Outside Black Swan Island.
When Cheng Dou heard the words "I am Qingyang," he pursed his lips.
As expected!
It was just as they had guessed. This young man of eccentric and unpredictable temperament had mastered the Qingyang Demonic Fire—and had even taken it as his Daoist title.
At the thought of the rumored prerequisites for refining the Qingyang Demonic Fire, Cheng Dou could not help but shudder.
That process required an astronomical amount of essence blood from living beings, bordering on sheer cruelty.
Only an expert of the demonic path could steel their heart to refine such a demonic flame.
Because of that, he had to treat this guest with the utmost hospitality, lest he incur his wrath.
"Master, this way, please!"
Cheng Dou respectfully stepped aside, yielding the path ahead and letting Luo Chen walk in front.
Luo Chen glanced at him and said flatly, "I would prefer not to draw attention to my true cultivation realm just yet."
Cheng Dou started, then quickly caught on.
He was, after all, a grand cultivator of the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, merely a step away from peak Foundation Establishment. Black Swan Island was the Cheng Clan's stronghold, boasting strength in numbers. Yet if he showed such obsequious deference toward a cultivator who appeared to be merely in the mid Foundation Establishment stage, any word that leaked out would make others suspect that Luo Chen held an exalted identity or a higher realm.
Cheng Dou drew a deep breath, straightened his spine, took a step forward, and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Luo Chen.
"A banquet is already being prepared, but it will still take a bit of time. While we wait, why doesn't this junior give you a detailed introduction to Black Swan Island and the Flying Swallow Archipelago?"
"As you please."
...
"Master likely knows that the Northern Sea is also called the Sea of Demons. This is because countless sea demons dwell within its depths, and myriad demonic experts of the Yuan Demon Sect run rampant across it, which earned it this moniker from the outside world.
"Over time, the Yuan Demon Sect itself came to embrace the name. At some point, the sect began referring to the territories it had conquered and occupied as the Demonic Domain, while the regions yet unconquered were collectively known as the Demon Sea.
"The Flying Swallow Archipelago has been human territory for eight hundred years. Eight hundred years ago, this place was still part of the Demon Sea, infested by countless cloud-piercing sparrows and sea-cleaving swallows.
"Eight hundred years ago, the Yuan Demon Sect dispatched its subordinate sects to conquer this region and renamed it the Flying Swallow Archipelago.
"However, because the resources here were relatively sparse, its location remote, and it faced constant threats from the Xintian Sea Region, no major sect was willing to remain. Over time, it became a gathering ground for rogue cultivators and minor clans.
"Our Cheng Clan settled here back then, making a living by raising and selling first-tier demon beasts known as black swans."
Cheng Dou recounted the history of the Flying Swallow Archipelago step by step.
The details he shared were far clearer and more thorough than Cheng Haichang's.
Luo Chen listened quietly, gleaning general knowledge that could prove useful to him.
For example, the division of the Sea of Demons into the Demon Sea and the Demonic Domain.
Another example was how the Yuan Demon Sect, despite appearing haughty and domineering on the surface, actually undertook a mission similar to that of the Mingyuan Sect: expanding into new territories! Extrapolating from this, did the Soul Transformation sacred grounds in the Southern Border and Western Desert shoulder similar missions or duties?
If that were truly the case, then the original purpose of the Five Great Sacred Grounds was quite commendable; as a whole, they were striving to secure welfare for the human cultivation world.
Wait, then what role did the Tianyuan Dao Sect—situated in the Central Plains without any external perils—play?
A leader? Someone enjoying the fruits of others' labor? Or perhaps a trailblazer who had already weathered hardship to carve out an entire continent, and was now merely reaping their hard-earned honors?
His thoughts drifted far afield; without realizing it, this minor Golden Core cultivator had let his imagination wander quite far.
This time, Luo Chen did not sever his train of thought.
Before arriving in the Northern Sea, he had already touched upon the conflict between the human sacred ground, the Mingyuan Sect, and the demon avian sacred ground, Mount Cangwu.
If he were to advance to the Nascent Soul or even the Soul Transformation stage in the future, he would inevitably have to return to the Eastern Desolation.
When that day came, there was a high likelihood he would be swept into that very vortex.
Taking time now to sort through these matters could only do him good.
Beside him, Cheng Dou continued his explanation.
"Although the Yuan Demon Sect is said to act without restraint and with peerless cruelty, in the eyes of many, it is actually an orthodox sect with bottom lines.
"They adhere to the law of the jungle where the strong prey upon the weak, encouraging competition both internally and externally. Yet when it comes to the lower strata, they handle things remarkably well. High-tier cultivators are strictly forbidden from slaughtering lower-tier humans indiscriminately, and this includes mortals!
"Even the Soul Refining lineage within the Yuan Demon Sect, which requires large quantities of low-tier souls, is forbidden from slaughtering mortals and Qi Refinement cultivators. If they need souls, they are free to hunt within the boundless Demon Sea.
"Master has probably noticed as well that mortals on our Flying Swallow Archipelago may lead hard lives, but they always have paths forward. The reason lies precisely here: many years ago, the Yuan Demon Sect set an example for how to govern mortals.
"They encourage mortals to reproduce in large numbers and swell the population. Those who possess spiritual roots are inducted into sects. Those without are taught body-tempering martial arts and granted spirit-attached magical artifacts so they can contribute usefully to tedious secular affairs. Some mortal Xiantian grandmasters who perform well are even accepted into cultivation clans through special exceptions and granted respectable treatment."
A realization dawned upon Luo Chen.
No wonder the mortals he saw earlier, despite their weather-beaten faces, were brimming with enthusiasm for their work.
They were nothing like the numb mortals of the Eastern Desolation.
So it was because they had "hope"!
Luo Chen nodded. "In this regard, the Yuan Demon Sect has indeed done well."
Cheng Dou perked up. He had steered the conversation in this direction, praising the Yuan Demon Sect both overtly and subtly, and saw that Luo Chen seemed satisfied.
This way, whether the man was a remnant disciple of the Yuan Demon Sect or not, he felt he had handled the matter appropriately.
Clearing his throat, Cheng Dou continued:
"Indeed. The Yuan Demon Sect was merely a bit eccentric and perverse in its ways. Even when the world branded them a demonic sect and labeled them with terms like Demonic Domain and demon heads, they never deigned to argue, nor did they bother masquerading behind grandiose titles like 'Sacred Sect.'"
Luo Chen gave a soft hum of agreement. Pinnacle powerhouses rarely cared about the distinction between righteous and demonic, let alone mere titles.
As they conversed, their footsteps brought them to the manor by Little Mirror Lake.
"Master Qingyang, the banquet has been prepared. This way, please."
Luo Chen paused, glancing at Cheng Dou with a faint, knowing smile.
"Quite an extravagant preparation!"
Cheng Dou felt a knot in his chest. "It is only proper for this junior to do so. I hope it pleases Master."
"You have gone to great lengths."
Luo Chen gave a low chuckle and strode into the manor.
The moment he entered, he saw an exquisite woman of graceful poise and a shapely figure standing by the hall entrance, hands resting lightly at her side.
Upon seeing Luo Chen's face, her eyes fluttered, and she bowed deeply in a demure greeting.
"This humble woman, Cheng Haixin, pays respects to Master Qingyang!"
As she bent forward, her ruqun robe parted slightly, offering an accidental glimpse of spring.
Setting aside the curves of her waist and hips, the breathtaking expanse of snowy skin at her chest alone was enough to captivate anyone.
Luo Chen gave her a brief glance and said flatly, "Raise your head."
Cheng Haixin pursed her tender pink lips, bit her pearly teeth, and stood upright, her slender neck held aloft like that of a proud swan.
Only now did Luo Chen notice her standout feature.
Height!
She stood a full one point eight meters tall, nearly matching his own stature.
She was visibly taller than Cheng Dou beside her.
Among all the women he had met in his life, perhaps only the demon cultivator Qingshuang could rival her in height.
Yet compared to Cheng Haixin's frail, timid demeanor resembling a little rabbit or a young swan, Qingshuang was leagues apart.
Aloof, icy, and formidable—so much so that Luo Chen had not dared look her directly in the eye during his three years on Mount Cangwu.
The only reason he remembered Qingshuang's tall frame so vividly was probably that on their few encounters, his head had remained bowed, leaving him only able to glimpse her long, shapely, and powerfully toned legs, which had left a deep impression.
Cheng Dou stood carefully to the side, closely watching Luo Chen's expression.
In that fleeting second, he caught a trace of distraction in Luo Chen's gaze.
At this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As expected!
Seventh Sister, the pearl of Black Swan Island, was someone no man could remain indifferent to.
"Master, please take your seat!"
Luo Chen looked at the chair Cheng Dou pulled out for him and raised a brow. "As a guest, taking the head seat would hardly be appropriate, would it?"
Cheng Dou hurried to say with a smile, "Completely appropriate! Master's personal presence in our Cheng Clan is our greatest honor. We must ensure you feel right at home! If anything falls short, it is entirely this junior's fault."
Luo Chen smiled faintly and refrained from further pretense, seating himself generously at the head seat.
Cheng Dou took a seat to the side.
Once they were seated, Cheng Haixin, still standing in the hall, looked rather out of place.
Only after Cheng Dou shot her several pointed looks did the woman grit her teeth and sit down beside Luo Chen.
Her reluctant expression brought an inward chuckle to Luo Chen.
It seemed Cheng Dou harbored quite an ulterior motive regarding him!
"Master, please sample the signature delicacies of our Flying Swallow Archipelago.
"Haixin, pour wine for the Master!"
Cheng Haixin gave a soft assent, using somewhat unpracticed movements to fill a cup for Luo Chen.
The instant the aroma of the wine drifted out, the spiritual energy of the entire hall seemed to stir restlessly.
Luo Chen's heart stirred, and his gaze settled on the wine cup.
"I should inform the esteemed Master: this is Huancheng Wine, a third-tier spirit wine brewed using deep-sea spiritual spring water, blood oranges from the Yuan Demon Sect's Blood God lineage, and top-grade cleansing jade marrow. It provides immense assistance to cultivators attempting to break through realms!"
Cheng Haixin lifted the wine cup and presented it to Luo Chen. The deep crimson liquid, resembling thick blood-red nectar, was utterly captivating.
A beauty, spirit wine, a sumptuous feast...
Luo Chen smiled.
A banquet of only three unfolded in an ambiguous atmosphere.
Cheng Dou was an adept conversationalist.
Taking deliberate pretext, he picked up the topic left unfinished earlier.
Under the rule of the Yuan Demon Sect, although the Northern Sea cultivation world had suffered endless turbulence, on the whole, cultivation clans like theirs could still get by.
Yet when the Yuan Demon Sect was destroyed a century ago, everything changed.
The existing order, fragile to begin with, collapsed in an instant.
The customs and atmosphere fostered by the demonic sect for thousands of years erupted completely, now devoid of the absolute suppression of a sacred ground.
Consequently, over the following seventy years, the entire Northern Sea cultivation world was engulfed in a reign of blood and terror.
Rumor had it that the inland Demonic Domain truly turned into a domain of demons!
Demon heads emerged in endless droves, demonic titans razed sects and wiped out families at will, and lower-realm cultivators turned to highway robbery.
Even worse, some cultivators who had obtained mere surface-level techniques of the Yuan Demon Sect indulged in widespread slaughter.
Be it the blood demon arts of the Blood God lineage or the soul-refining arts of the Soul Refining lineage, such methods demanded immense quantities of essence blood and souls.
Previously, their sights had been turned outward, directed at the demon beasts of the boundless sea.
Now, with a vast number of soft targets ripe for the picking in the cultivation world, who would bother venturing into the Demon Sea to risk their lives?
In short, those seventy years were the darkest chapter for the Northern Sea cultivation world.
Even the remote, tucked-away Flying Swallow Archipelago witnessed several bloody conflicts that completely wiped out entire clans.
The Cheng Clan originally possessed several mid Foundation Establishment cultivators who served as the clan's pillars and foundation, but all perished in the turmoil of those seventy years.
The arrival of Master Nantian in particular pushed the bloody slaughter to its absolute peak.
The moment he descended, he wiped out a clan that possessed three late Foundation Establishment cultivators on the spot, seizing the only third-tier spiritual vein in the area.
Had he stopped there, it might have been tolerable.
Yet afterward, he ordered every faction in the Flying Swallow Archipelago to pay tribute to him.
The slightest sign of compliance in word but defiance in deed was met with bloody suppression.
In a span of just seventy years, as many as three Foundation Establishment clans were wiped out by his hand!
It was only thirty years ago, when an expert surnamed Li established the Righteous Canghai Alliance in the heart of the Demonic Domain, that the Northern Sea cultivation world finally gained a fragile new order.
Whether one genuinely submitted to him or not, superficial respect had to be maintained.
To acquire the island-linking array method from that mighty expert surnamed Li, Master Nantian nominally joined the Canghai Alliance.
Only from that point onward did he restrain his arrogant, unbridled conduct.
The Flying Swallow Archipelago finally enjoyed thirty years of fleeting peace.
"However!"
"That Master Nantian is a petty-minded man. The moment anyone in the Flying Swallow Archipelago reaches a realm that poses a threat to him, he suppresses them openly and moves to eliminate them in secret.
"Take the leader of the Flood Dragon Gang, a grand cultivator of the peak Foundation Establishment realm. For all these years, he has drifted alone on the open sea, not daring to return to the Flying Swallow Archipelago.
"This humble one lacks talent, but possessing dual spiritual roots, my cultivation pace was passable. Yet having reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment decades ago, I have never dared to step into peak Foundation Establishment to strive for a higher realm. What I fear is precisely this."
Cheng Dou sighed deeply, his voice laden with endless lamentation.
His gaze fell onto Luo Chen, his tone suddenly growing impassioned.
"But things are different now!
"With the Master's arrival, the Flying Swallow Archipelago will finally see peace! With the Master here, the Flying Swallow Archipelago finally has a clear sky!"
Luo Chen abruptly raised a hand.
The impassioned speech came to a sudden halt.
Amid Cheng Dou's bewilderment, Luo Chen drank the last mouthful of spirit wine.
"The wine is good, and the food has distinct character. However, I am tired."
Cheng Dou parted his lips, his face flushing red.
Yet having survived under Master Nantian's tyranny for decades, he had some measure of shrewdness and recognized that he had acted too hastily.
Forcing a smile, he said, "It is this junior's fault for forgetting that Master has traveled a long way and indeed needs rest. Haixin, take Master to the inner courtyard to rest first!"
Cheng Haixin's expression dimmed, and she stood up in silence.
Luo Chen waved a hand. "There is no need for the inner courtyard. The solitary cliff at the tail end of Black Swan Island seems fine to me. It has a second-tier spiritual vein, which will suffice for a brief stay."
Naturally, Cheng Dou dared not object.
He quickly changed his tune: "Master truly possesses an eye for refinement; the scenery at Wanghai Cliff is indeed magnificent. Haixin, accompany the Master there to excavate a cave dwelling for his temporary rest!"
Cheng Haixin lowered her head and murmured an assent.
...
Up on the solitary cliff, Luo Chen wielded the Profound Fire Sword. In less than half an hour, he excavated a simple yet spacious cave dwelling.
The moment he entered, he released the Hunyuan Cauldron from his storage bag.
From inside the cauldron came bursts of hissing.
Beside him, Cheng Haixin looked on with curiosity.
Yet when Luo Chen formed a hand seal and five Blue-Ring Giant-Fang Sea Snakes emerged, color instantly drained from her face.
Luo Chen turned around and said flatly, "I intend to rest here. Little friend, you may see yourself out."
Cheng Haixin's face cycled between pale and flushed, but she eventually gritted her teeth and said, "The nights on Wanghai Cliff are cold and windy. Sleeping alone might feel chilly for Master; this concubine is willing to warm Master's bed."
Luo Chen raised a brow and scrutinized her carefully.
In the end, he slowly shook his head.
"Forget it. I am not so delicate."
"But..." A flicker of relief surfaced in the woman's heart, though her expression still showed hesitation.
"There will be plenty of time in the days to come!" Luo Chen remarked with double meaning, no longer paying her any heed as he turned to arrange his temporary lodging.
Cheng Haixin hesitated a moment, then departed Wanghai Cliff, unable to fully conceal her relief.
After she left, Luo Chen walked to the mouth of the cave.
Gazing out at the cold, silver waves and the deep starry sea, his eyes narrowed slightly.
A moment later, he gave an unconstrained chuckle.
"Nothing more than driving a tiger to devour a wolf!"
Chapter 527