The War Begins!

"So it's the Many Stars Pill!" Inside the cave dwelling, the two sat side by side, quickly getting straight to the point. Luo Chen nodded and said, "Yes, I acquired this pill formula recently. Though I've had occasional successes, the concoction process is simply too tedious. It often takes two full days just to produce a single furnace." "A furnace every two days?" Meng Changshou looked at Luo Chen in astonishment. "Do you realize that's already remarkably fast? In our Medicine King Sect, even an experienced Tier 3 master alchemist would need three full days to barely turn out a single furnace. Even then, they would have to concentrate fully, which impairs their cultivation state." Luo Chen put on a look of surprise as well. Inwardly, however, he was entirely calm. He had deliberately revealed his alchemical attainment precisely to draw the other man's attention and respect. From the looks of it, the effect was quite good. "Explain the issues in detail. When it comes to concocting the Many Stars Pill, I still have quite a say." Naturally, Luo Chen had no objection and laid out some of the finer details on the spot. At the end, he added, "I want to simplify the refining process, but I don't know where to begin. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Meng has any advice?" After hearing Luo Chen's questions, Meng Changshou showed no surprise. The Many Stars Pill was originally an obsolete formula phased out by the Medicine King Sect. Every problem that could arise with it was something they had already experienced. Now that Luo Chen had laid it out, Meng Changshou quickly identified the solution. "In truth, it isn't difficult. Your thinking is simply constrained by the alchemy habits you developed at lower realms." "Alchemy habits?" Luo Chen blinked. Meng Changshou stroked his beard and smiled. "At lower realms, an alchemist's spiritual awareness is shallow. As a result, when concocting pills, they tend to handle materials one portion at a time, processing each one individually. Over time, that becomes second nature. "Yet for Golden Core cultivators like us, our divine sense is powerful, resilient, and enduring. We are already capable of processing multiple portions of ingredients at once. "All you need to do is sort the medicinal ingredients into categories according to similar properties, and then use similar alchemical techniques to process them simultaneously. "Wouldn't that simplify the concoction process and boost efficiency?" Luo Chen listened blankly to these words. At this moment, he felt as if light had flooded the sky, like an initiation pouring wisdom straight into his crown. So it really was that simple? Thinking carefully, the types of materials required for the Many Stars Pill were extraordinarily tedious, but if sorted and categorized, they essentially fell into just five broad classes. Those five classes could largely be processed using only one or two alchemical techniques. With that sudden awakening, Luo Chen stood up with heartfelt sincerity and bowed deeply. "Thank you for the guidance, Fellow Daoist!" Meng Changshou waved his hand, dismissing it casually. "It is merely common knowledge. There is no need for such ceremony." Luo Chen sighed with emotion. "It may be common knowledge to alchemists who inherit formal sect teachings, but for me, who knows how much fumbling and trial it would have taken to summarize such a straightforward principle." Most matters in the world were like this. They appeared immensely difficult, yet in reality, they were often separated only by a thin veil. With a sect elder's guidance, a gentle poke was enough to pierce right through. Those groping in the dark on their own, however, might have to endure hundreds or thousands of failures before catching even a whiff of the right track. Once Luo Chen took his seat again, Meng Changshou brought up the matter he cared about most. "Back then, Qingdanzi of Azure Pill Valley oversaw the concoction of the Nascent Soul Formation Pill, using a grand array as the core, thirty experienced Tier 2 master alchemists as the foundation, and the source true fires of the five of you Tier 3 master alchemists as supplementary heat. Such a lineup should have been foolproof. Yet why, after thirteen attempts, did it end in total failure? Fellow Daoist, could you describe the details and the reason for the failure to me in full?" "From my perspective, it was likely because the extracted raw broths of the basic medicinal ingredients came from different hands, leading to failure during the final fusion." Luo Chen offered his own judgment. He had always thought that way. Yet Meng Changshou rejected that conclusion on the spot. He shook his head. "The Azure Pill Great Array is a joint-refining array passed down through Azure Pill Valley for generations. Even if the extracts come from different alchemists, the raw broths will still converge into harmony. That could not have been the cause of the failure!" Luo Chen froze. He had entered the Azure Pill Great Array himself, but he had never felt anything like that! Moreover, how was Meng Changshou so knowledgeable about the Azure Pill Great Array? And what was more! Thinking back, just moments ago the man had casually recited the exact number of alchemists who formed the Azure Pill Great Array, even recounting the number of failed attempts as if counting family heirlooms. It felt as though he had been right there in Azure Pill Valley, watching it in person! Suddenly, a person sprang to Luo Chen's mind. *Could Xuan Yunzi be a spy planted in Azure Pill Valley by the Medicine King Sect?!* Once this thought popped into his head, Luo Chen noticed Meng Changshou still staring expectantly at him. He reined in his stray thoughts and began carefully retracing the details of that Nascent Soul Formation Pill concoction. In the end, his thoughts settled on the final failure—the moment the furnace exploded. He said hesitantly, "Was it the pill fire?" Meng Changshou's brows furrowed. "Was it Qingdanzi's source pill fire, or the source true fires refined by the five of you?" Luo Chen pursed his lips, growing more certain as he spoke. "Both! The grade of firepower created by combining the five of our efforts was excessively overpowering, while the pill fire refined by Qingdanzi was not of a high enough tier. That led to a confusion between host and guest—our fire even overrode his—ultimately resulting in the concoction failing and triggering a furnace explosion from the backlash." "Is that so?" Meng Changshou murmured, falling into deep thought. As he pondered, wisps of flame flared intermittently from his hand, as if he were running tests. From the corner of his eye, Luo Chen caught sight of the golden fire, uncertain what variety of extraordinary flame it was. He only sensed that it was remarkably pure. Even if its tier did not match his Wither-Bloom Fire, the degree of fluid control was far beyond his own. *It seems my mastery over my source true fire is still far lacking, having barely scratched the surface,* Luo Chen thought privately. A hush fell over the cave dwelling. Only the crackle of fire and an occasional murmur broke the silence. After a long time, Meng Changshou emerged from his contemplation. A look of thoughtful understanding showed in his eyes. He looked up at Luo Chen, who was currently studying a jade slip, and cleared his throat softly. Luo Chen set the jade slip down and smiled. "Have you figured it out, Fellow Daoist?" "I have some thoughts, but..." Meng Changshou smiled faintly. "Without mastering the Azure Pill Great Array—that joint-refining pill array—I cannot know whether my ideas are correct. Regardless, what you shared just now was deeply enlightening to me." "I am glad it proved useful." Luo Chen nodded, tapping his fingers against the jade slip. Looking at the jade slip, Meng Changshou asked casually, "Are you worried about the upcoming opening war?" "Yes. I am like a headless fly, lacking any sense of direction." Luo Chen nodded with a helpless sigh. "There's no helping it. My side's strength is simply too weak, leaving us with virtually no choices. I wonder if you, Senior, could offer any advice?" "Advice?" Meng Changshou chuckled self-deprecatingly. "What advice could there be? Do you truly intend to compete against those orthodox Golden Core great sects?" Luo Chen felt equally helpless. He knew the other man was stating the truth. Yet, was that really all there was to it? Just as he was feeling lost, Meng Changshou suddenly said, "In truth, why must you forsake the small to pursue the great? Those Tier 3 spiritual veins that everyone looks down on—small as they may be, their rank is genuinely Tier 3. Wouldn't it suffice to conquer a few more of them?" Luo Chen was baffled. "The Opening Covenant stipulates that each sect may only take one site. What would be the point of doing that? Merely doing the hard work so others can reap the harvest?" Meng Changshou laughed heartily. "Have you never heard the legends of immortals moving mountains and filling the seas?" ... One month later! Moonbreaker Immortal City. Countless streaks of light shot straight into the clouds, flying toward the depths of the Howling Moon Mountain Range. Scores of large, top-grade flying boats wove among them, carrying sharp, resolute cultivators standing ready for battle. Ten colossal vessels stretching over a hundred zhang bestrode the heavens, roaring with thunderous rumbles as they flew in different directions. The opening war had begun! With the momentum of thunder, conquer the Howling Moon! Aboard the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat, the five Golden Core cultivators gathered together. With Luo Chen at their head, the other four stood in pairs. Between them was a massive rubbed map, displayed through Luo Chen's Water Mirror Art. Bright red dots dotted the map. Every red dot represented a target chosen by a sect. Some targets bore not just a single red dot, but several overlapping ones. This meant that multiple great sects had set their sights on the same spiritual land. When the time came, they would attack it together. As for who would claim it once it fell, that was beyond Luo Chen's concern. What held his attention right now were three great mountains: Huimeng Ridge, Tieqing Mountain, and Snow Wolf Flat! "Danchenzi, are we truly going to do this?" Diwu Qi could not resist asking. Luo Chen lifted his eyelids. "Everything was settled beforehand. Now that the moment has arrived, what reason is there to hesitate?" Diwu Qi said worriedly, "But other factions have their eyes on the other two spiritual mountains as well!" "As long as we conquer them first, they will be ours," Luo Chen said calmly. From the side, Jiang Yu abruptly asked, "What if the Luoyun Sect holds us accountable? A single sect monopolizing three lands is a direct violation of the covenant." Luo Chen tapped his finger on Snow Wolf Flat. "When the time comes, we simply move the other two great mountains over here. Wouldn't there be only one spiritual land left?" Moving mountains! That was Luo Chen's strategy for this campaign. With Meng Changshou's guidance, all the confusion had dissolved at once. In the cultivation world, the concept of man-made spiritual lands—or the modification of spiritual lands—had existed since ancient times. Many immortal cities were precisely Tier 3 spiritual lands created and upgraded through human effort. As for modifying spiritual lands? Back in the day, Azure Pill Valley had occupied only a single mountain! Yet today, everyone knew that Azure Pill Valley possessed five Tier 3 spiritual mountains. The secret behind that transformation was that the forebears of Azure Pill Valley had used mighty means during an opening war to forcibly relocate spiritual mountains scattered across other regions. Spiritual lands created in this way were not artificial constructs; they preserved their feng shui alignments and spiritual vein qi. As long as they were properly nurtured afterward, their spiritual energy density would be in no way inferior to a naturally occurring spiritual vein. Luo Chen's current strategy was to seize a small Tier 3 spiritual mountain as quickly as possible. Then, with thunderous speed, he would invade the targets of others and claim their spiritual lands. Finally, he would move them over and gather them all in one place! If the opportunity arose, he might even snatch a few more spiritual mountains. As for how to move a mountain? After Luo Chen paid the Tier 1 Nether-Passage Pill and Tier 1 Blood Burning Pill formulas as remuneration, Meng Changshou had already imparted the methods to him. Therefore, moving forward, there was only one thing to do. "We must be fast!" "Faster than anyone else, we must take Snow Wolf Flat. Using it as our foundation, we will seize the other spiritual mountains!" Luo Chen slapped his hand down onto the map, making his final decree. The other four looked at one another. Even though they were mentally prepared, they were still shaken by Luo Chen's boldness. Under the weight of that boldness, no one voiced an objection. Whether for the sake of a spiritual mountain or the Many Stars Pills that Luo Chen regularly provided, they had to fight this battle with everything they had! ... The Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat did not fly very fast. Everywhere it passed, flames of war already blanketed the earth below. No one knew how Wolf Emperor Aoxiao had managed it, but he had successfully forged the wolf clans of the Howling Moon Mountain Range into a unified force. In recent intelligence, they had even discovered that the number of Tier 3 demon wolves within their ranks was steadily climbing, as if other wolf clans from throughout the millions of Barren Mountains were gathering here as well. Because of this, not long after departing Moonbreaker Immortal City, human cultivators began encountering small contingents of demon wolves. Luo Chen and his companions did not halt for them. Even when demon wolves attacked the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat, the five Golden Core cultivators did not intervene, leaving them entirely to Wang Yuan, Cen Guangyi, and the others. At present, the Luotian Alliance cultivators stationed aboard the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat numbered as many as three thousand! Foundation Establishment cultivators numbered thirty. As long as they did not run into a massive enemy force, nothing could obstruct their path. Luo Chen extended his divine sense, keeping watch in another direction not far off. Heading toward Huimeng Ridge was a cultivation family force—the He clan of the Motian Domain—which had only a single Golden Core master. With Motian Cliff, the Nascent Soul superior sect of the Motian Domain, joining the war, many forces from within that domain had also entered the fray. Apart from Golden Core great sect-level forces, first-rate cultivation families like the He clan were far from few. "They are all hoping to pick up scraps!" Luo Chen murmured. Soon, word came from Diwu Qi's side. "The one heading for Tieqing Mountain is the Wanxiang Sect. They have two Golden Core masters in total, and their chances of taking Tieqing Mountain are very high." Luo Chen nodded. With that, the two spiritual mountains closest to Snow Wolf Flat and the factions eyeing them were clearly identified. Neither family nor sect was particularly strong, so they wanted to pick on the softest targets. However, the number of demon wolves entrenched on Huimeng Ridge and Tieqing Mountain was only modest compared to those on large Tier 3 spiritual veins. To take them down, both factions would certainly have to expend considerable effort. "Our speed is still too slow." "Full speed ahead!" Luo Chen gave the order. Fu Jiusheng, who was responsible for maneuvering the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat, responded at once and activated the boat's formation arrays, accelerating their speed by another thirty percent. ... Early the next morning. The colossal dragon boat came to a halt outside a stretch of verdant mountains. The green peaks rolled on continuously, most of them low and squat, save for a single mountain that thrust abruptly upward. Atop it lay a broad, flat expanse, as if sliced smooth by a sword. "Is this Snow Wolf Flat?" Luo Chen stepped out from the crowd and stood at the prow, facing the wind. Wisps of snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Gazing far into the distance, one could even see snow-capped mountains looming faintly a thousand li away. This place was already bordering the Great Snow Mountain. Withdrawing his gaze, Luo Chen looked toward Snow Wolf Flat. At this moment, powerfully built demon wolves were emerging slowly from among the peaks. At a glance, across the undulating mountains, demon wolves were countless, their demonic qi soaring to the heavens! Leading them upon Snow Wolf Flat were three demon wolves with eyes full of savage fury. Their fur was pure white, their eyes jade-green. Their bodies towered seven or eight zhang high! The one in the center exceeded ten zhang, resembling a small mountain. Looking at that behemoth of a demon wolf, the thousands of cultivators aboard the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat unconsciously swallowed hard, the sound audible in the collective stillness. A mid-stage Tier 3 demon wolf! The wind howled, unable to drown out the low, rumbling growls of the demon wolves among the mountains. Everyone knew that this would be a bitter battle! At a certain moment, every pair of eyes turned toward Luo Chen in silent accord. The young man in the fiery crimson Daoist robe slowly raised his right hand. From his mouth, he uttered two heavy words. "War begins!"