Driving the tiger to swallow the wolf!
Cheng Dou, the head of the Cheng clan, had made his intentions glaringly obvious, barely bothering to conceal them.
He wanted nothing more than to use Luo Chen to deal with Master Nantian, who currently occupied the Flying Swallow Archipelago.
As for whether driving out Nantian would merely invite another wolf into the fold?
That was a worry Cheng Dou likely no longer cared about.
Luo Chen had a sharp eye. The moment they met, he had discerned the man's cultivation realm.
It was in a state of deliberate suppression, teetering just a single step away from Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.
The moment he released that suppression, he could step into Great Perfection and then make a push for the Golden Core stage.
Perhaps it was this sword of cultivation hanging over his head that was driving Cheng Dou half-mad, pushing him to clutch at any straw he could find in his desperation.
Besides, even if he did invite a wolf into the house, whatever happened, the Cheng clan would still be treated far better than the other families across the archipelago.
"Short on worldly experience, but his judgment isn't bad," Luo Chen chuckled softly.
The man's wishes happened to align with his own goals.
However, how to seize the Flying Swallow Archipelago would require careful, long-term planning.
At the very least, he needed to thoroughly investigate Master Nantian's capabilities before making a move.
Moreover, during his time on Mount Cangwu, being confined and deprived of freedom had caused many of his arts to stagnate. This period offered the perfect opportunity to cultivate and catch up.
After switching to the path of fire, his combat system had become quite disjointed and desperately needed restructuring.
Having made up his mind, Luo Chen first cast a glance at the small black wooden figurine resting in a compartment within the Hunyuan Cauldron.
Han Zhan had not yet awakened.
"It seems the Nirvana Sacred Fire inflicted grievous damage on him!"
Inside the wooden figure, a wisp of a remnant soul lingered on its last legs, possessing none of the former grandeur befitting a generation of Nascent Soul True Masters.
Reduced to such a feeble state, it was unlikely that he would ever recover in the future.
In truth, this was precisely why Luo Chen dared keep Han Zhan by his side.
Weak, decrepit, and easy to control.
Channeling his mana to seal off the Hunyuan Cauldron, Luo Chen shifted his gaze toward the five Blue-Ringed Giant-Fanged Sea Snakes bound by the cauldron's chains.
Even though their bodies had been forced to shrink to their absolute limits, their savage aura remained unabated.
Earlier, merely releasing them had frightened Cheng Haixin, a newly minted Foundation Establishment cultivator, out of her wits—proof enough of their ferocity.
Yet, as Luo Chen's eyes fell upon them, four of the sea snakes began to tremble uncontrollably with fear, all except the one at the late second tier.
Luo Chen frowned slightly, then realized the reason.
"Is it because I slaughtered tens of thousands of their kin in one breath, leaving a thick layer of baleful qi clinging to me?"
So-called baleful qi was not merely the malevolent, pernicious energy born from foul and perilous corners of the world.
It also encompassed the immense quantity of distinctive "auras" left behind by the deaths of countless foes after prolonged slaughter.
This aura contained not only one's own killing intent and hostility, but also the resentment, terror, anguish, and dread that enemies harbored moments before dying.
Gathered together, all of these formed a unique phenomenon known as "Spiritual Baleful Qi"—baleful energy condensed from thoughts and raw emotions.
This Spiritual Baleful Qi was felt most acutely by creatures of the same kind.
In the past, whenever Luo Chen killed people, baleful qi would linger on him as well, but he almost always used the Cleansing Art to disperse it afterward.
This time, arriving in such haste, he had not bothered to wipe it away.
Or rather, he had kept it intentionally!
In a place like the Demon Sea, appearing harmless would only invite trouble.
Looking exceptionally fierce, on the other hand, spared one a great deal of annoyance.
Just as it did right now!
"Conveniently, while they cower before me, I can enslave them to serve as my guards."
Luo Chen smiled faintly. Extending a single hand, his mana condensed into a palm, snatching up an early second-tier giant-fanged sea snake.
With a flick of his finger, a pill flew into the sea snake's mouth, forced to dissolve under the pressure of his mana.
Instantly, as the pill took effect, the sea snake's body went stiff as stone, stripping away part of its ability to resist.
Only part of it, however!
"This batch of Spirit-Controlling Pills I obtained all those years ago is far too low in grade, only reaching low-grade Tier 2."
"Still, paired with their fear of me, applying the Spirit-Controlling Seal should go smoothly enough."
With a thought, Luo Chen's fingers danced like weaving blossoms. Chants fell silently from his lips, and then he thrust a palm forward.
In the empty air, an ethereal palm seal materialized.
It was none other than the Spirit-Controlling Seal!
The palm struck down squarely onto the sea snake's crown.
The creature immediately writhed and thrashed on the ground in agony, letting out frenzy after frenzy of shrill hisses.
Yet all of it was in vain.
In barely the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the Blue-Ringed Giant-Fanged Sea Snake prostrated itself quietly on the ground.
"Come here!"
Luo Chen beckoned with a hand. Hissing softly, the sea snake slithered over and coiled beside him, wearing a fawning, docile expression.
Seeing this, Luo Chen could not help but nod in satisfaction.
The Myriad Beast Scripture, a beast-taming method, was something he had acquired back then at the Zhenlong Black Market.
It included mental methods for subduing beasts, complementary beast-taming pills, and specialized command techniques.
Years ago, he had relied on this very art to enslave a second-tier violent ape, which proved instrumental in storming Mount Xiaohuan and annihilating the Duan clan.
Back then, the enslavement had been extraordinarily arduous, draining immense amounts of mental energy and nearly ending in failure.
Yet this time, it was effortless, as easy as reaching out and taking it!
The chasm between the Golden Core and Qi Refinement stages was simply too vast.
The exact same secret technique, when applied to targets of corresponding levels, yielded worlds of difference in results.
Having enslaved one sea snake without feeling the least bit fatigued, Luo Chen turned his gaze toward the remaining four.
"One by one, then!"
...
Time trickled by.
Rising five thousand feet into the sky, Wanghai Cliff stood proud above the boundless sea, shielding Black Swan Island from violent ocean gales and lurking threats from the deep.
In years past, the Cheng clan had always posted low-level cultivators to patrol and guard the cliff.
Yet at some point, Wanghai Cliff had become a forbidden zone for the Cheng family, barred to all outsiders and idle hands.
Dense banks of white mist swirled around the heights, sealing it off from prying eyes.
Down at the Little Mirror Lake estate, Cheng Dou stared anxiously at the tall woman standing before him.
"Seventh Sister!"
Cheng Haixin curled her lip, wearing a nonchalant expression.
Tilting her head to look at her elder brother, she laughed. "There's no point in calling on me. That senior has been in secluded cultivation lately, and I have no way to get on his good side."
Cheng Dou furrowed his brows. "Is there truly no way, or do you simply not want to? Didn't he give you a medallion that grants you free entry to Wanghai Cliff? You should head up there and linger around more often..."
"Linger around doing what?" The smile on Cheng Haixin's face faded. "Linger my way into his bed for you?"
Those words were sharp and unpleasant.
Cheng Dou shook his head, looking at her with bitter disappointment. "Though that senior is steeped in bloodshed, he still acts with principles. Submitting yourself to him would hardly be a humiliation. Besides, becoming the concubine of a Golden Core cultivator is a blessing countless low-tier female cultivators would die for."
"If it's such a great blessing, why don't you take it?" Cheng Haixin fired back without hesitation.
Cheng Dou choked on his words for a moment, then pointed at himself.
"If only I had been born a woman!"
Cheng Haixin froze, almost thinking she had misheard.
Cheng Dou sighed deeply. "It's not that your eldest brother isn't being reasonable, but the pressure Yan Nantian exerts on me is simply suffocating. If I keep suppressing my cultivation and refuse to reach Great Perfection, my foundation will crack. Yet the moment I reach Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, Yan Nantian will inevitably strike me down. Nor can I follow the Dragon Gang leader's example and flee the island. If I leave, this great Cheng clan will have no high-tier cultivator to hold the fort, instantly reducing us to a bottom-tier faction. At that point, our plight will be far worse."
"Seventh Sister, you have to understand your brother!"
This time, Cheng Haixin fell silent.
Not occupying the position meant not bearing its burdens.
Yet over the years, her elder brother's forbearance, hard work, and struggles had unfolded right before the eyes of all the siblings.
For the sake of the Cheng clan's growth, everyone had pushed themselves to the limit.
Second Uncle Cheng Ji was already advanced in years, yet he still personally took the helm when setting out to sea.
Fourth Brother Cheng Haichang was stuck at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, yet he still boarded the demon-hunting vessels to open up revenue for the clan, lacking even the time to cultivate in peace.
By contrast, she had lived under the clan's protection all these years, smoothly sailing to the Foundation Establishment stage without ever lifting a finger for the family.
To act like this truly did a disservice to everyone who was striving so hard.
Seeing her silence, Cheng Dou's spirits lifted, and he pressed on, adding fuel to the fire.
"As long as you draw closer to Senior Qingyang and persuade him to drive away Yan Nantian and take the Flying Swallow Archipelago, these thirty-six islands will belong to our Cheng clan."
"And then, I can push for the Golden Core stage without fear. Once I succeed, I will be a Golden Core cultivator, standing as an equal beside Master Qingyang!"
"Seventh Sister, think about it. When that day comes, your Dao companion will be a Golden Core master, and your eldest brother will be a Golden Core cultivator too. Forget the Flying Swallow Archipelago—you will be able to walk with your head held high across every island far and wide!"
"Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Cheng Haixin wavered, caught in hesitation.
The life of cultivation she had envisioned was nothing like this.
She had imagined that upon establishing her foundation, she would be a True Cultivator, roaming the seas freely and contemplating the Great Dao.
Yet now, the family's heavy burden pressed squarely on her shoulders, leaving her nearly unable to breathe.
Striking while the iron was hot, Cheng Dou caught her arm, his voice brimming with sincere emotion. "Whether our Cheng clan can rise and unite the Thirty-Six Flying Swallow Islands rests entirely on your decision. Seventh Sister, do not let me down, and do not let down the spirits of our clan members who gave their lives over the past century!"
Cheng Haixin parted her lips, but in the end, only a despondent sigh escaped.
"Fine. I'll go up the mountain and try once more!"
...
The sea breeze carried a salty tang through drifting white mist.
A strikingly beautiful woman, her face touched with a trace of sorrow, held a medallion and walked alone along the mountain path of Wanghai Cliff.
She walked and pondered, her mind tangled in utter confusion.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the crude cave abode carved out just three months prior.
Subconsciously channeling her medallion, Cheng Haixin stepped inside.
Yet the emptiness of the cave took her aback.
"Senior Qingyang isn't here?"
"Where did he go?"
"He couldn't have left already, could he?"
Instantly, all color drained from her cheeks.
Not daring to report back to her brother right away lest she crush his hopes, she decided to wait here first.
Judging by the cave's furnishings, Master Qingyang had probably not departed for good.
She would wait a little longer!
...
Out upon the boundless azure sea.
Five giant sea snakes, their bodies stretching several tens of feet long, swam through the deep waters.
Positioned in a wide perimeter, they formed a protective ring around a swath of ocean spanning a hundred li.
Clearly, they were on guard.
From time to time, their gazes darted upward to the sky, where a black-robed man stood in midair, his garments fluttering in the wind.
Suddenly, the black-robed man thrust his right hand forward in an effortless palm strike, aiming downward toward the ocean.
The strike carried not the slightest hint of smoke or flame.
Yet the instant the palm seal materialized, it shifted from stark white to scorching crimson, radiating searing heat.
Furthermore, a wisp of azure surfaced across it.
When the palm seal slammed into the placid surface of the sea, the transition from utter stillness to violent motion took but a heartbeat!
*Boom!*
A thunderous explosion echoed for hundreds of li across the waters.
In the depths of the sea, a colossal indentation shaped like a five-fingered hand burst open.
Within that hollow, not a single drop of seawater remained, shrouded only in boundless azure flames.
As the shockwave billowed into the sky, the surrounding ocean surged violently to fill the void.
Yet no matter how much water poured in, those azure flames refused to be extinguished.
Flames that immeasurable seawater could not drown?
Had anyone been present to witness this uncanny sight, their jaw would have dropped in shock.
Up in the sky, Luo Chen watched the scene with profound satisfaction, pleasant surprise flashing in his eyes.
His proficiency with the Innate Primordial Qi Great Handprint had finally reached Great Perfection!
Not only that, but throughout his practice, he had combined it with the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, gradually weaving the Wither-Bloom Fire into this Tier 3 spell.
At present, the handprint he unleashed was composed of incomparably pure fire-attribute mana fused with his source true fire.
Its destructive might was astonishing!
By Luo Chen's estimate, this single palm strike was already potent enough to clash head-on with that late Tier 3 Golden Wolf King who had crashed into him back then!
Moreover, he had honed the casting speed to perfection.
A simple wave of the hand was all it took!
He did not even need to channel weapon-guided arts through the Profound Fire Sword.
Or rather, that mediocre magic treasure flying sword was no longer capable of bearing the immense power of this strike.
"Calling it the Innate Primordial Qi Great Handprint no longer feels fitting. From now on, let it be known as the Qingyang Great Handprint!"
"Besides, the potential of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture reaches far beyond this."
"Through this scripture, I should be able to apply my source true fire to every aspect of my arts."
"Once I become fully accustomed to it, my combat prowess will only grow rather than diminish!"
All along, Luo Chen had harbored a quiet anxiety.
After practicing the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, all his mana had been converted purely to the fire attribute, with none of the other four elements remaining.
Consequently, many of the techniques he excelled in could no longer be used.
If that continued, he would be nothing more than an embroidered pillow—possessing cultivation without matching combat strength.
These worries had turned into reality over the past few months whenever he attempted to cast other spells.
The defensive spell he had brought to Great Perfection in his early years, the Glazed Canopy, could no longer be cast.
The Grass-Mowing Geng Metal Sword Art, Surging Wave Art, Entanglement Art, and others had all run into trouble.
Even if he could reluctantly force them out through his Great Perfection mastery after ample preparation, who would grant him that kind of prep time in the heat of battle?
Fortunately, with loss came gain.
Through relentless practice over the open sea, Luo Chen had gradually forged a combat path far better suited to his current state.
Though most of it revolved around fire, it was steadily becoming well-rounded.
For offense, he had an array of Great Perfection fire-attribute spells: the Blazing Sun Art, Landslide, the Qingyang Great Handprint, and the Blazing Fire Miasma.
Paired with the magic treasure Profound Fire Sword, its function might be straightforward, but its power was even greater.
As for defense, there wasn't much to say; in his early years, Luo Chen had relied on the Glazed Canopy and his physical body to weather attacks.
Now, lacking the Glazed Canopy, he had the Hunyuan Cauldron to bridge the gap; after all, his physique was more than sturdy enough to withstand the reverberations.
Moreover, Luo Chen had already begun researching a fire-attribute defensive spell.
Back in his Qi Refinement days, he had conceived the idea for such a defense, though he hadn't pursued it further at the time.
Now, combining the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture with his proficiency panel, he had full confidence that he could derive the defensive art best suited to himself.
Beyond offense and defense, for movement, he had Ninety Thousand Li empowered by the Poyue Wings!
This technique was faster than ever before.
Particularly after all these years of regular refinement, the Poyue Wings had long since shed all impurities, harmonizing completely into a seamless whole. Among all his magic treasures, it was the one he had refined to the highest degree!
It would hardly be surprising if someone mistook it for Luo Chen's natal magic treasure.
That covered long-range movement. For short-range bursts, Luo Chen had synthesized the Carefree Wander, Wang Yuan's Soaring Dragon Step, and his own formidable physique into a method of shifting forms and casting shadows.
He called it the Airburst Step!
With a thought, Luo Chen darted backward, surged forward, and weaved from side to side.
In an instant, fiery afterimages flickered across the void.
With every shift in position, explosive cracks echoed through the air!
Had Tao Wan of Azure Pill Valley seen this, she would have been thoroughly astonished.
It bore a striking resemblance to her Nine Gale Transformations!
Yet clearly, the essence of this technique went far beyond that.
"Qingshuang..."
Luo Chen halted, a look of admiration surfacing in his eyes.
Relying on her innate racial gifts, Qingshuang had grasped the basics of spatial laws while only at the Nascent Soul stage, merging them into her body cultivation to outstrip all peers in speed!
When she moved, she was elusive as a phantom, impossible to anticipate or defend against.
Luo Chen had caught only a fleeting glimpse of her, yet that woman's bearing had left a deep impression on him.
Emulating Qingshuang's methods, he had pieced together the Airburst Step.
With body refinement as the foundation, bolstered by the Carefree Wander and Soaring Dragon Step, and driven by mana cultivated through the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, his Airburst Step produced a comparable effect.
Over short distances, it was packed with explosive power, resembling a blazing sun bursting across the sky.
Though it barely scratched the surface of Qingshuang's divine method, it was undoubtedly an exceptional art among Golden Core cultivators—one that ordinary practitioners could never hope to learn.
After all, no one else possessed Luo Chen's physical resilience alongside his violently explosive fire mana.
"Offense and movement are covered, along with Mirror Flower, Water Moon for combat support."
"Once I fully develop a dedicated defense, I will have no glaring weaknesses left!"
Luo Chen let out a long breath.
From this moment on, the underlying unease he had felt upon first arriving in the Northern Sea dissipated completely.
Sending out a command with his divine sense, the five Blue-Ringed Giant-Fanged Sea Snakes soon converged before him.
Descending from the sky, Luo Chen stepped onto the head of the largest sea snake and pointed a direction. The beast surged forward, ferrying him smoothly across the water.
Standing atop the snake's head with the ocean wind against his face, Luo Chen considered his next steps.
It was time to secure a Tier 3 spiritual land for himself.
No matter how marvelous a cultivation technique was, it was only software.
Without the hardware of a spiritual land to support it, his cultivation speed would never pick up.
Furthermore, beyond a spiritual land, he had to rethink his pills.
The medicinal potency of the Starry Sky Pill was too weak and far too mixed.
It was ill-suited for his current state, where he cultivated solely fire-attribute mana.
As for what pill to switch to?
Luo Chen already had a plan in mind.
...
Reaching the base of Wanghai Cliff, Luo Chen issued an order, and the five Blue-Ringed Giant-Fanged Sea Snakes dispersed.
With Wanghai Cliff as their center, they patrolled the surrounding waters, remaining vigilant against approaching high-tier demon beasts.
Luo Chen leapt into the air, flying up toward his cave abode.
"Hm?"
As the white mist parted, Luo Chen looked at the woman sitting on the threshold, fast asleep, and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She was a True Cultivator of Foundation Establishment, after all.
Though she had fallen asleep while waiting, worn down by worries over her family and anxiety about her future, she woke up instantly the moment Luo Chen returned, since he had not bothered to conceal his presence.
Standing up nervously, the woman murmured, "Senior..."
Luo Chen strolled inside, then shook his head when he noticed her lingering outside.
"Don't just stand out there looking foolish. Come in!"
Her heart skipped a beat with joy, and she stepped inside quietly.
Seeing her tense posture, Luo Chen gave a helpless smile.
"Is something the matter? Or did you come to warm my bed again?"
Her face flushed crimson in an instant.
Fingering the hem of her sleeve, she suddenly remembered her purpose and hurriedly pulled an object from her storage bag.
It was a jade slip.
"Senior, my brother asked me to deliver this to you."
Once Luo Chen took it from her, she added somewhat sheepishly, "Actually... warming your bed isn't completely out of the question."
Luo Chen let out a soft laugh and began browsing the jade slip right in front of her.
Gradually, the corners of his lips curved upward into an amused smile.
That Cheng Dou truly couldn't hold out any longer!
Chapter 528