Upon Wanghai Cliff.
The night was deep and heavy; the sea breeze blew gently.
Amid the rhythmic surge of the waves lingered a peculiar sense of stillness.
With a flick of Luo Chen's wrist, the black banner planted itself firmly in the very center of the cave dwelling.
Extending his divine sense within, he saw the slaughter still ongoing.
Over a hundred powerful vengeful souls swarmed around Yan Nantian's remnant soul, ceaselessly tearing and gnawing at it.
In particular, the Golden Core ghost king's remnant soul was devouring him in great mouthfuls, its originally dim spiritual glow beginning to recover.
Aside from that, there was nothing else.
Watching this scene, Luo Chen wore a pensive expression.
"Cultivators may rely on external resources to speed up their cultivation, but fundamentally, they still tread the same path as the ancient Qi Refiners—refining essence into qi, and refining qi into spirit.
"At Foundation Establishment, spiritual consciousness extends outward; at the Golden Core realm, spiritual consciousness transforms into divine sense. Yet when weighed carefully, the fundamental nature of the divine soul has still undergone no qualitative transformation.
"Without the physical body—that precious raft for crossing the mortal world—a Golden Core cultivator's divine soul is like an unclothed child; wind, frost, rain, and snow can all break it, let alone the attacks of vengeful spirits and ferocious ghosts that have fallen into the ghost path.
"This situation might improve slightly upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, where the divine soul can govern a Nascent Soul to form a second precious raft. Even so, that cannot be considered a qualitative leap. The true qualitative change must occur at the Soul Formation realm, where the Nascent Soul and divine soul unite into one to form the primordial spirit."
Luo Chen did not know whether his conjecture was correct.
However, based on records in ancient texts, discussions with fellow Daoists, and Yan Nantian's completely helpless remnant soul before him, he had arrived at this guess.
Allowing his thoughts to wander, he wondered: if he ever fell to such an end, how could he preserve his remnant soul to the greatest possible degree?
The answer: none.
Or rather, there was only one way, and that was to keep bolstering the foundation of his divine soul.
"Unfortunately, the Nether-Passage Pill no longer has any effect on me. The soul-refining benefits of the Microdust Primordial Art are also negligible now."
Luo Chen had assessed his own condition. After advancing to the third layer of the Golden Core realm, the strength of his divine soul still had not exceeded the level of an ordinary late Golden Core cultivator.
It was roughly equivalent to a fifth-layer Golden Core cultivator, or perhaps a weaker sixth-layer one.
He then thought of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, that top-tier fire-attribute cultivation method.
It did not record any spirit-refining techniques either.
Yet he felt that a divine scripture rumored to reach directly to the Mahayana stage shouldn't have such a deficiency.
"So, if there truly is such a secret technique, it must be in the Nascent Soul chapter, or perhaps even the Soul Formation chapter."
Pursing his lips, Luo Chen dismissed those pipe dreams.
He had no intention of returning to Mount Cangwu, so he naturally had no chance of obtaining the higher-level subsequent volumes.
After some thought, Luo Chen squeezed out a drop of essence blood, letting it fall onto the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
Magic power surged forth, enveloped by his divine sense.
Sitting cross-legged, Luo Chen began refining it.
This was a very fine magic treasure. More importantly, as a soul-path treasure outside the Five Elements system, he could wield it without hindrance.
Above all, its foundation was exceptional!
Even though the tens of thousands of low-grade souls inside had been exhausted in the previous battle, its core—over a hundred vengeful souls, eight sub-souls, and the Golden Core main soul—remained preserved.
As long as he spent some time replenishing low-grade souls later on, the treasure would lose none of its might.
It even held tremendous potential for growth!
What came above a Ten Thousand Soul Banner again?
The Hundred Thousand Fierce Soul Banner, likely!
Time slipped away...
By daybreak, a fatigued Luo Chen halted his movements.
Reaching out with a beckoning gesture, the black banner planted in the ground flew into his hand.
A faint, subtle connection reached from the banner deep into his divine soul.
"Though I cannot wield it immediately, as long as I persist in refining it, it will be mine to command in just a few months. By then, Yan Nantian's soul inside should be completely devoured."
Luo Chen smiled with satisfaction and stored the Soul Refining Banner into his storage ring.
Then, another object appeared in his hand.
They were a pair of weapons resembling short halberds, yet narrower and longer, with sharp tips and an azure radiance rippling over their surfaces.
The Water-Splitting Piercers!
A low-grade magic treasure!
They contained the lethal technique of Splitting Waters to Form Dragons.
This was also one of the few spoils Yan Nantian had left behind for Luo Chen after that massive clash.
The power of fire-attribute spells was simply too violent.
Under such extreme clash, not even Yan Nantian's physical body could be preserved, let alone his storage pouch.
The Ten Thousand Soul Banner and the Water-Splitting Piercers were all that remained.
"Their quality is quite good, nearly on par with the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel I used to rely on.
"Unfortunately, I cannot use them."
Shaking his head with regret, Luo Chen put the Water-Splitting Piercers away.
Having switched his primary focus to the fire attribute, his magic power had indeed become purer and more overbearing, but the drawback was just as clear:
He could no longer wield high-grade magic treasures of the other four elements with agility.
Even if he forcibly refined and commanded them, they would display only fifty to sixty percent of their original might in battle, inflicting severe wear on the treasures themselves.
To gain something, something else must be lost.
Luo Chen had long prepared himself mentally. After all, he had even given up on the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel into which he had poured so much effort, let alone these newly acquired Water-Splitting Piercers.
Then, Luo Chen extended a hand, and a plump, round gray cauldron spun out from his palm, expanding as it flew until it settled before him.
Gazing at this small cauldron, Luo Chen fell into an unspeakable silence.
This was the natal magic treasure he had painstakingly pursued and poured endless effort into forging.
Yet today, among all his possessions, this Hunyuan Cauldron was in the most awkward predicament!
He was not a grandmaster artifact refiner, so he did not know whether the hidden measures Tianyezi had left behind were still present.
Because of this, ever since leaving Mount Cangwu, he had hesitated to swallow this treasure into his qi sea to nurture and refine it day and night, keeping it relegated to his storage ring instead.
Consequently, the tempering process for this object had remained stuck.
Not only was its appearance unsightly, but the dreadful impurities within could not be purged, impeding the treasure from advancing in grade.
Even so, the might of the Hunyuan Cauldron still commanded Luo Chen's admiration.
Whether imprisoning Han Zhan's soul, capturing and subduing the Blue-Ringed Giant-Fanged Sea Snakes, or nurturing the Blazing Fire Miasma, each feat demonstrated the brilliance of Tianyezi's "masterpiece."
One could only imagine how vast its potential would be if its impurities were truly purged!
Moreover, once infused with millennium thunder essence and various elemental ores down the line, just how high could its grade reach?
A high-grade magic treasure?
No, that was far from the Hunyuan Cauldron's final destination.
True Artifacts... Spirit treasures...
After a long silence, an intense conflict waged in Luo Chen's heart. Finally, he clenched his fist tightly.
"Why bother overthinking? Tianyezi is dead. Even if he left behind a secret trick, no one else is around to activate it.
"Hesitating and looking over my shoulder like this—is that how I, Luo Chen, do things?"
With a shift in thought, Luo Chen opened his mouth and inhaled.
Instantly, the round cauldron shrank rapidly, transforming into a streak of light that whirled into Luo Chen's mouth and settled inside his qi sea.
The pure magic power swirling from all directions surged over it, while his source true fire coiled and blazed around it, burning away impurities.
In the end, Luo Chen simply could not part with his natal magic treasure.
Setting aside the boundless energy he had poured into this treasure, he needed complete mastery over it for the pill refinement undertaking that lay ahead.
The True Flame Pill was not something an incomplete Shangshu Cauldron could support across long, high-frequency refinement sessions.
Having inspected his spoils of war, Luo Chen exited the cave dwelling and strolled along Wanghai Cliff.
Looking out over the boundless ocean and the blazing sun slowly rising on the horizon, his weary mind felt as though it had found relief.
Yan Nantian was dead.
After personally witnessing his overwhelming display of might, the cultivators of the Flying Swallow Archipelago would harbor no rebellious thoughts in the near future and could be put to use.
Thus, Luo Chen finally had a temporary sanctuary where he could continue his cultivation.
The tasks ahead were quite simple:
Organizing manpower, collecting resources, concocting pills, and retreating behind closed doors for diligent cultivation.
Watching the petrels wheeling over the ocean, Luo Chen felt at ease.
"Strictly speaking, Yan Nantian was my first genuine life-and-death foe since forming my core.
"He wasn't weak at all—a full fourth-layer Golden Core cultivator.
"Unfortunately, right after his breakthrough, he took a Qingyang Great Handprint from me, and the subsequent battle was entirely under my control.
"He probably felt terribly wronged. I held no grudge or grievance against him; it was merely that I fancied his spirit ground, which brought him this calamity.
"Taken as a whole, his methods were quite formidable and remarkably well-rounded, and he could even command two magic treasures at full power simultaneously. His biggest mistake was forcing a breakthrough in cultivation..."
Pacing slowly atop the cliff, the young man reviewed the gains and losses of that battle.
The salty sea wind brushed against him, tossing his black hair in the air, seemingly carrying away all traces of restlessness from his demeanor.
...
One month later!
At the very center of the thirty-six islands.
Ripples returned to the ten-li tranquil lake. Yaoyue Island had resurfaced from deep underground, once again spouting dense worldly spiritual qi.
Figures bustled to and fro across the grounds, making preparations for today's grand ceremony.
Not a single mortal was present; the lowest among them were Qi Refinement cultivators.
From time to time, someone would cast a gaze toward the islet at the lake's center, their expressions fraught with dread.
In just this single month, the name "Demonic Lord Qingyang" had spread among hundreds of thousands of mortals and cultivators across the thirty-six islands.
Everyone knew that the sky above the Flying Swallow Archipelago had changed!
It was no longer "Nantian," but "Qingtian."
What the future held, none could tell.
Yet signs were already beginning to emerge.
Just gathering the spirit veins and reconstructing the Rank 3 spirit ground had depleted vast wealth from the dozens of clans across the thirty-six islands.
Not long ago, forty-nine Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, led by the three grand formation masters of Flying Swallow, had forcefully hoisted Yaoyue Island out from deep underground. The commotion had been no less staggering than when Luo Chen had blasted it down into the earth.
One could well imagine what other tasks Demonic Lord Qingyang might force upon the cultivators of Flying Swallow in the future.
The hum of conversation rose continuously as the crowd worked.
Yet as noon approached, the murmurs gradually faded away, and all cultivators below the Foundation Establishment realm retreated from the scene.
Suddenly!
A cluster of red clouds rolled in from the distance, coming to a halt directly above Yaoyue Island.
Astride the red cloud stood a tall man dressed in a black Daoist robe, his black hair bound neatly by a single jade hairpin. Though youthful in countenance, his spiritual eyes resembled cold abyss-like pools, vast chasms of an unfathomable sea.
At the sight of his arrival, every Foundation Establishment cultivator along the lakeside bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Demonic Lord Qingyang!"
Though it was the voice of a hundred men, united, it roared with the momentum of mountains shaking and tsunamis crashing.
Luo Chen looked down upon the cultivators beside the lake, his gaze sweeping slowly across them.
Finally, his eyes settled upon Yaoyue Island.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Not bad. I am well pleased.
"And seeing that not a single one of you is missing, with a few extra having joined, I am even more pleased."
Hearing this, the crowd could not help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.
With a flick of his wide sleeve, Luo Chen proclaimed in a clear voice, "I shall dispense with needless words. As to what manner of man I, Qingyang, am, you will naturally come to understand in our future dealings.
"Today, I speak of only three matters.
"First, from this day forth, the Cheng clan of Black Swan Island will serve as my proxy in the Flying Swallow Archipelago. All worldly affairs shall be handled by them."
Hearing these words, even though the cultivators had prepared themselves for it, a faint pang of disappointment still arose within them.
The Cheng clan had truly soared to the heavens in a single step, securing a mighty backer to stand below one man and above tens of thousands!
At the front of the gathering, the seven Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Cheng clan all wore proud, self-satisfied smiles.
Suddenly, a ray of spiritual light drifted out from Luo Chen's sleeve, floating gracefully toward the seven Cheng clan cultivators.
A magic treasure!
Unlike the Jade Cauldron Domain, where low-grade magic treasures were abundant, magic treasures remained exceedingly rare throughout the cultivation world.
Aside from major sects and veteran cultivation clans, ordinary minor factions possessed almost no formidable magic treasures worth displaying.
From what Luo Chen had observed previously, the Foundation Establishment cultivators here mostly wielded high-grade or top-grade magical artifacts.
A slightly stronger faction like the Cheng clan possessed nothing more than an extra soul banner with growth potential.
Seeing that radiant glow of a magic treasure, Cheng Dou felt a surge in his heart. Just as he stepped forward to receive it, the beam of light drifted past him and settled into the hands of the woman beside him.
"This is my token of authority, to be held by Cheng Haixin. To see her is to see me."
Cheng Haixin stared blankly at the pair of Water-Splitting Piercers in her hands.
And when she caught the fleeting look of gloom on her elder brother's face, her heart trembled all the more.
"Lord Demonic Lord, I..."
Her words came to an abrupt halt. Under Luo Chen's fathomless gaze, she swallowed her protests.
Before a Core Formation master, there was no room for refusal.
"The second matter!"
Luo Chen swept a cool gaze over the crowd, his tone chilling slightly.
"I am about to enter seclusion to cultivate, which will require refining a vast quantity of a certain Rank 3 pill. The medicinal herbs needed for this pill shall be gathered by you. From now on, you need not offer tribute to me; you need only gather herbs on my behalf.
"I have already handed the list of herbs to the Cheng clan. They will assign tasks, and you need only accept them and gather what is required."
The expressions of the crowd stirred slightly.
They wouldn't need to offer yearly tribute as they had to Yan Nantian, but merely gather herbs?
Put that way, it seemed far more agreeable.
The pill resources consumed by a Golden Core cultivator in a year of cultivation could not be that immense; pooling the strength of the thirty-six islands, the expense shouldn't be too heavy.
Cheng Dou sneered as he watched this unfold. If they knew the quantities of herbs on that list, they probably wouldn't be so optimistic.
If the amount of herbs Demonic Lord Qingyang required was converted into spirit stones, it surpassed even the yearly tribute Yan Nantian had demanded!
He wondered if trouble would break out once the tasks were assigned and these people realized the true cost.
And how would Demonic Lord Qingyang pacify their discontent?
In the next moment, Luo Chen's voice rang out once more.
And this time, fervent madness spread across every single face.
With a turn of Luo Chen's wrist, a stone stele manifested, hovering beside him.
Upon the stele, characters flowed with the vigor of dragons and serpents, as if etching miraculous divine scriptures, yet they were shrouded in spiritual light, preventing anyone from seeing the full contents.
Only four characters seared into everyone's mind:
*Qingyang Pill Canon*.
"Earlier, I learned of the history of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. In a century, not a single Golden Core cultivator has arisen. Even over the course of eight hundred years, only two Golden Cores have emerged.
"With such a laughable Core Formation rate, could it be that your natural aptitudes are lacking? Or is your disposition too poor?
"I do not believe that is the case.
"You assembled the spirit veins for me before, and you will travel far and wide on my behalf in the future, rendering great and meritorious service.
"Therefore, I pass down this Mid-grade Core Formation Secret Technique. Each clan may exchange for it using merit and contributions made to me. And that is the third matter."
Luo Chen smiled faintly as spiritual light blazed from his hand.
Layer upon layer of obscure seals were cast onto the stone stele. The hazy spiritual glow upon it surged into the sky, eventually fading into nothingness.
The characters upon it vanished completely as well.
Yet everyone understood that the script had not disappeared; it had merely been concealed beneath the grand methods of Demonic Lord Qingyang, a Golden Core cultivator.
If anyone wished to exchange for it in the future, they would have to present sufficient contributions and merit.
And how was such merit earned?
Without a doubt, it would depend on how many precious herbs each clan could gather for Demonic Lord Qingyang.
With a pat of his hand, the stone stele plummeted downward, driving itself into Yaoyue Island.
Having done all this, Luo Chen gave a slight smile.
"Fellow Daoists, the Great Dao is fraught with hardship. Let us encourage one another along the journey!"
As his words faded, his figure slowly dissolved into thin air.
Instantly, layers of white clouds and mist surged over Yaoyue Island, concealing it completely.
By the lakeside, over a hundred Foundation Establishment True Cultivators looked at one another, their eyes ablaze with fervent obsession.
*Qingyang Pill Canon*—a Mid-grade Core Formation Secret Technique.
From this day forth, the cultivators of Flying Swallow had hope of stepping onto the Grand Dao of the Golden Core!
Chapter 532