Are You Luo Chen?

In the pitch-black dungeon, the low, ragged breaths of its captives only made the stillness seem deeper. This silence endured for a long time. Until, at last, a heavy sigh broke it completely. The cultivators trapped in their individual cells looked up in unison toward the sound. "Fellow Daoist Haoranzi, how is it?" "Can you break the restriction?" A few voiced their questions, while even more directed eager, desperate gazes through the dark. Facing these inquiries, Haoranzi let out a bitter laugh. "No. The Golden Core in my body lies utterly dormant. I cannot mobilize a shred of magic power." "Elder, you possess the deepest cultivation among us, merely a step away from Golden Core Great Circle. If even you cannot break the restriction, then we are truly fish on the chopping block, entirely at their mercy," said the Moon God Envoy of the Star Moon Divine Hall. Haoranzi shook his head. "You think far too highly of me. That woman is someone who sent five Nascent Soul masters fleeing in terror at a mere glance. I am nothing more than a Golden Core cultivator—how could I possibly undo a restriction laid by her own hands?" At the mention of that woman, everyone's expression darkened. To make five Nascent Soul masters turn and run at first sight—even if none present had reached that realm themselves, they could still fathom what such terror meant. Among the five, including Han Zhan, there was not a single weakling. Whether it was Tianyezi, who possessed an arsenal of methods and dual mutated wind-and-thunder spiritual roots, or Perfected Jade Cauldron, who had cultivated bitterly for hundreds of years to bring his sword arts to perfection, both were undeniably renowned powerhouses throughout the Eastern Desolation's cultivation world. Even by sheer cultivation level alone, Heqingzi boasted profound strength comparable to the mid Nascent Soul stage. With those five joined together, let alone ordinary Nascent Soul masters, they would fear nothing even against mid Nascent Soul opponents! Yet such a lineup had fled desperately for their lives the moment that woman took merely a single delicate step forward. From that alone, her terrifying power could easily be imagined! She was definitely a late Nascent Soul grand cultivator! Perhaps even among late Nascent Soul figures, she stood at the very pinnacle. They did not know the outcome of what followed. Yet Master Yunhe had been annihilated in body and soul with just a single strike, unable even to let his Nascent Soul escape in time. Such thunderous might was utterly inconceivable. It was only natural that Haoranzi would lament in this manner. Wei Wuya, who hailed from the Nascent Soul superior sect Motian Cliff, said in deep bewilderment, "Though powerhouse demons in the million mountains of the Barren Mountains are countless, her techniques seemed remarkably simple while bearing such devastating might. With a fighting style so distinct and unmistakable, the top sects of humanity ought to have records of her. Why, then, have I never heard of such a demon existing?" Facing this question, Ye Xiang, who also came from a Nascent Soul sect, rasped, "Perhaps she is a demon powerhouse who only rose to prominence in recent years." "Recent years? How recent? Exactly how many years?" "Before every opening war, not only must the petitioning sect carry out intelligence surveys, but the sacred ground of the Mingyuan Sect also provides general intelligence reports. Across the past five hundred years, no one has ever heard of such a figure. Don't tell me she managed to cultivate to such a realm within five hundred years!" "Impossible! Utterly impossible! For such an entity, how could five hundred years ever suffice?" "Indeed. Even the greatest geniuses of our human race reach only early Nascent Soul within five hundred years. The truly formidable might touch mid Nascent Soul, but that woman..." In the dark dungeon, voices rose and fell one after another. Even though everyone was separated into solitary cells and could not muster spiritual sense or magic power, that did not stop them from speaking aloud. Amid the lively exchange, Luo Chen remained relatively quiet. Like the others, he had tried every method at his disposal to stir his internal magic power, yet in the end had achieved nothing. His spiritual sense was trapped within his sea of consciousness, unable to project outward. His Golden Core, brimming with pure magic power, was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, or perhaps imprisoned in some bizarre separate dimension—he could not sense its whereabouts in the slightest. From what the others had said, he learned that this was an exceptionally profound restrictive technique. If mapped against the Seven Basic Restrictions—Mountain, Water, Wind, Cloud, Obscurity, Luminosity, and Void—then without doubt, this restrictive technique came closest to a spatial restriction. The bizarre state within his body closely matched the description of a spatial restriction. Seemingly invisible and formless, yet omnipresent, permeating every single corner of his body. Luo Chen could find no way to resolve it. After all, this was the handiwork of a late Nascent Soul demon beast. If anything among his past repertoire held hope of unraveling this restriction, there were perhaps only two methods. One was to master all Seven Basic Restrictions and break restriction with restriction. The other was the Dragon Slaying Art, which could purge foreign substances from the body. Yet both methods faced severe limitations. For the former, he had only grasped a portion of the Obscurity restriction; mastery remained a distant dream. The latter required magic power to sustain it and had to be cultivated to an exceptionally high level. At least master level or Great Circle—and even at Great Circle, it might not necessarily be able to purge a spatial restriction. Having thought this through, Luo Chen felt all the more despair. In the face of absolute strength, no matter how many myriad spells he had mastered, they were mere parlor tricks, brittle and useless. "Ten years ago, we were brimming with confidence about this opening war, never once imagining defeat. Even when Wolf Emperor Aoxiao proved an unexpected obstacle, he was at most a minor nuisance. Who could have thought that in the blink of an eye, our circumstances would undergo such a world-ending reversal!" "Indeed. Just yesterday, we were aloof, exalted Golden Core Masters, revered by thousands as titans of an entire region. A day later, we are reduced to prisoners in chains." Listening to the bitter sighs echoing through the dungeon, Luo Chen abandoned his futile attempts, a helpless, bitter smile surfacing on his face. His thoughts ran deeper. Cultivators had erected immortal cities, divvied up shops, and carved up territories in the Howling Moon Mountain Range before they had even conquered them. Everything—from the highest Nascent Soul cultivators down to a million low-level cultivators—revealed that none of them had taken this opening war seriously at heart. What everyone pondered was not whether they could win, but how to seize the greatest gains with the smallest losses. After all, nine superior sects, eighteen great Golden Core sects, and vast hordes of rogue cultivators amounted to an army a million strong! With such a grand force invading a single domain, who could have imagined losing? Yet now... one could only say that an arrogant army is doomed to fall! "In truth, warning signs appeared long ago. If the other four True Persons had not intervened, Wolf Emperor Aoxiao alone could have overturned the tide of battle. That demon's talent and aptitude were in no way inferior to our human race's foremost geniuses." "That's not quite fair either. We truly did conquer the Howling Moon Mountain Range. The problem lay in our reckless greed—trying to swallow the Great Snow Mountain in one gulp." "Heh..." Someone let out a mocking sneer. The person nearby asked in annoyance, "Slovenly Daoist, what are you sneering at? Am I wrong?" The Slovenly Daoist leaned against his cell wall, cradling the back of his head with both hands. He curled his lip in derision. "Reckless greed? You cultivators of the Nascent Soul superior sects should know far more inside information than the rest of us! I heard that back when Moonbreaker Immortal City was first founded, the three fairies of Hundred Blossoms Palace were already running about, contacting allies and making preparations to strike at the Great Snow Mountain." At those words, all eyes turned toward three female cultivators resting in a far corner. Baihua Fairy ceased her futile struggles and opened her eyes. Parting her red lips, she said softly, "We were prepared, and clearly the demon race was prepared as well. Otherwise, how could a top-tier demon powerhouse have appeared so coincidentally at the White Bone Dao Palace? In the end, history is written by the victors, and the defeated must simply pay the price!" Indeed, it was nothing more than victory and defeat! Had that woman in azure named Qingshuang not appeared, the Great Snow Mountain would already be firmly in their grasp. They would not be trapped in this gloomy, damp dungeon venting useless complaints; they would be in the festively adorned White Bone Dao Palace, clinking cups and exchanging toasts, discussing how to carve up the spirit lands and resources of the Great Snow Mountain. Somber thoughts and despairing gloom spread through the dark. Luo Chen shared that gloom. Perhaps the only thing keeping him from pure despair was that he was not the only one captured. Men fear inequality more than scarcity; human nature was simply like that. When misfortune was shared by everyone, even the deepest despair found a measure of relief. At any rate, if they died, they would die together. With several late Golden Core powerhouses present, the lower-cultivation captives found their minds somewhat more at ease. Of course, that was merely self-deceptive sophistry. Someone raised a question: "Before that being, we are no more than fireflies over rotting grass, easily extinguished with a snap of her fingers. Why not kill us? Why go through the trouble of locking us away here?" As soon as those words fell, absolute silence returned. In truth, this question had lurked in everyone's hearts from the very beginning. Yet none had dared to confront it directly. After all, who truly wished to die? The vast majority of them possessed the qualifications to strive for Nascent Soul. Who would want to die senselessly under a single move, without even the ability to put up a fight? No one answered, each harboring their own grim speculations. Yet someone was bound to give them an answer eventually. ... Half a month later. Crisp footsteps echoed through the eerie dungeon. Everyone opened their eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. The darkness gradually receded. A woman of voluptuous figure and striking beauty arrived before them, holding a green lantern. Looking at the newcomer, everyone's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Senior Heqingzi, how could you..." "Shut your mouth!" A sharp ferocity flashed across Heqingzi's face as she barked at the speaker. The crowd fell as silent as winter cicadas, terrified of provoking her wrath. Though none understood why she was not dead and was even able to walk freely in that terrifying woman's domain, right now they cared far more about the purpose of her visit. She said nothing, merely producing a feather patterned in green and white, which she pressed against the doorway of Haoranzi's cell. "Come out." The door swung open, and the old man stepped out slowly. Haoranzi pressed his lips tight, looked back at the crowd, and followed Heqingzi with heavy steps, walking out into the corridor. As the green lantern moved away, the light vanished, and the dungeon returned to oppressive darkness. With Haoranzi's departure, a crushing weight seemed to settle on everyone's chest. They did not know what Haoranzi was about to face. Nor did they know whether their turn would come after him. An hour later. The silence broke. Footsteps sounded once more. Everyone turned toward the noise. From the darkness emerged the woman, holding the green lantern in one hand and dragging an unconscious man with the other. Reaching his original cell, *Clang!* *Thud!* Heqingzi said nothing. Having locked him back inside, she departed without looking back. Only after she was gone did the suffocating atmosphere ease slightly. Everyone turned their gaze toward the unconscious figure. "Haoranzi!" "Fellow Daoist, wake up!" "What happened? Quickly, tell us!" There was no response. Haoranzi lay collapsed in the dark cell as if dead. Yet everyone could sense that he was not dead; vibrant vitality still radiated from his body. To leave a Golden Core cultivator so weak, even unconscious, it had to be severe trauma to his soul! For a moment, they looked at one another in horror. Suddenly, a bitter laugh came from the cell opposite Haoranzi. "The next one couldn't be me, could it?" It was Wei Wuya, whose cultivation was second only to Haoranzi among those present. The others hurriedly offered words of comfort. Yet no matter how one heard those reassurances, they rang hollow. Wei Wuya's heart trembled with dread; he only wished time would slow down. The slower, the better! He was a renowned powerhouse of Motian Cliff, the one with the greatest prospect of advancing to Nascent Soul; Motian Cliff would never abandon him. If he could only hold out long enough, his sect might send people to rescue him. Even if Motian Cliff lacked the strength, there were Golden Core cultivators from other Nascent Soul sects imprisoned here. Golden Core cultivators seemed abundant on ordinary days, but that was merely an illusion born of so many factions gathering together. In any Nascent Soul sect, the number of Golden Core masters was limited; no sect would willingly let a Golden Core Master perish pointlessly without value. At the very least, the nine Nascent Soul superior sects spearheading this campaign would not stand idly by! Above the nine superior sects was the Mingyuan Sect, the Soul Formation sacred ground overseeing the Eastern Desolation; they would certainly not remain indifferent either. *Time, please slow down!* ... Alas, the heavens could not hear the cry in Wei Wuya's heart. Early the next morning, the familiar footsteps echoed once more through the corridor. Heqingzi appeared again. Just as everyone had anticipated, she took Wei Wuya away. An hour later, she dragged him back like a dead pig. Still unconscious, still with no clue as to what had happened. Now, panic gripped all who remained. The four remaining late Golden Core cultivators in particular could no longer maintain their composure, terror creeping across their faces. At their cultivation level, suffering physical injuries in battle was no great disaster. But if the soul suffered severe damage, any future hope of advancing to Nascent Soul was utterly extinguished. It was clear that both Haoranzi and Wei Wuya were suffering the aftermath of massive soul trauma. On the third day, the Supreme Elder of Mengquan Cave was taken away. Seeing this, Yu Jiaolong in the rear could not help crying out, repeatedly demanding to know why they were taking people away. Yet Heqingzi paid her no heed. Like a warden of this prison, she ignored everything, faithfully carrying out her duties of fetching and locking away prisoners. The only silver lining was that around dusk, Haoranzi finally regained consciousness. Facing a barrage of frantic questions, he looked dazed, his face completely blank. After a long silence, Haoranzi clutched his head and muttered hoarsely, "I was soul-searched." At those words, everyone blanched! Soul searching—a demonic method! It inflicted severe, irreversible damage upon a cultivator's soul! Once forcibly soul-searched, everything from one's past was laid bare before the enemy. Innermost secrets, supreme techniques, cultivation insights, mortal and immortal craft proficiencies, interpersonal ties... Everything was like a scroll unrolled for someone to browse at will. Cultivators who underwent soul searching had defective souls, drastically increasing the chance of attracting external demons when attempting major breakthroughs. In other words, if every one of them was searched, their already-slim chances of breaking through to Nascent Soul would become practically nonexistent! Suddenly, Jin Buque asked, "If an elder of our sect placed a soul restriction on us, what happens if they forcibly search the soul?" Haoranzi could not answer. He merely offered uncertainly, "The one conducting the soul search is that black crow. It seems to belong to the lineage of the Youming Nether Crow, an ancient remnant breed, with immense attainment in the dao of the soul. It might be able to unravel the restriction without killing you... Wait, no. If the soul restriction on you was placed by your sect's Supreme Elder, Master Shenyuan, the consequences are likely dire!" Hearing this, Jin Buque's face turned deathly pale. The Five Elements Divine Sect differed from most Nascent Soul superior sects. This sect loved researching all manner of divine arts and esoteric techniques, and had indeed amassed many novel methods. Yet this made them prime targets for covetous eyes. Thus, top powerhouses in the sect traditionally placed soul restrictions upon certain secret techniques to prevent their core heritage from being stolen. And Master Shenyuan, Supreme Elder of the Five Elements Divine Sect, was a late Nascent Soul grand cultivator! The black crow perched on the azure-robed woman's shoulder was not extraordinarily high in cultivation realm—early to mid Nascent Soul at most. No matter how deep its soul dao attainments were, it could hardly surpass the methods of a late Nascent Soul grand cultivator. If it forcibly broke the soul restriction, he had ten chances out of ten to die! Jin Buque was not the only one with such fears. Ye Xiang of the Divine Talisman Sect and Fengyue of Fenghua Palace had already turned pale. Yet no matter how much they worried, Heqingzi's daily round of taking one prisoner away never stopped. One day, two days, three days... Once all the late Golden Core cultivators had been questioned, it was finally the turn of the mid Golden Core cultivators. On the first day, it was Jin Buque. And he did not return alive. This meant his worst fears had come true. Ye Xiang and Fengyue, on the other hand, survived and returned. That was likely because the seniors who laid restrictions upon them were not as formidable in realm and soul restrictions, allowing the black crow to unravel them easily and sparing their lives. A bitter sort of fortune. Stranger still, Fairy Baoshuang of the Ice Fort did not return either. This exception baffled everyone. Yet among them, Luo Chen had no time to ponder such mysteries. Because his turn was next. In the dark cell, Luo Chen's expression was bitter. The feeling of being entirely at another's mercy tasted vile. Especially as he watched the butcher's blade inch closer day by day, breath by breath. Outside his cell, several cultivators who had regained consciousness looked at him with pitying eyes. Haoranzi sighed. "Worry no more. Good fortune brings no calamity, and calamity cannot be avoided. We cultivators were destined for this trial in our fates." Luo Chen parted his lips, finding no words to reply. Haoranzi said softly, "It is merely a soul search. As long as you survive, who is to say you won't find one or two secret methods in the future to mend the lingering damage?" He had already resigned himself to fate, speaking with open-minded calm. Luo Chen pressed his lips together and suppressed his restless emotions. Indeed! As long as he stayed alive, there was hope! Under his resolute gaze, the death-knell footsteps echoed through the dark passage once more. This time, Heqingzi stopped outside Luo Chen's cell. "Come out." Luo Chen took a deep breath and followed the willowy sway of the woman's hips, walking outward step by step. Though he was heading toward the bright outside world, for some reason it felt more like plunging into a bottomless abyss, weighing heavily upon his heart. ... "This is..." Emerging through layer upon layer of passages, Luo Chen stood outside a grand hall. Looking back, he beheld lush green mountains where wutong trees, thousands of feet tall, rose proudly across the undulating range. Flocks of multicolored birds, grouped by feather and hue, circled and danced among the mist-veiled peaks. It was like a sanctuary where ten thousand birds paid homage to the phoenix. Among those flocks were beasts of every tier from Rank One to Rank Three, and a few had even drawn infinitely close to the level of Rank Four demon beasts. Judging by their species, most were rare spirit birds spoken of only in legend. Heaven and earth spiritual energy, thick beyond measure, flowed through the air. A single breath was enough to lift one's spirit and clear the mind. Even his suppressed Golden Core seemed to pulse with faint signs of life. "A Rank Three spirit vein?" "No, at least Rank Four!" Hearing Luo Chen's murmur, Heqingzi glanced back at him. "Your discerning eye isn't bad, though your vision is too narrow. Mount Cangwu is one of the rare Rank Five spirit lands in the Mountain Sea Realm, home to a true Rank Five spirit vein." A Rank Five spirit land! Luo Chen's heart gave a violent jolt. Wasn't that a cultivation ground meant for Soul Formation cultivators? Not long ago, he had been toiling endlessly for a mere Rank Three spirit land, and now he had abruptly arrived at a legendary Rank Five spirit land! Nothing in the world could be more mind-boggling than this. Wait! Could it be that the azure-robed woman was not a Rank Four demon beast comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator, but an ancient Rank Five demon equal to a Soul Formation master? Just as shock rocked his soul, Heqingzi came to a halt. Luo Chen looked up. Hanging upon the colossal palace was a grand plaque: "Duzhen Hall!" "Go inside. Youquan is waiting for you." *Youquan must be the name of the Youming Nether Crow.* Luo Chen gritted his teeth. Unable to resist, he stepped into Duzhen Hall. The moment he entered, a pair of unfathomable eyes locked onto him. The instant Luo Chen's defenses crumbled, that bizarre power suddenly withdrew. "Are you Luo Chen?"