Up in the sky, a flying boat pushed through the sea of clouds, cruising steadily forward.
Inside the cabin, Luo Chen was casually sorting through Miao Wen's legacy.
Having operated in Dahe Market for many years, Miao Wen had accumulated considerable wealth. Though it fell far short of Luo Chen's current fortune of nearly ten million spirit stones, it made Miao Wen vastly richer than any ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.
In spirit stones alone, there were a staggering two hundred thousand!
That might not sound exorbitant, but Miao Wen was merely an early Foundation Establishment outer sect deacon.
Aside from spirit stones, the bulk of his hoard consisted of various rare materials: Tier 2, Tier 3, and even several kinds of Tier 4 ores. For instance, Tongxuan Heavenly Crystals, which Luo Chen had already stockpiled in abundance, numbered three whole pieces in Miao Wen's storage bag! Converting the value of these materials as a whole brought the tally to several hundred thousand more.
Beyond spirit stones and crafting materials, however, other resources were relatively sparse. There were only a handful of talismans, mostly everyday varieties like Voice-Transmission Talismans, Cleansing Talismans, and Invisibility Talismans. The medicinal pills were of decent quality, looking to be at the Tier 2 mid-grade level. Cultivation methods and formations were almost nonexistent.
The reason for this glaring imbalance was easy to guess.
A sword cultivator!
Aside from items essential to their cultivation, they rarely carried much else. Even so, Miao Wen's wealth was exceptionally abundant. True disciples of certain prominent sects were far from matching him.
*No wonder Miao Wen was willing to pay a heavy price bribing the upper echelons of the Sword Sect just to stay in Dahe Market. It truly was an excellent place to amass rare resources and reap fortunes without being subjected to strict sect oversight.*
Indeed, the mountains were high and the emperor far away.
Luo Chen held a box in his hands, opened it for a brief look, and carefully put it away.
A Seven Star Sky Lantern Fruit!
A Tier 3 spiritual herb whose value surpassed that of most Tier 4 materials. The reason was simple: this spiritual fruit could extend longevity.
Six of its seven stars were already lit, enough to grant an additional eighteen years of life!
This was an indispensable treasure for him. Back then, refining the Wither-Bloom Fire had cost him a full century of lifespan. Although Luo Chen's cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds and he appeared unhurried on the surface, whenever he remembered it, a sense of urgency hung over his head like a suspended blade. This Seven Star Sky Lantern Fruit arrived at the perfect time, granting him far greater peace of mind.
After stowing the longevity-extending treasure, Luo Chen retrieved another object from Miao Wen's storage bag.
A magic treasure.
An unconventional, esoteric magic treasure!
It was a palm-sized disc engraved with crescent moons of purple and gold. He channeled a sliver of spiritual power into it.
*Swish!*
Sharp, savage blades instantly jutted out from the disc's rim. With a flick of his finger, the disc began spinning before him, faintly giving the impression that even more spinning moon discs were about to manifest. With a thought, Luo Chen withdrew his spiritual power.
"The Heavenly Moon Purple-Gold Wheel... To think that after so many twists and turns, it would end up in my hands."
Indeed, this magic treasure had been the very first magic treasure Luo Chen had ever laid eyes on in his cultivation journey. Years ago, it had been auctioned at the Dahe Market Sword Pavilion auction and bought by Mi Shuhua for the staggering sum of eighty thousand spirit stones! Later, the treasure was seized by that rogue cultivator Golden Core consecrated elder secretly hired by the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, only to be confiscated by Pang Renxiong during the Battle of Lancang River.
That formidable sword cultivator had cared nothing for such external baubles, bestowing it upon Miao Wen while gifting the Lanke chess piece to Luo Tianhong.
Yet now, the world had changed and its people had moved on. Forty years had passed, and both the chipped Lanke Black Chess Piece and the Heavenly Moon Purple-Gold Wheel had fallen into Luo Chen's hands.
*Miao Wen didn't spend much time refining this item, so clearing the brand on it will be easy enough.*
*However, completely refining this treasure to wield it as freely as I wish will likely cost me a great deal of effort.*
Luo Chen gazed hesitatingly at the spinning wheel in his hand. Finally, he turned his gaze toward Yuanmagnetic Valley on Jueyun Mountain.
*A fleeting thought led me to bury you alongside your clansmen, yet it also earned me the magic treasure you poured so much blood and sweat into winning. Can this be considered a gift?*
*I'll decide what to do with it once I return!*
Luo Chen was not short on magic treasures. The number he possessed was unimaginable across the cultivation world. In flying-sword magic treasures alone, he had once held over thirty. However, he had bestowed most of them upon Min Longyu to embed within Danxia Peak as formation eyes for the mountain-guarding array. Ever since reaching Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen had never fretted over ordinary magic treasures. Naturally, such an item caused little stir in his heart.
He viewed the Heavenly Moon Purple-Gold Wheel with special regard partly because of his ties to Mi Shuhua, and partly because of its immense value, wondering if it might hold some unique effect.
After a thorough inventory, Luo Chen had essentially processed Miao Wen's legacy.
Finally, there was the jade slip the man had inscribed by hand before his death.
A simplified version of the Sword Sect's Wisdom Sword Technique—Calming the Waves.
As recompense for granting him a dignified death, Miao Wen had voluntarily dispelled the spiritual brand on his storage bag and hand-copied a secret technique beneficial to cultivation.
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect cultivated only the sword, relying on no external objects and stagnating in no other arts. But this approach easily bred various drawbacks in cultivation, since they could not borrow stones from other hills to polish their jade. In light of this, the predecessors of the Sword Sect had created sets of secret techniques and methods to aid cultivation.
One such technique, the Wisdom Sword Technique, allowed one to anchor their essence, energy, and spirit within a single sword, elevating their state of mind to a luminous sword heart. Once this state was achieved, not only did cultivation advance swiftly, but one could also sever external demons with the sword of wisdom. It possessed miraculous efficacy, especially when breaking through major realms!
To outsiders, this art was not a realm-breaking secret technique, yet it surpassed one in every way!
Regrettably, Miao Wen had long since abandoned dedicated sword cultivation, so he could no longer practice the Wisdom Sword Technique. Yet he could not bear to part with the unique effects of this Sword Sect secret technique. Thus, combining it with his own circumstances, he had adapted and developed Calming the Waves.
Even practiced to great attainment, its effectiveness was less than half that of the Wisdom Sword Technique, but cultivating it was far simpler, and it was not restricted to the medium of a "sword"; other physical objects could serve as substitutes instead. The reason Miao Wen had been able to remain conscious and struggle against the Ghost King's remnant within Yuanmagnetic Valley for forty years was precisely because he practiced Calming the Waves. In fact, over those forty years of resistance, his understanding of the technique had only deepened. After writing out the full manual for Luo Chen, he had candidly stated that once his modified Calming the Waves reached great attainment, its efficacy could reach around seventy percent of the Wisdom Sword Technique.
*"I see you possess the ambition to form a core. This technique may lend you a helping hand, which can also be considered resolving our past grievances.*"
*"Luo Chen, I trade this technique for a dignified death.*"
Miao Wen's dying words still echoed faintly in his ears.
Luo Chen cautiously tucked the jade slip into his Thunder Accumulation Treasure Ring. He could not yet verify whether the technique was genuine or if any traps had been laid within. After all, his relationship with Miao Wen had never been that close. The saying that a dying man speaks from the heart did not apply universally. Any study of this technique would have to be carefully considered after his return.
Suddenly, the flying boat slowed slightly.
Luo Chen stood at the bow, his sharp eyes gazing a thousand li into the distance.
The grim, ghostly domain instantly came into view. Its expanse had grown several times larger than in years past. Stretching from the inner city to the outer city shantytowns, it extended all the way west to the banks of the Lancang River. The familiar Crescent Moon Valley, Mount Xiaohuan, and Qingjiang Long Street had all vanished, swallowed whole by the expanse.
However...
"Has it stopped here?"
For a Tier 3 Ghost King, its territory should not have been limited to this extent.
Just as Luo Chen wondered, he let out a soft gasp.
"Huh?"
"That's..."
Within his line of sight, a group of escaping lights flew out from another direction in the Guyuan Mountain Range. Carrying an enormous demon beast—whether dead or alive, he could not tell—they flew straight into the ghostly domain. A long time passed before they slowly flew back out.
With Luo Chen's eyesight, he could vaguely make out the relieved expressions on their faces, as well as the sect emblems on their garments.
"Sword Sect disciples!"
Luo Chen felt a sudden jolt.
He had no idea what the Sword Sect disciples were doing.
Logically speaking, it was only natural for members of the Sword Sect to appear in Dahe Market; in fact, they were long overdue and should have arrived decades ago. When they failed to show up in the past, everyone assumed they were bogged down by the Falling Cloud Sect. Now, however, that explanation seemed entirely wrong.
These people were delivering a living Tier 2 demon beast into the ghostly domain...
*Could they be helping Pang Renxiong cultivate?*
The abrupt thought sent a tremor through Luo Chen's heart. Without lingering any longer, he concealed his spiritual glow, steered the flying boat, and swiftly departed the boundaries of Dahe Market.
***
Retracing his former route, Luo Chen pressed onward.
A journey that had once taken months took him merely three days to reach Tianlan Immortal City. Along the way, he passed former haunts like Taishan Market, Liuguang Market, and the Yuanzhao Kingdom. Luo Chen did not disturb old acquaintances there, only sweeping his spiritual sense outward for a fleeting glance. He encountered no turmoil throughout the trip.
Peacefully and noiselessly, he stepped back onto Danxia Peak.
Inside the Luotian Main Hall, Xing Zonghan had answered the summons and hurried over to report the latest intelligence.
This outing had not been long, lasting merely half a year. But adding the preparation time beforehand, it had been nearly a decade in the making. Consequently, the intelligence Xing Zonghan compiled was exceptionally complex.
"The objective of the opening war has been completely finalized: the Howling Moon Mountain Range!"
"The initiator is the Falling Cloud Sect. Additionally, beyond the initial five Nascent Soul upper sects and thirteen great sects, four more Nascent Soul upper sects and five Golden Core great sects have decided to join the opening war. The newly joined sects are: the Divine Talisman Sect, the Five Elements Divine Sect, Fenghua Palace, Motian Cliff, Mengquan Cave, Huanzhu Tower..."
"In total, nine Nascent Soul upper sects and eighteen Golden Core great sects. This campaign is also being referred to as the 'Twenty-Seven Sects Joint Subjugation of Howling Moon.'"
Twenty-Seven Sects Joint Subjugation of Howling Moon?
This differed little from the sixteen sects jointly subjugating the Lianxia Mountain Range over four hundred years ago.
Seated above, Luo Chen silently ran through the names of the newly joined sects. The addition of the Divine Talisman Sect and the Five Elements Divine Sect was expected. Back when the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect opened up the Lianxia Mountain Range, it had received aid from both. This time, beyond the six sects of the Far East, Fenghua Palace and Motian Cliff—two Nascent Soul upper sects—had also joined.
An unopened wild mountain range certainly held immense value, but was there truly a need for nine Nascent Soul upper sects to mobilize together? Furthermore, those eighteen Golden Core great sects were by no means soft targets. From what he knew, Mengquan Cave of Mount Jiuhua was a renowned Golden Core great sect in the Fenghua Domain, prolific in producing various spiritual springs and exceedingly wealthy from that trade. Huanzhu Tower was no weakling either, being a legendary assassin organization said to be backed by a Nascent Soul True Person. As for Liusen Studio, rumors held that...
*With so many factions, the Howling Moon Mountain Range won't be nearly enough to go around!*
Luo Chen frowned deeply, unable to fathom why a single opening war would draw so many participants. A large headcount was naturally wonderful for warfare, but when it came to dividing the spoils afterward, it was a massive disaster.
The pie was only so big. As the orchestrator, would the Falling Cloud Sect truly be content splitting it twenty-seven ways?
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had endured for so many years before finally losing patience. He refused to believe that True Person Han Zhan of the Falling Cloud Sect was such a short-sighted man. In his place, one would rather suffer greater losses during the war if it meant securing a larger share afterward. The former was merely a short-term loss, while the latter provided long-term benefits!
Suddenly, Luo Chen recalled the scene at the White Bone Dao Palace atop the Great Snow Mountain.
A single Howling Moon Mountain Range was not enough to share, but adding the Great Snow Mountain would provide more than enough. If Master Canglong succeeded in ascending to Nascent Soul and harnessed this great momentum to launch an opening war for the Ice Fort at the same time, wouldn't these excess factions find their purpose? If this deduction held true, then True Person Han Zhan's willingness to personally step forward and protect Master Canglong's breakthrough made complete sense. Of course, whether the two shared an old friendship was a secret Luo Chen had no way of knowing.
Yet if Master Canglong failed to break through to Nascent Soul...
Luo Chen pursed his lips and asked, "Gu Caiyi is overseeing the business on the Ice Fort side, right?"
Xing Zonghan nodded. "Yes, Hall Master Gu has always been heading that front."
"Deploy a portion of Luowang's operatives to the merchant caravans. Have them gather intelligence on the Ice Fort at regular intervals and report directly to me."
Xing Zonghan looked puzzled. "What kind of intelligence?"
Luo Chen wanted to say matters concerning Nascent Soul True Persons, but the words shifted on his tongue: "All intelligence!"
In his view, if Master Canglong succeeded in breaking through, the news would spread naturally without any deliberate digging. But if she failed...
"Additionally, we can begin opening up the trade route toward Taishan Market. I will explain this matter to Sima Huiniang. For now, send people ahead to gather intelligence on Liuguang, Taishan, and Dahe Markets, and make the necessary preparations."
"Understood!"
Xing Zonghan took his orders and departed.
Yet the contemplation in Luo Chen's gaze did not cease. The sight at Dahe Market was still fresh in his memory. Mulling it over these past few days, he had faintly grasped the truth behind why the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had ignored Pang Renxiong all these years. They hadn't neglected him; rather, they had deliberately left him alone, granting him the time to transition into ghost cultivation!
Ghost cultivation was also a legitimate path of the Great Dao. As long as one did not commit heinous atrocities or engage in wanton slaughter, one would not be branded a demonic cultivator. Yet what Pang Renxiong had done over these years could hardly be called orthodox ghost cultivation. Precisely because of that, his progress had been terrifyingly swift, reaching the level of a Tier 3 Ghost King in a short time, rivaling his Golden Core cultivation in life.
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect hadn't intervened before because it wasn't convenient to intervene. If they did, he wouldn't have been able to pursue such a reckless shortcut, given that the sect still upheld the creed of eliminating demons and defending the Dao. By leaving him alone, they could reap the finished results when the time was right.
Now, the Sword Sect had sent Foundation Establishment cultivators to aid Pang Renxiong's cultivation, likely hoping to bring the matter to a definitive conclusion before the opening war began in forty years. Once that time arrived, external cultivators would care nothing for the Sword Sect's private schemes and would only scream for his destruction amidst the clamor.
As Luo Chen sorted through these matters, others entered the hall.
Sima Huiniang and Duan Feng walked in.
"President, you've returned? Did the journey go smoothly?" Sima Huiniang asked with concern.
With their senses, they could not perceive Luo Chen's current physical condition. Naturally, Luo Chen reported only good news and kept his worries to himself.
After a brief exchange, he brought up opening the trade route from the Luotian Association to Taishan Market.
"Once the opening war begins, the four markets bordering the Howling Moon Mountain Range—Liuguang, Taishan, Dahe, and Snow Lotus—will inevitably become vital bridgeheads. The profits involved will be beyond measure! Our Luotian Association is only a minor faction, so we certainly can't claim the lion's share. However, taking the initiative and seizing an early advantage will always serve us well. When the time comes, even a sip of the leftover broth will bring immense benefit to us all! Therefore, it is time to act on this long-discussed plan."
Hearing his words, Sima Huiniang nodded solemnly.
"I share the same thought. It's just that due to the law enforcement squads of the Falling Cloud and Jade Cauldron Sects, I have kept that impulse in check."
Luo Chen chuckled softly. "There is no need to worry about those rules. They only restrict large factions at the Golden Core level and above. Besides, our move this time will not be made in the name of opening a trade route."
Sima Huiniang paused. "Then in what name?"
Luo Chen looked toward Duan Feng at her side.
"In the name of vengeance!"
Duan Feng seemed to have anticipated this and nodded slightly. "I share a blood feud with the Bai family of Liuguang Market. Now that my cultivation has borne fruit, it is time to avenge my father. No matter who comes, they won't be able to fault me for it."
Realization dawned on Sima Huiniang, and a bright smile surfaced on her face. "In that case, I shall make the arrangements at once!"
"No, we must still proceed with caution," Luo Chen said, shaking his head as he mentioned what he had observed on his return trip. "There are plenty of clever people nursing the same idea. From what I saw, numerous Foundation Establishment True Cultivators have already appeared in Liuguang Market; they are clearly the vanguard of other factions. Therefore, if we don't act, so be it, but if we do, we must deliver a decisive blow."
Before the two of them, Luo Chen retrieved a scroll painting from his storage bag. The moment Duan Feng saw it, his eyes went wide.
"This is..."
"Your family's ancestral treasure. It is time it returned to its rightful owner."
Luo Chen smiled and generously presented the defensive magic treasure, the Zeguo Gui Chart, to Duan Feng. A strand of spiritual power carried the scroll before him. For a moment, Duan Feng was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could scarcely contain himself.
After all, this was a defensive magic treasure! It had taken the Duan family several generations of effort, combined with the foundation established when their family was first founded, to successfully forge it by a stroke of fortune. Placed in the cultivation world, it could fetch an astonishing price!
"Take it back and refine it thoroughly. Make sure you can wield it fundamentally within ten years. When the time comes to strike the Bai family of Liuguang Market, you will be the commander, with Huiniang and Xing Zonghan assisting you. The cultivators of the Battle Hall will be at your disposal. If you think of any other requirements over these years, feel free to raise them. I have only one demand: conquer Liuguang Market, seize the Bai family's territory, and make it a branch of our Luotian Association's Danxia Hall!"
Duan Feng nodded excitedly and took his leave to carry out the order.
After he departed, Sima Huiniang watched his retreating back, lost in thought. From behind her came Luo Chen's teasing voice.
"What? Are you envious that I gave him a water-attribute defensive magic treasure?"
Snapping out of her daze, Sima Huiniang shook her head. "I rarely travel outside, and combat rarely concerns me. Why would I envy such a treasure? I was only wondering why you hold Liuguang Market in such high regard."
As she pondered, she gradually saw the reasoning.
"Have you taken a fancy to Liuguang Market's barren spiritual energy environment?"
Luo Chen gave an appreciative nod.
Once the opening war commenced, the front lines would certainly offer immense profit, but converting those resources into cold, hard spirit stones required relying on the thirty-six great domains in the rear! As the first markets to touch those resources, these locations would naturally become commercial hubs. Yet both Taishan Market and Dahe Market possessed exceptionally prime geographical environments. Such prime territory was entirely beyond the Luotian Association's reach; even the original landowners would likely be driven out.
Liuguang Market, on the other hand, was rather unique. As a former mining market, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had over-excavated its veins, damaging the spirit veins and leaving the environment poorly suited for cultivation, which caused most people to look down on it. Furthermore, because it did not directly border the front lines, major sects would not value it as highly. If the Luotian Association could claim it in advance, leveraging Luo Chen's sound relationships with the Falling Cloud Sect and the Ice Fort alongside his personal strength, they might firmly plant their feet. If they also brought the Kang family on board, they would naturally possess the backing of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's banner.
When that time came, relying on this second-line market, the Luotian Association could secure an early advantage that would not invite undue jealousy.
Of course, these were merely passing thoughts that had crossed Luo Chen's mind on the road back. His primary focus moving forward would certainly not lie on such petty gains.
"Huiniang, I am preparing to form my core!"
A simple sentence, yet it caused the woman's breathing to hitch instantly.
Instinctively, she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Quite a lot, actually!"
Core Formation was a matter of utmost gravity. Luo Chen's aptitude was exceptionally dull. Even though Master Canglong had offered a different perspective backed by sound reasoning, at the end of the day, Luo Chen remained a cultivator possessing five-element spiritual roots—a constitution cast aside like worn shoes in the cultivation world. Therefore, to form a core, he had to push every single aspect to the absolute pinnacle!
And that meant an astronomical quantity of resources!
Fortunately, Sima Huiniang, who presided over the Luotian Association, could provide immense assistance while Luo Chen engaged in secluded cultivation. Facing her, Luo Chen listed the various resources he required: medicinal decoctions for treating injuries, ingredients for refining cultivation pills, auxiliary spiritual herbs for breaking through realms, diagrams for refining his natal magic treasure, and even life-preserving spirit pills in case the breakthrough failed.
At present, cultivators from various great domains of the Eastern Wilderness were converging toward the Jade Cauldron Domain under the banner of the opening war. With more people, resources circulated with greater fluidity. Gathering what Luo Chen desired would be relatively easy for the Luotian Association.
"Finally, I need a vast quantity of demon beasts—both Tier 1 and Tier 2. And they must be alive!"
Hearing this final request, Sima Huiniang nodded.
"That is no problem. We already conduct business in spirit beasts, so we have legitimate reasons to purchase them. Live ones are somewhat more troublesome, but I can secure several channels to procure them for you."
Seeing her guarantee every single one of his needs, Luo Chen could not help but sigh with emotion. "To have such a wife, what more could a man ask for? I've troubled you this time."
"It is my heartfelt wish, not a burden. Aiding your Core Formation is my duty to begin with." The woman looked at Luo Chen with tender, affectionate eyes, then hesitated slightly. "President, you will succeed, right?"
Core Formation was a monumental event and a challenge fraught with peril. A single failure could mean decades of struggle to recover one's vitality, or even immediate death and the scattering of one's Dao. It was no wonder that Sima Huiniang, normally so calm and collected, showed such concern.
To this, Luo Chen smiled with absolute confidence.
"Without a doubt!"
Chapter 450