"Senior Brother Xu, is this the future mountain gate of our Luotian Sect?"
"Indeed! That most majestic mountain in the center is the gate of the Luotian Sect. Our fellow Daoists from Mount Ailao are currently constructing grand palaces and halls up there, and it will surely be a wondrous immortal scene in the future. Oh, right—those smaller flanking peaks surrounding it were moved over last year by the Supreme Elder and the others with immense magic power. They will also belong to our Luotian Sect from now on."
"Has the mountain been named yet?"
"Not formally, no. But I casually heard the Supreme Elder mention that once things settle down, he plans to rename Snow Wolf Flat to Mount Xueyue,"
Xu Huanzhen replied.
The two women behind him exchanged a glance, one of them showing a look of curiosity.
Not Mount Luotian, but Mount Xueyue?
Yuan Xiaoyue said thoughtfully, "The Supreme Elder is a nostalgic man. Taking the character 'Yue' is likely to commemorate Crescent Moon Valley, where the Luotian Sect first had its beginnings!"
She was among the very earliest to follow Luo Chen, so she faintly grasped Luo Chen's intentions.
Moreover, incorporating "Yue" into the name also adapted to the local environment, borrowing from the Howling Moon Mountain Range.
Hearing this, Yao Mingyue, who had a strong prospect of inheriting the position of sect leader in the future, broke into a delighted smile.
"Speaking of which, I was also born in Crescent Moon Valley. Mount Xueyue... Xiaoyue, both our names have 'Yue' in them too."
A subtle trace of provocation lingered in her words.
Yao Mingyue's master was Sima Huiniang. While Yuan Xiaoyue had no formally named master, Gu Caiyi was a presence who was both master and friend to her.
Owing to friction between their elders, the two young women under them did not see eye to eye either.
What was more, the future position of sect leader had not been definitively decided, and Yuan Xiaoyue stood a significant chance of contending for it as well.
Hearing their exchange from the side, Xu Huanzhen could only shake his head.
He could not stomach "women bickering," so he immediately called out,
"Junior brothers and sisters, martial nephews and nieces, let's not linger here. Follow me into the mountains!"
Behind Yao Mingyue and Yuan Xiaoyue was a contingent of Luotian Sect disciples: three Foundation Establishment True Cultivators and nearly a hundred Qi Refinement cultivators.
All of them had been transferred here to support the construction of the sect's base.
Furthermore, with Wang Yuan and Chu Kui entering closed-door cultivation one after another, Luo Chen living in seclusion for his own cultivation, and Mei Ruoqi and Zeng Yilong—who had previously overseen affairs—deployed to the battlefield, the burden of management had fallen onto Fu Jiusheng and Min Longyu.
Neither of those two was adept at handling administrative trifles.
Hence, this group of cultivators skilled in worldly affairs had been dispatched from Danxia Peak in Tianlan.
In reality, this was also a signal, indicating that the Luotian Sect's center of gravity had begun to shift.
The party of a hundred rode aboard a high-grade flying boat, gliding slowly toward the bustling Snow Wolf Flat.
Along the way, many alliance cultivators in the vicinity cast curious glances.
In particular, when catching sight of the two attractive, distinctly charming young female cultivators at the bow, many could not resist stealing a few extra glances.
Many sighed inwardly in admiration:
This Luotian Sect truly produced talent in endless waves!
The older generation of experts went without saying, but even among the younger generation, exceptional figures emerged without cease.
Compared to the battered and bleak Myriad Manifestations Sect, the Cen Clan focused solely on building strength, and the leaderless Storm Mountain Villa, only the Luotian Sect within the entire alliance exuded such flourishing vitality and the grand aura of a major immortal sect.
Just as the Luotian Sect's flying boat docked on a grassy clearing at the foot of the mountain,
the Foundation Establishment cultivators suddenly raised their heads and looked toward the distant sky.
A massive dragon boat pierced through clouds and mist like a streak of flaming dragon.
Seeing this, Yao Mingyue let out a soft exclamation. "It's the Supreme Elder's Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat. Is the venerable elder aboard?"
To this question, Xu Huanzhen furrowed his brows.
Something was wrong!
The Supreme Elder was currently in deep cultivation inside his cave estate.
That dragon boat had supposedly been lent to Master Jiang Yu.
The rotation was every three years, yet only two years had passed—why had the flying boat returned?
Just as he was seized by doubt and bewilderment, three figures soared into the sky from three different directions:
Diwu Qi, Master of Storm Mountain Villa; Cen Qiusheng, Patriarch of the Cen Clan; and Fu Jiusheng, Elder of the Luotian Sect!
At the same time, a figure flew out from the dragon boat and shot directly toward Snow Wolf Flat.
Looking closely, it was none other than Zeng Yilong!
Not only that, but he was carrying an unconscious woman in his arms.
Yuan Xiaoyue had always been close with Zeng Yilong; she had even personally looked after him when he was a small boy.
Seeing this scene, she hurried over.
"Ah Long, what happened?"
Anxious and distressed, Zeng Yilong was momentarily startled upon seeing her. "Senior Sister Xiaoyue, what brings you here?"
Without waiting for her answer, he rushed out, "Master Jiang Yu was killed in battle! His remains are aboard the dragon boat! The alliance cultivators suffered disastrous losses! Ruoqi was invaded by glacial demonic qi and is on the brink of death! Senior Brother Xu, please notify the Supreme Elder at once and ask him to come forth and take command!"
Upon hearing these words, everyone present was severely shaken.
Across the surrounding hilltops, as the three Masters rose into the sky, countless figures of cultivators began appearing in throngs.
...
"Supreme Elder!"
"You are Wang Yuan's disciple. Calling me Martial Uncle will suffice."
"Martial Uncle, please save Junior Sister Ruoqi! She was injured trying to shield me from the shockwaves of a battle with a Tier 3 demon king!"
Inside the cave estate.
Draped in deep black Daoist robes, Luo Chen looked at the woman lying on the ground and Zeng Yilong kneeling before him.
After a long pause, he withdrew his divine sense.
"It is not beyond help. I can treat it, and I can save her."
Hearing this, joy broke across Zeng Yilong's face, making even the scar on his face seem less ferocious.
Luo Chen formed hand seals, but halfway through, he let out a muffled grunt.
"Ugh!"
Zeng Yilong froze. "Martial Uncle, what is wrong?"
Luo Chen shook his head, his face obscured beneath the hood.
"It is nothing. While I treat Mei Ruoqi, tell me everything that happened on the battlefield."
Zeng Yilong nodded hastily.
Gathering his thoughts, he recounted the terrifying scenes etched deep in his memory.
"The Sword-Bearer Hall of the Nine Sects was just as you described before—usually nothing major, primarily responsible for enforcing discipline, supervising battles, and providing emergency reinforcements.
"Over the past two-odd years, we executed four missions in total.
"The first was executing a late Foundation Establishment marauder cultivator. Blinded by greed during the assault on a Tier 3 spirit vein, that man ambushed a true disciple of a major sect. The Sword-Bearer Hall was furious and dispatched us to pursue and slay him across a thousand li.
"Another mission was mediating a conflict between two major Golden Core sects that nearly erupted into open warfare. They fought incessantly over a captured Tier 3 spirit vein, their tempers flaring to the point where they almost drew blades against one another...
"The final mission was at a battle for a top-grade Tier 3 spirit vein ten thousand li away from the Howling Wolf Court.
"At the time, five sects joined forces to assault the place, determined to conquer it.
"No one anticipated that aside from a formidable garrison, the Howling Wolf Court had dispatched demon king reinforcements. Upon receiving word, the Sword-Bearer Hall deployed in full force, resolved to intercept the reinforcements and ensure victory.
"It was an interception battle I will never forget for the rest of my life!"
...
Treating Mei Ruoqi might have been somewhat difficult for the Luo Chen of the past.
A Great Circle Cleansing Art could at most purge Tier 2 baleful qi, but when it came to the demonic power of a Tier 3 demonic beast—energy comparable to a Golden Core cultivator's magic power—it fell entirely short.
Fortunately, Luo Chen had mastered the Dragon Severing Art.
This Tier 4 spell was easy to learn but exceedingly hard to master.
Gifted as he was, he had crossed the threshold long ago and even reached the Proficient level.
Furthermore, the demonic power afflicting Mei Ruoqi was merely residual shockwave energy from a Tier 3 frost wolf king, so purging it was not particularly difficult for him.
The only thing causing Luo Chen discomfort was the Yinwei Formation acting up on his body.
Engraving a Tier 3 formation into his flesh meant that before he fully adapted to it, the formation's operation interfered with the circulation of magic power inside him.
This was why he had remained in seclusion recently, barely showing himself.
At this stage, he was somewhat weakened.
Casting the Dragon Severing Art time and again, he continuously severed and dispersed the glacial demonic power within Mei Ruoqi.
Throughout the process, Luo Chen intermittently applied his Great Accomplishment healing arts to protect her heart and meridians.
After three hours had passed and a touch of color returned to Mei Ruoqi's pale face, Luo Chen had also learned the full sequence of events from Zeng Yilong.
"It matches the intelligence Xing Zonghan sent back.
"The demonic beasts of the Howling Moon Mountain Range are no longer like the traditional demon race—perched in isolated pockets, ruling their own peaks, indifferent to each other, fiercely territorial.
"Under the reign of that extraordinary Howling Wolf Emperor, the wolf packs of the Howling Moon Mountain Range have been united into a cohesive fist.
"Perhaps at the very beginning, they collapsed across a thousand li, utterly unable to rival the cultivator army.
"Yet the deeper into the wolf court one presses, the stronger their resistance becomes, and they have even begun employing human military strategies.
"Using a top-grade Tier 3 spirit vein as bait to lure the enemy deep, only to deal a devastating blow to the allied cultivator forces.
"Five major Golden Core sects returned in crushing defeat.
"In the Sword-Bearer Hall of the Nine Sects, three Golden Core True Persons were killed on the spot, several more Golden Cores were wounded, and over a hundred Foundation Establishment true disciples of various sects were either slain or injured.
"This battle is unquestionably the heaviest loss suffered by human cultivators since the start of the opening war!"
Having sorted through all this information, Luo Chen used his magic power to gently lift the soundly sleeping Mei Ruoqi and deliver her before Zeng Yilong.
"I understand the situation. Take her back and prepare medicine according to the prescription I have given you. Have her take it continuously for three months, and she should fully recover."
Zeng Yilong nodded repeatedly, the worry on his face dissipating completely.
Seeing him about to leave with the woman in his arms, Luo Chen shook his head.
"Come here."
"Hm?"
Zeng Yilong was puzzled, but stepped closer to Luo Chen nonetheless.
Then he saw Luo Chen reach out a hand covered in black lines and brush it across his face.
A tingling sensation caused Zeng Yilong to curl his toes tight against his soles.
Luo Chen slowly withdrew his hand, faint ripples of magic power lingering at his fingertips.
"How could a young standout of our Luotian Sect's new generation bear such an ugly scar?
"All right, go on back."
Zeng Yilong touched his cheek, a warm current welling up in his heart.
He bowed deeply in salute.
"Thank you, Martial Uncle!"
Before leaving, he suddenly recalled how strange those black lines on Martial Uncle Luo Chen's hands were. Could Martial Uncle be cultivating some divine art or secret technique?
After he left, Luo Chen sat silently in the cave estate for a while, finally rising to his feet.
"They must be growing anxious waiting for me.
"So be it.
"Adapting this body fully to the Yinwei Formation will not happen overnight. I had best take the time to go meet them."
Shrouded beneath his black robes, Luo Chen moved silently.
Before long, he arrived at that enormous manor atop Mount Tieqing.
Before he even entered, he could hear a chorus of wailing and weeping.
Spreading his divine sense without the slightest concealment, Luo Chen saw Jiang He standing amid the grieving crowd, his lips clamped tight and his expression resolute.
He was Jiang Yu's son, at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. Having the weak Tier 3 spirit ground that his father had specially arranged before departing, his cultivation was now not far from the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment.
Now that Jiang Yu, who had sheltered the Jiang family from the wind and rain, was gone, one could only wonder what he felt inside.
"If I were to suddenly perish one day, what would become of the Luotian Sect's cultivators?"
As he murmured inwardly, Cen Qiusheng's weathered voice reached him:
"Since Fellow Daoist has arrived, why not come inside for a talk?"
"Luo is coming."
Replying via divine sense transmission, Luo Chen strode straight into Storm Mountain Villa.
He had made no great effort to conceal his figure, yet not a single person noticed him along the way.
Even unadapted, this Great Circle Yinwei Formation was enough to openly deceive Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
Once fully adapted, even a Golden Core cultivator's divine sense would likely fail to discern him clearly.
And if fully activated...
...
Diwu Qi, Cen Qiusheng, Fu Jiusheng, and Luo Chen gathered together once more.
Jiang Yu was missing.
Gone was the former grand scene of five Golden Cores laughing and chatting together.
And evidently, further changes were on the horizon.
Because the Sword-Bearer Hall of the Nine Sects had suffered catastrophic casualties, it was bound to mobilize experts from the various sects to replenish its ranks.
The Luotian Alliance would not escape either.
When joining the opening war back then, the alliance covenant had already stipulated that each Golden Core sect must heed the orders of the Nascent Soul upper sects presiding over the war.
So long as an order was reasonable, they were obligated to go!
Otherwise, they could give no explanation to the upper sects, and even if matters were blown open, the Soul Formation sacred land, the Mingyuan Sect, would only back the righteous Nascent Soul upper sects.
"Let's hear it,"
Diwu Qi raised his eyelids, breaking the heavy silence.
Fu Jiusheng glanced at Luo Chen, then gave a chuckle and said, "According to our prior agreement, this turn belongs to Fellow Daoist Cen."
He spoke without mincing words, uncaring of offending anyone.
Cen Qiusheng let out a wry smile. "As formidable as Fellow Daoist Jiang was, even he failed to last three years. If I go, I fear it will be certain death!"
"Fellow Daoist need not be so pessimistic..."
"It is not that I am pessimistic. Of the eleven who went out this time, one Golden Core was slain; three Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Myriad Manifestations Sect perished; the Luotian Sect had one lightly wounded and one heavily wounded; my Cen Clan's two returned unscathed, yet deeply shaken; and of Storm Mountain Villa's three Foundation Establishment cultivators, two returned and one died. As for the situation with the Howling Wolf Court, everyone knows it well enough—there is no need to dance around the truth,"
Cen Qiusheng said with a bitter laugh.
The others fell back into silence.
This opening war was entirely different from the dozens before it.
The scale was the largest, encompassing nine upper sects, eighteen major Golden Core sects, and over a million cultivators!
Yet demonic beasts—calling them that was no longer accurate; they ought to be called the demon race!
The demon race's resistance was vastly different from before.
The Howling Wolf Emperor was truly a peerless talent among demons, having unified an entire great domain.
Some had even discovered that many powerful wolf tribes within the wolf court hailed from rare wolf clans deep within the million Barren Mountains elsewhere.
In other words, he had gained the backing of the depths of the Barren Mountains.
That was why the cultivator army, which had sailed smoothly till then, had been brought to a halt outside the Howling Wolf Court.
The promised thunderous sweeping advance had ground to a screeching halt in just four short years.
Moreover, anyone with a modicum of foresight could foresee the future.
This opening war was very likely to bog down into a quagmire just as in the past, taking an unknown number of years before the territory could be completely conquered.
Indeed!
Even under these circumstances, high-ranking human cultivators still maintained a measure of optimism.
It would be hard fought, but it could definitely be won!
Cen Qiusheng swept his gaze over the crowd, lingering for a long moment on the figure shrouded in black robes.
He spoke resolutely, "Since we made an agreement, I will not shirk it.
"However, while I can go, regardless of whether I return alive, the Cen Clan must receive preferential treatment from you all!"
Hearing these words, Diwu Qi smiled.
As long as he agreed.
He smiled and said, "That goes without saying. Even if Fellow Daoist had not mentioned it, we would have done so."
Cen Qiusheng shook his head. "Not enough. I need a promise!"
Receiving a transmission from Luo Chen, Fu Jiusheng immediately said, "Our Luotian Sect is willing to give this promise."
Diwu Qi pondered for a moment, then murmured, "If Fellow Daoist can take the remaining two late Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Myriad Manifestations Sect with you when you leave, I am willing to give this promise as well."
Cen Qiusheng frowned, wondering why Diwu Qi repeatedly targeted the Myriad Manifestations Sect.
When Diwu Qi ambushed the Golden Core of the Myriad Manifestations Sect on Mount Tieqing, Cen Qiusheng had not been present, so he did not know the history.
Yet the Myriad Manifestations Sect had nothing to do with him, so there was no hesitation over such a trivial matter.
After agreeing, Cen Qiusheng suddenly turned his gaze toward Luo Chen.
"Lord Fire Spirit, I have a presumptuous request, and I hope you will grant it."
Under the black hood, Luo Chen raised a brow. "Speak."
"Under my instruction, Cen Guangyi has reached the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment, and his Core Formation should occur within these few years. If I am gone, I hope you will act as his Dao Protector, ensuring he remains undisturbed during his Core Formation. Fellow Daoist, Cen entrusts this to you!"
Luo Chen pursed his lips.
No wonder he did not call him Fellow Daoist Luo or Danchenzi just now, but instead addressed him by his title of Lord Fire Spirit.
Luo Chen smiled faintly. "This matter, I accept."
"Then I have no more worries left behind." Cen Qiusheng exhaled in relief, a genuine smile showing on his aged face.
He chose to trust Luo Chen's reputation as an upright gentleman.
Only Diwu Qi's mouth twitched slightly, not having expected this development.
...
Time passed swiftly.
Within the Luotian Alliance,
before people even had time to grieve the fall of Master Jiang Yu, the Cen Clan's Golden Core Master Cen Qiusheng was already set to depart for the battlefield.
Over at the Myriad Manifestations Sect, following the death of their eldest senior brother, Zong Jiulang, they caused a ruckus upon learning that their only two remaining late Foundation Establishment cultivators were to be conscripted as well.
Yet under Cen Qiusheng's suppression, they had no choice but to send the two out.
Watched by thousands of eyes, the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat set sail once more.
Stripped of the high spirits of its maiden voyage, the atmosphere this time was exceedingly somber.
Amid this heavy mood, Luo Chen personally saw off the two Luotian Sect Foundation Establishment True Cultivators heading to the front. Then, with a flash of light, he departed the alliance's spirit land.
According to the rules, the next turn to go to the front line would be his.
Certain matters could no longer proceed at a leisurely, step-by-step pace.
He had to accelerate his progress!
Chapter 494