Inside the Tier 3 cave dwelling.
Luo Chen browsed through all the intelligence compiled over the past few days.
A clearer, more comprehensive picture of the battle where the Falling Cloud Sect assaulted the Yan Alliance gradually formed in his mind.
Though that battle had lasted only a single day, its brutality far exceeded the civil war between the two superior sects.
Of course, this brutality applied strictly to the Yan Alliance.
The Falling Cloud Sect's preparations had simply been too thorough.
Five hundred Foundation Establishment True Cultivators commanded over a thousand puppets, nearly all of them the long-range bombardment models that had previously appeared on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield.
They were not difficult to operate; they only required sufficient spirit stones.
Round after round of bombardment had plowed through the Yan Alliance multiple times like an iron share turning soil.
And the Yan Alliance's foundation, suddenly revealed to the world—a total of fourteen Golden Core Masters—proved entirely outmatched before the Falling Cloud Sect's ten Golden Cores.
For while those ten Golden Cores from the Falling Cloud Sect appeared to number only ten, treating them as equivalent to twenty Golden Cores was no exaggeration.
Every single one possessed immense divine sense!
Beyond their conventional means, each also controlled a Tier 3 puppet comparable to a Golden Core cultivator, creating a situation where they decisively outnumbered their foes.
Furthermore, in terms of top-tier late Golden Core combat strength, the Falling Cloud Sect held absolute dominance.
Cheng Yan of the Falling Cloud Sect—ninth layer of Golden Core!
He was also the senior martial brother of Master Han Zhan of the Falling Cloud Sect, possessing extraordinarily formidable methods in his own right.
In that battle, he had even brought forth a puppet refined by Master Han Zhan over the years, its strength nearly rivaling that of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.
Under such an assault...
The reputedly formidable leader of the Yan Alliance was nearly killed in an instant.
Caught completely off guard, the Yan Alliance cultivators were utterly routed, unable to mount the slightest resistance.
Of their fourteen Golden Core Masters, more than half were slaughtered on the spot.
In the fighting that followed, rumors said less than one in ten survived—only one or two made it out alive.
As for the lower-stage Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment disciples, their fate was even more wretched under the carpet bombardment.
It was precisely because of this that while both Azure Pill Valley and the Yan Alliance had been attacked by superior sects, Azure Pill Valley was merely described as breached, whereas the Yan Alliance was said to have been slaughtered.
Had Master Yaoguang of the Sword Sect not cleaved Azure Pill Valley's Mount Yuanhua in two with a single strike to compel the Falling Cloud Sect to withdraw, the Yan Alliance would likely have been wiped out of existence on the spot.
Yet even so!
Following this battle, the Yan Alliance plummeted straight to rock bottom.
At its peak, it possessed five Golden Cores on the surface and thirteen in the shadows.
Now, barely two or three remained.
If not for the fact that the battle had erupted so abruptly that one Golden Core Master happened to be away and survived, the Yan Alliance would likely have already been stripped of its status as a great sect, reduced to an ordinary first-rate sect.
"Speaking of which, by a strange coincidence, the Golden Core Master who was away and did not take part in the defense of their sect happened to be Qin Tairan, the one who attacked our Luotian Association back then," Sima Huiniang said.
Hearing this, Luo Chen sneered.
"A coincidence? I wouldn't be so sure."
Sima Huiniang looked puzzled.
Luo Chen twitched his lips. "Back then, he was hunted down by Fairy Jueqing and Elder Fei Ming, barely escaping with his life after exerting every ounce of strength. Still, the man is indeed formidable. Besieged by two Masters also at the fourth layer of Golden Core, he still came away virtually unscathed. The price he paid was completely exhausting the Flame Yang True Fiend Qi he had nurtured for years. The reason he was outside when the battle broke out was almost certainly to harvest Flame Yang True Fiend Qi."
Hearing this explanation, Sima Huiniang reached a sudden realization.
In fact, this detail had been casually mentioned by Fei Ming when chatting with Luo Chen previously.
Cultivators of the Yan Alliance possessed many treasures, excelled in fire arts, and were adept at wielding fiend qi.
When Qin Tairan attacked Fairy Jueqing with his natal magic treasure, the Taihuang Cauldron, and found it trapped, it was precisely the Flame Yang True Fiend Qi within the cauldron that allowed him to recall it.
That was one of his greatest trump cards.
With his trump card rendered useless once the fiend qi was depleted, he naturally needed to replenish it.
And ironically, that was what allowed him to narrowly escape the catastrophe!
Yet, was it truly good fortune?
*Crack!*
Luo Chen crushed the jade token in his hand, a savage grin curling upon his lips.
"In the end, one's own vengeance must be taken with one's own hands!"
Seeing this, Sima Huiniang's heart skipped a beat.
She asked uneasily, "President, what are you planning to do?"
"What am I planning?" Luo Chen's grim smile broadened. "Take out Qin Tairan, of course!"
"But...!"
Sima Huiniang's expression changed instantly, and she blurted out, "That's a Golden Core great sect!"
Luo Chen snorted softly.
The present Yan Alliance possessed the name of a great sect, but lacked the reality of one.
In name, it still possessed three Golden Core Masters. Yet aside from Qin Tairan, who was in fighting shape, the other two were mere survivors who had barely escaped the great battle with their lives; their condition could not possibly be good.
Even ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators required months or years to recover from severe injuries.
How much more so for Golden Core Masters?
As for their lower-stage disciples, things were surely no better.
Seeing Luo Chen's nonchalant demeanor, Sima Huiniang said with deep concern, "A starved camel is still bigger than a horse! No matter what calamity the Yan Alliance suffered, a centipede does not stop wriggling even when dead. If they merely summon their disciples scattered outside back to the fold, they still possess the foundation of a great sect. Furthermore, their vassals survive in other regions, which remains a massive force. Such power is simply not something our Luotian Association can rival at present. President, you must think thrice before acting!"
Listening to her words, the fierce grin on Luo Chen's face slowly faded.
However!
After a moment of contemplation, he still spoke with unyielding resolve: "This must be done!"
Seeing that Sima Huiniang still disagreed and was even preparing to risk angering him by continuing her persuasion, he raised a hand to cut her off.
"It is not that I am acting on impulse. Rather, the opportunity lies right before us. When Heaven offers and one refuses, one invites disaster!"
Still reluctant to concede, Sima Huiniang pressed, "President, I know how formidable you are. Whether fighting those of the same realm or fighting above your level, you have virtually never tasted defeat. Why not wait until you form your Golden Core before doing this? By then, our chances of success would be far greater!"
"Forming my core?" Luo Chen twitched the corner of his mouth. "Ten years? Fifty? A hundred? Or even longer?"
He did not mention failure, taking successful core formation for granted.
Working from that premise, he considered the long view.
Sima Huiniang nodded repeatedly. "Yes! As long as we have time, everything can change. When you form your Golden Core, I will also have expanded the Luotian Association to provide you with ample support."
To this, Luo Chen merely shook his head slowly.
"That's too long! Across such a long span of time, there are too many variables!"
Plans could never keep pace with circumstances.
Especially in this great cultivation world where supreme might resided in individual strength, a single thought from a high-stage cultivator could shatter a peaceful situation in an instant.
Among the cultivators who lived in Dahe Market for a century, who could have imagined that the bustling inner city would one day turn into a lifeless Ghost City?
In the Jade Cauldron Domain, relatively peaceful for three hundred years, who could have imagined that a single Golden Core Master advancing to the Nascent Soul realm would spark a civil war lasting over twenty years?
With the emergence of the Deity Transformation ruins, the civil war between the superior sects had already quieted down, showing clear signs of coming to an end.
Yet who could have thought that the Falling Cloud Sect and the Sword Sect would suddenly erupt into violence and destroy great sects?
Were these upheavals natural disasters?
No!
Every one of them was man-made!
Because of the whims of high-stage cultivators, countless souls walked through fire and water, and countless perished in the process.
Compared to the Luotian Association, the surviving Yan Alliance was precisely that "high-stage cultivator"!
"The Yan Alliance is weak right now—this is a heaven-sent opportunity to strike the drowning dog. If we let them catch their breath, they will once again be a Golden Core great sect we must look up to, one against whom we wouldn't dare harbor the slightest ambition. Moreover, surrounded by wolves as they are now, the Yan Alliance might very well slaughter the chicken to scare the monkeys and deter onlookers! And our Luotian Association happens to make a very tempting chicken!"
Sima Huiniang's expression flickered. "Would they truly do that?"
"Why wouldn't they? We already have bad blood with the Yan Alliance, and we've cost them face twice in a row. We are the perfect target to establish dominance," Luo Chen said.
"But they already made a move once."
"Where there is a first, there will be a second. Even without this business with the Falling Cloud Sect, the Yan Alliance would still view our Luotian Association as a thorn in their side. Why do you think I stepped away from managing the association and threw myself entirely into secluded cultivation?"
Luo Chen casually brushed away the jade powder on the table and snorted softly. "Was it not to gain as much strength as possible, so that I wouldn't have to beg others for help when the time comes? Who can say if their next move won't be Yan Alliance cultivators invading in person!"
Sima Huiniang froze.
She seemed to recall the past; when the Battle of Luotian erupted, that sense of helplessness born of one's own weakness was truly despairing.
Yet she still harbored hesitation.
"Cultivators from the Yan Alliance would act in person?"
Luo Chen curled his lip. "The Falling Cloud Sect and the Yuding Sword Sect, two Nascent Soul superior sects, disregarded all pride and moved against lesser sects in person. Certain rules have already been shattered; driven to desperation, why wouldn't the Yan Alliance follow suit? What's more! They aren't just driven to desperation—they are teetering on the edge of life and death. Even without me, others will still fix their eyes on this dying centipede! And what I must do is ignite the spark already stirring in the hearts of others!"
The long back-and-forth continued inside the cave dwelling.
On the surface, Luo Chen was reassuring Sima Huiniang and dispelling her doubts.
Yet was it not also Luo Chen sorting through the stakes, convincing himself again and again?
After all!
Throughout the cultivation world, what Foundation Establishment True Cultivator would dare covet a Golden Core sect?
Let alone a sect that still retained two or three Golden Cores and held the title of a great sect!
This was not merely a matter of strength; it demanded tremendous courage and conviction.
Sima Huiniang stared blankly at Luo Chen.
The growing confidence in his voice showed that he was absolutely set on this course.
At this point, she could no longer voice any opposition.
She had only one thing left to say:
"Since the President's mind is made up, Huiniang will follow you in life and death!"
Luo Chen let out a long breath and reached out.
Taking hold of her slender, slightly cool hand, he patted it gently.
"Rest assured. I never fight battles I am not confident in winning. If things prove impossible, I will pull back to protect ourselves and ensure the Luotian Association does not fall into ruin."
Chapter 420