"Fellow Daoist Kang, after so many years apart, your venerable bearing is even more impressive than before!"
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Luo, one should view an old acquaintance with new eyes after even three days apart! I always knew you were no creature meant to stay confined to a shallow pond. Dahe Mill couldn't hold you, and neither could Tianlan Immortal City!"
Inside the Luotian Main Hall, the two men conversed in high spirits.
"I truly must thank you for your help this time," Luo Chen said with heartfelt sincerity.
Back then, the crisis confronting the Luotian Association had not just been the threat posed by the vassals of the Yan Alliance and Qin Tairan.
The countless rogue cultivators watching from the sidelines had seemed like mere onlookers enjoying the show.
Yet had the Luotian Association truly collapsed, they would have turned into a ravenous flock of vultures swooping down without hesitation.
When a wall begins to topple, everyone pushes—never was an adage more true.
Kang Dongyue's subtle maneuvers outside might have seemed inconsequential to the larger picture, but they had spared the Luotian Association a tremendous amount of grief.
Kang Dongyue took no credit for it, however.
"Merely some meager demagoguery and empty rhetoric—hardly worth mentioning, hardly worth mentioning!"
He smiled, bringing up how Luo Chen had bid on a life-saving spiritual medicine on his behalf all those years ago.
Luo Chen naturally returned his smile.
Afterward, Kang Dongyue finally voiced his true purpose in remaining behind.
Having heard him out, Luo Chen's expression remained tranquil.
"Liuguang Market?"
Kang Dongyue sighed ruefully. "Indeed. Liuguang Market has been notorious for swarming with marauders since the early years. Lately, the Bai family of Liuguang Market somehow obtained a secret technique that allowed them to fully elevate that spirit ground of theirs to Tier 2. A second Foundation Establishment cultivator has emerged from within their clan, and they've even hired an outside Foundation Establishment consecrated elder. By now, they have become the absolute tyrants of Liuguang Market."
Luo Chen listened thoughtfully.
Kang Dongyue continued, "If it were only their clan prospering, that would be one thing. But as luck would have it, they've choked off my Kang family's trade route to Tianlan."
"Aren't you vassals of the Sword Sect? Do they dare make a move on your caravans?" Luo Chen asked, puzzled.
Kang Dongyue shook his head. "It is too far away. The Sword Sect is simply too far from our Taishan Market. The Bai family has never shaken off their marauder habits. Once they disguise their faces, even if they conduct outright highway robbery, we have no proof."
Luo Chen saw through his intentions. "So, you wish to borrow my Luotian Association's hand to deal with the Bai family?"
"Precisely!"
Kang Dongyue did not mince words and stated his request frankly.
Luo Chen pondered for a long moment before slowly replying, "We can help with this matter. However..."
Here, he let out a soft sigh.
"You must be well aware of the Luotian Association's current situation. Our camp is full of wounded, and many of our Foundation Establishment True Cultivators are injured. In the short term, we are in no condition to mount an expedition."
Kang Dongyue nodded repeatedly. "I understand this. I can afford to wait!"
*Can afford to wait?*
Luo Chen studied him for a moment and saw through the man's designs.
He was likely not merely looking to secure the Kang family's trade route; he had his sights set on that intact Tier 2 spirit ground belonging to the Bai family!
Previously, the Bai family's spirit ground had been a pseudo-Tier 2 spirit ground barely sustained by that colossal you cypress.
Now, it was genuine and complete.
The Kang family had once shared a Tier 2 spirit ground with the Huo family.
Yet back then, when the Three-Footed River-Swallowing Toad destroyed the Huo family, Taishan Market's Tier 2 spirit ground had been wrecked along with it.
They intended to relocate their clan's ancestral grounds!
Such an affair was nothing grand to the present Luotian Association—merely two or three Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
Yet for the Kang family, it was a matter of paramount significance that concerned the rise or fall of their entire clan.
No wonder he had lingered at Danxia for so long, insisting on having an audience with him.
Luo Chen also recalled that six or seven years ago, the Kang family had repeatedly invited the Luotian Association to establish a branch hall at Taishan Market to target the Bai family.
Looking back, this had been planned long in advance, rather than being a sudden whim.
After a moment's thought, Luo Chen said, "Give it a few years. Once the Luotian Association restores its strength here in Tianlan, I will send men to make the trip. When the time comes, they will coordinate with your Kang family."
At this point, Luo Chen suddenly asked, "What of the Yu family?"
Kang Dongyue was taken aback, having no idea why Luo Chen would mention the Yu family.
Still, since the other man had asked, he gladly shared what he knew.
Learning from Kang Dongyue how the Yu family had fared in recent years, Luo Chen gave a slight nod.
He had never forgotten the parties involved in the battle at Gaoling Plain.
The Huo family, the Bai family, the Great River Gang, the rogue cultivator Tu Shan, and that Yu Rou who commanded spiritual beasts!
By now, the Huo family was gone, the Great River Gang had scattered to the four winds, and Tu Shan had likely reincarnated long ago.
As for the remaining two foes, should an opportunity present itself, he would certainly avenge that past grievance!
"Our conversation tonight has been truly delightful. I look forward to hosting you as a guest at our Taishan Market next time."
"Certainly, certainly!"
Kang Dongyue departed with a smile.
He had already decided to depart Tianlan on the morrow to return to his clan.
While some were leaving, others wished to stay.
Before long, Luo Chen reached an understanding with Xing Zonghan.
He was the former patriarch of the Xing family from Heavenly Blade Peak. Luo Chen had saved his life in the past and helped him destroy his mortal enemies, the Ying family of Tianying Peak.
In that battle, Xing Zonghan had slaughtered to his heart's content.
To avoid dragging down the Luotian Association, he had quietly slipped away afterward.
Over the years, he had been cultivating in seclusion in secluded corners, not even taking part in the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield.
This time, upon hearing that enemies had struck at the Luotian Association's doorstep, he had rushed over specifically to lend his aid.
Now that the fighting was over, he immediately proposed joining the Luotian Association.
Sima Huiniang had found it difficult to make this decision on her own.
Although she managed the personnel matters of the Luotian Association, anything concerning the level of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator required Luo Chen's final approval.
"Fellow Daoist is willing to join my Luotian Association to pursue the Great Dao together; I naturally welcome you with open arms!"
Xing Zonghan beamed. "In that case, I will be in your care from now on, President!"
Luo Chen wore an equally warm smile.
Through this battle, the Luotian Association had suffered grievous losses.
Yet alongside those immense losses came an immense harvest.
Standing!
The Luotian Association had achieved recognized standing!
It did not stem from him alone, but also from the formidable might the Luotian Association had displayed throughout this battle.
Because of this standing, it would naturally draw many cultivators to join their ranks.
In the past, the Luotian Association could at most attract some Qi Refinement rogue cultivators.
This time, however, there was Sun Shengshou of the Sun Clinic first, followed by Xing Zonghan.
And this was merely the beginning.
Once the Luotian Association regained its full strength, more and more factions would seek to align with them.
Such grand momentum could never be forged simply by quietly farming resources and managing commerce.
One had to cross real blades and spears in a few genuine clashes to leave an indelible impression and draw others to flock to their banner.
Tonight,
the people Luo Chen had to receive were not just these two.
Qiu Liangyue, representing the lineage of Revered Baoshuang from the Ice Fort, had also rendered assistance during the earlier battle.
This was an advance gesture of goodwill from that mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.
Then there was Yue Chong, Patriarch of the Yue family of Mount Shaohua.
His case was not about friendship, but mutual interest.
Luo Chen handed over a jade slip as compensation—one he had retrieved from the storage bag of a late Foundation Establishment grand cultivator of the Sword Sect on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield.
"Though it is an unorthodox sword scripture, it will still bring a tremendous enhancement to our Yue family."
"President Luo, my thanks for this!"
Having obtained the sword scripture, Yue Chong departed in high satisfaction.
Only at this point did Luo Chen's string of meetings finally draw to a close.
Dawn was already breaking.
Luo Chen sat alone high in the grand hall, looking exhausted, and closed his eyes for a brief respite.
Over the past several days, he had not rested for a single moment.
Fighting on multiple fronts, calculating and plotting, maneuvering between Golden Core Revereds, treating the wounded, exchanging interests...
Anyone else would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Yet through sheer willpower, he had stubbornly held on.
The moment he rested, an overwhelming fatigue surged over him like a tidal wave.
When he woke,
the sky outside was once again set with a bright moon and sparse stars.
He looked down at the thin blanket draped over his shoulders, a faint warmth touching his heart.
It carried Huiniang's scent.
She had come by once in the interim; he had sensed it.
Tossing the thin blanket aside, Luo Chen stood up and stretched his arms.
A crackling din of popping bones resonated like rolling thunder and pounding drums.
His formidable physique once again filled him with boundless vigor.
As he stepped out of the Luotian Main Hall, a graceful silhouette was hurrying toward him.
"President, you're awake!"
"Huiniang, walk with me."
"Mm."
The man and the woman walked side by side against the cool mountain breeze, strolling along the stone paths of Danxia.
The gentle wind brushed away the lingering scent of war and blood from the past days.
It also soothed the restless stirrings in Luo Chen's heart.
The two exchanged a great deal of conversation, yet each topic was kept brief.
"Is Min Longyu awake?"
"He is."
"What about Li Yingzhang?"
"Still receiving treatment. But Sun Shengshou mentioned that his foundation is solid, so he will recover quickly."
"As for Murong Qinglian..."
"I know. I will assign more people to look after her."
"Her current state is unfit for handling affairs. Grant her an extended leave."
"The Merit Hall cannot go without a master for a single day. I intend to let Wenjie serve as acting hall master."
"Mm. You may handle such personnel appointments as you see fit from now on. By the way, the ten-year agreement with Xu Huanzhen should have elapsed by now, right?"
"It passed long ago."
"Did he bring up leaving?"
"He didn't. He has most likely grown accustomed to the Luotian Association."
"Give him an extra ten percent cut of the Spirit Beast Hall's profits."
"Would that be too much?"
"Over the years, Xu Huanzhen has fulfilled his duties with utmost devotion. He even lost a white crane for the Luotian Association, and now the Gold-Crested Plunder-Feather Hawk he painstakingly raised is dead as well. We ought to offer him some compensation."
"Mm, I will do as you say."
"Are the hall's spirit stone reserves completely depleted now?"
"Yes. But you needn't worry. I have already negotiated terms with them. We will temporarily defer payments owed to some distributors while collecting payments early from buyers. We will manage to get by for the time being."
"How long until we recover?"
"One year to catch our breath, three years to return to our past peak. Give me ten years, and the Luotian Association will become the wealthiest faction in Tianlan Immortal City!"
"Once matters here are settled, I may enter secluded cultivation for a time. Perhaps a year, perhaps three to five years—it is hard to say."
"Go with peace of mind. As for the association's affairs, you have me."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"There you go saying that again!"
Their steps came to a halt beside a sheer cliff.
Luo Chen looked down into the dark, shadowy depths of the back mountain.
Here was where the deceased cultivators of the Luotian Association were laid to rest.
Verdant peaks harbor fallen bones; Luotian's heroes find their tomb.
Before long, fresh graves would be added to this ground.
***
Three days later.
Danxia closed its gates, receiving no outside visitors.
White mourning banners hung high, and yellow funerary papers drifted through the air.
The mournful wails of suona horns and the clang of gongs mingled with intermittent weeping, creating an atmosphere steeped in heavy sorrow.
The funeral lasted for a full seven days.
After lying in state for seven days, the deceased were interred on an auspicious date.
At the back mountain of Danxia, a vast crowd gathered together in somber silence.
Under Luo Chen's lead, coffins were lowered into the ground one by one, and tombstones were erected.
Wang Yuan stood beside a newly made grave. Zeng Yilong, having attained substantial accomplishment in body cultivation, knelt prostrate on the earth, whimpering softly, "Mother, Mother..."
Zhou Yuanli, who had been busy for days, rushed over in haste.
For his good friend Liu Qiang, he poured three cups of wine, planted a stick of incense, and made a solemn vow:
In the future, he would have one of his sons adopt the surname Liu to carry on Liu Qiang's ancestral incense.
Su Xiaolin had been all alone in the world; his passing had seemed to draw little notice.
Yet before his grave, offerings of fruit and incense candles were plentiful.
They had all been placed there in silence by the cultivators of the Luo Net.
And Murong Qinglian, who had remained numb and dazed for days, suddenly wailed hysterically, clinging to Qin Liangchen's tombstone as tears streamed down unchecked.
The former master of the Merit Hall cast aside every shred of poise and composure in that moment.
Yet today, no one mocked her.
For across the entire burial ground, every scene was much the same.
Luo Chen had retreated behind the crowd, his expression taut, biting his lips until they turned pale.
Flanked by Sima Huiniang and Gu Caiyi, they could faintly sense the trembling of his frame.
Gu Caiyi asked worriedly in a whisper, "President, what's wrong?"
Luo Chen shook his head, keeping his lips firmly sealed without a word.
A sliver of regret suddenly stirred in his heart.
He wondered whether he should have spared Yanleizi back then, so that he would not have provoked Di Wanyun.
He wondered whether he shouldn't have hidden in the shadows and should instead have stepped forward earlier to face the pressure of the Yan Alliance's Golden Core cultivators.
He wondered whether he had been too hasty in confirming his relationships with Huiniang and Caiyi—lest years later, the one prostrated in tears before a grave would be him, or perhaps them.
Regret...
After a long time!
Luo Chen snapped his head to the side with a sharp shake.
*Where is there room for so much regret?!*
*In life, eight or nine times out of ten, things do not go as one wishes.*
*When all is said and done, it comes down to me not being strong enough!*
*If I were strong enough, how would petty scoundrels dare infringe upon us? If I were strong enough, when one attains the Dao, even his fowls and dogs ascend to heaven! If I were strong enough, the ones prostrated and weeping right now would be the enemy!*
*Crack!*
His knuckles popped crisply, and his broad hands unclenched.
Luo Chen quietly walked away.
Matters here were concluded, yet the road ahead remained long.
He could not halt his forward steps.
Not only for himself, but also for those who had staked their lives and fortunes upon his shoulders.
Chapter 412