we march!"