Demonic Qi, Pure Demonic Qi!

Creating a cultivation technique from nothing? For Luo Chen, that was impossible. Doing so required a deep comprehension of heaven and earth, nature, and the fundamental laws of the world. By Luo Chen's estimate, one would at least have to be a Nascent Soul Perfected Person to make a preliminary attempt. Even an ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator might not necessarily succeed. However, if it were merely deducing and adapting a technique, Luo Chen's vast knowledge and broad experience made it far from difficult. The difference between the two was the difference between going from zero to one and going from one to infinity. Moreover, Luo Chen possessed a sharp tool to verify his answers—his attribute panel. Once his deduction reached a certain stage, he could rely on the panel's confirmation to see whether it could be cultivated. Having gained a sufficient understanding of Tianxuan's post-transformation body, Luo Chen used the free time during their voyage to carry out this task. Inside the quiet cabin room, the black-robed man carefully read the jade slip before him, alternately frowning and nodding. Whenever he hit an impasse, he would retrieve a new book from his storage ring. Now and then, he would reach out to Han Zhan within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner to consult him. Han Zhan had been watching his progress the entire time, his gaze sweeping over the manuals and classics Luo Chen brought out. *Heavenly Roc Transformation*, *Feathered Ascension Classic*, *Qi and Body from the Same Source*, *Elementary Guide to Qi Refinement*, *True Scripture of Soul Refining*, *Turtle Spirit Armor*... Their grades ranged from Tier 1 to Tier 3. Some were Qi refinement methods, others body refinement arts. The directions they targeted varied wildly as well: gathering spiritual energy, purifying and transforming spiritual power, bolstering divine soul foundations... There were even several pill formulas mixed in! Though most of these texts were handwritten transcriptions rather than original copies, the sheer quantity still left Han Zhan astonished. He had often seen Luo Chen reading all sorts of books in daily life, but he had assumed the young man was merely broadening his horizons. No matter what, Luo Chen's entire life spanned barely one hundred and twenty years at most; subtracting the first decade or two of ignorant youth before stepping onto the immortal path, he had cultivated for barely a century. To have gathered so many techniques at such an age was astounding! What was more, it was far from a simple collection like that of an ordinary cultivator. Luo Chen clearly possessed an exceptionally deep understanding of most of these techniques. That was why, the moment he encountered a roadblock, he instinctively recalled similar solutions from other methods. Going back and forth like this, he had somehow cobbled together the rough outline of a new technique without even realizing it. If he kept this up, he might truly succeed in less than a year or two... The night deepened, and ocean waves surged outside. Moonlight spilled through the wooden window onto the side of the young man's face, catching an expression of pure focus and devotion. From within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, the old soul watched this scene, a tumult of mixed emotions churning in his heart. ... *Thud!* A tremendous boom jolted Luo Chen from his contemplation. He rose and glanced out the window in slight confusion. Extending his spiritual sense, he knitted his brows. A knock sounded at the wooden door. "Enter!" The door swung open, and Tianxuan stepped in respectfully to report. "A beast horde is attacking the merchant fleet, Master. Their numbers are vast—far larger than before." Standing before the window without turning around, Luo Chen asked, "How many beast attacks does this make in the half-month since our departure?" Tianxuan answered without hesitation, "The third. Furthermore, they are no longer of a single species. There are even feathered avian demons mixed among them." A faint heaviness settled over Luo Chen's heart. A single spot revealed the leopard; a falling leaf heralded autumn. The current situation in the Northern Sea cultivation world was growing increasingly dire! The direction the Bai clan's merchant fleet was traveling led inward, heading toward the bustling, populous Demonic Domain. In theory, large beast hordes should have grown rarer the further they went, but reality was proving to be the exact opposite. This showed that the factions within the Demon Sea had gradually taken shape and were beginning a deliberate counteroffensive against the Demonic Domain. Well, calling it the Demonic Domain was no longer entirely fitting. In the past, because of the Yuan Demon Sect, the human settlements were known as the Demonic Domain, while the sea regions inhabited by the demon race were called the Demon Sea. But now, the foremost power in the Northern Sea was the Canghai Alliance founded by the mighty cultivator surnamed Li. Continuing to label the lands with "Demonic" was improper, so many had changed their phrasing, referring to human habitations as "Immortal Islands." These were minor details that unconcerned cultivators rarely cared about. What occupied Luo Chen's thoughts was why the Flying Swallow Caravan had gathered fewer and fewer medicinal herbs for him in recent years. With sea beasts running rampant and severing sea routes, gathering resources had naturally become difficult. If the humans made no move, the Flying Swallow Archipelago might well be cut off completely, left isolated overseas. *My decision to leave the Flying Swallow Archipelago was indeed the right one.* As Luo Chen counted his blessings, Tianxuan asked in a low voice, "Master, should we step in to help? From my perception, there are several beasts this time that would prove troublesome for Foundation Establishment cultivators." Luo Chen raised a brow and extended his spiritual sense outward. Very quickly, he detected several powerful auras in the deep ocean, all at the late Tier 2 level. A single beast would be manageable with the merchant ship's innate defensive formation. But with several joining forces, Bai Xiang, the Foundation Establishment mid-stage elder leading the Bai merchant vessel, would be utterly outmatched. Luo Chen shook his head. "We'll see. The hosts aren't in a hurry yet, so why should we rush? We didn't pay passage fare for nothing. By the way, I taught you a few tricks for practicing breath-concealment arts—how has your progress been lately?" Tianxuan blinked, surprised that her master had suddenly shifted the topic to her cultivation. Immediately, she began reporting on her progress. Meanwhile, up on the deck, a brutal battle had already been raging for some time. Bai Xiang led three early Foundation Establishment cultivators of his clan, constantly maneuvering around the ship's perimeter to strike down low-tier sea beasts assaulting the vessel. The Bai clan's Qi Refinement cultivators were drenched in blood, pouring out spiritual power as if it cost nothing. *Boom!* A deafening crash shook the entire merchant vessel violently. A Bai clan cultivator, his face pale as paper, rushed before Bai Xiang. "Elder, we won't be able to hold out much longer!" Bai Xiang's expression turned grim. "Damn it! The first two attacks were bad enough, but how is there a late Tier 2 sea demon commanding this one?" With his sensory capability, he could only detect the one late Tier 2 sea demon visible on the surface. Even so, that alone placed immense pressure on the merchant ship. "Elder, what should we do?" Facing his clansman's desperate inquiry, Bai Xiang took a deep breath. "We can't go on like this. Go at once to notify those passengers and ask them to lend a hand!" The clansman nodded repeatedly, but hesitated. "Will they be willing?" Bai Xiang glared at him. "We're all grasshoppers tied to the same rope—willing or not, what choice is there? Do they really think that if the ship is destroyed, their strength alone will let them cross through a beast horde to reach the next immortal island? Go inform them immediately, don't delay!" "Understood!" ... *Thump! Thump!* The wooden door was knocked upon. Luo Chen stopped talking and gestured for Tianxuan to answer it. When the door swung open, a disheveled Qi Refinement cultivator stood outside, his expression tense as he spoke. "Senior Luo, the ship is under attack! Our Bai clan elder requests that everyone unite their strength to repel the beast horde!" Luo Chen glanced at Tianxuan, who nodded in return. Then Luo Chen smiled. "To share a boat takes a hundred years of cultivated fate. In times of peril, we naturally ought to pull together." With that, he strode outside, a red flying sword dharma artifact dropping into his palm. Tianxuan shut the door behind him and continued cultivating her concealment art. A minor squall like this posed zero danger to her master. After all, not even the battle on Xuan Yan Island had managed to keep him, let alone a petty skirmish like this. What she needed to do was master her concealment techniques and mask her aura as best she could, so that she could be of use to Luo Chen later on their journey. ... Once he reached the deck, Luo Chen immediately felt several gazes turn toward him. He knew what was happening. Those individuals were fellow Foundation Establishment True Cultivators boarding the vessel, none of them belonging to the Bai clan. He wondered how they planned to handle this. Luo Chen smiled faintly to himself, though his expression remained solemn. His flying sword took flight, carving through the dense horde of sea beasts slamming into the merchant ship. With the aid of several early Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, the pressure on the embattled Bai clan cultivators eased dramatically. The light of the protective formation enveloping the ship, which had worn thin, flared thick and bright once more. Seeing this, Bai Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, though tension still lingered in his chest. He shouted, "Fellow Daoists, hold them off for just a moment! Once I unleash my magic treasure's lethal strike and butcher that beast lurking behind them, this beast crisis will resolve itself!" "Elder Bai, you actually have a magic treasure? Why didn't you say so earlier?" "That's simple enough—unleash your might as you please, Elder Bai!" The crowd called out in unison. Bai Xiang smiled briefly before his expression hardened. He sat cross-legged atop the ship's upper deck. A round orb emerged from his mouth, emitting a hazy, shimmering luster. Surging spiritual power poured from his meridians into the orb. As his magic power flooded inside, a formidable aura rose steadily. One could easily imagine that the coming strike would shake the heavens and earth! Down on the deck, Luo Chen glanced up while maneuvering his flying sword to kill low-tier beasts, feeling a sliver of surprise. The quality of that orb magic treasure was quite remarkable. It surpassed his former Profound Fire Sword and stood on par with the Heavenly Moon Purple-Gold Wheel. *The Northern Sea is rich in resources, but because the Yuan Demon Sect favored using the flesh, blood, and souls of living beings to forge dharma artifacts and magic treasures, their artifact-crafting techniques strayed down a crooked path, leaving magic treasures scarce here. Yet though scarce, any that see the light of day are of fine quality.* *Then again, which artifact crafter capable of forging magic treasures would bear to waste precious materials on shoddy work? Back in the Jade Cauldron Domain, the flood of inferior magic treasures was truly the fault of Tianfan City.* As Luo Chen mused to himself, Bai Xiang completed his preparations. He shot to his feet, eyes blazing as he stared in a single direction and thrust a finger forward. "Go!" The orb's hazy glow condensed to its absolute limit, and it shot forth silently. *Whoosh!* The orb plunged into the sea. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, suddenly— *Boom!* A colossal water column erupted from the depths. The powerful blast wave pushed the merchant ship back several yards. When the spray rained down, the massive carcass of a bizarre fish, seven or eight zhang long, floated to the surface. Recognizing the beast's true form, a knowledgeable Foundation Establishment cultivator blurted out, "So it's a Dark Blue Treasure Basin! No wonder so many sea demons of different species gathered together!" The Dark Blue Treasure Basin was dark blue and swollen all over, looking as though it had been thoroughly beaten. In reality, it was known as a living treasure bowl. Extremely voracious, it would devour anything rich in spiritual energy, living or dead, stone, wood, or flesh. Whenever one was captured and dissected, all sorts of precious resources could be recovered from its innards. Because it consumed so many spiritual items, its body constantly radiated a unique spiritual energy, making it akin to a mobile spiritual vein. For this reason, low-tier sea beasts frequently trailed behind it to cultivate in its vicinity. Seeing the corpse of the Dark Blue Treasure Basin, Bai Xiang came to an understanding, and a look of delight broke across his pale face. With the treasure fish dead, the beast horde ought to disperse on its own. Not only had he resolved the crisis, but he had also obtained a late Tier 2 treasure fish. Far from taking a loss, this might well turn into a bountiful harvest. Yet just as he was rejoicing, the screams of his low-tier clansmen continued unabated. "How can this be?" The beast horde had not dispersed! If anything, their attacks grew even fiercer. Utterly baffled, Bai Xiang recklessly released his spiritual sense, scanning the water in agitation. Suddenly, disbelief flooded his eyes. Beneath the ocean waves, five colossal shadows rose and fell within the surging swells. Five more late Tier 2 sea demons! Bai Xiang's face went completely bloodless. "My life is forfeit!" At the same time, the passenger cultivators aiding in the fight noticed the change. Two of them took flight from the deck without a second thought. Escaping the formation's protection, they transformed into streaks of light, fleeing toward the distant skies. When calamity strikes, each flies for their own life! Seeing this, Bai Xiang felt furious, yet a sneer curled onto his lips. "Do you truly believe that without the ship's defensive formation, your speed alone will let you escape?" Sure enough, three of the five underwater shadows moved in the very next instant. Opening their gaping maws, they spewed barrages of golden water arrows into the sky. *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* The golden water arrows traveled with terrifying speed, far faster than an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator's flight. In a breath, they caught up to the two fleeing figures. Forced to halt, the two deployed their defensive measures. But before they could feel any relief from withstanding the first volley, countless more golden arrows tore through the sky toward them. *Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!* Within a few breaths, their defenses shattered. Pierced through by ten thousand arrows, their bodies plummeted from the sky like tattered hemp sacks, torn apart and devoured by the three massive demonic shadows. They were Golden Arrow Demon Fish! And three late Tier 2 Golden Arrow Demon Fish at that. Individually, their attacks might not be overwhelming, but when they joined forces, even late Foundation Establishment cultivators had to steer clear of them. They had remained hidden before out of fear of the human magic treasure. But now that Bai Xiang had drained his spiritual power to unleash that lethal strike, they no longer had anything to hold them back. The Dark Blue Treasure Basin was dim-witted, eating solely on instinct, but the Golden Arrow Demon Fish were anything but stupid. Bai Xiang looked around, despair written across his face. "Am I truly destined to perish in the sea today?" On the deck, Luo Chen shook his head as he casually dispatched low-tier sea demons. It seemed this ship could no longer be stayed upon. Before leaving, however, he didn't mind lending a hand to save the people aboard. Just as he was about to act, his brow twitched. *Looks like I won't be needed after all.* Within the range of his spiritual sense, a formidable aura was racing toward them across the wind and waves. Dozens of li away, an escape light skimmed low over the sea, parting the waves in its wake like a crisp white line. The spiritual pressure of the Golden Core realm was unmistakably laid bare. A moment later, beneath the gaze of the crowd, the figure arrived with a thunderous roar. With a single sword strike, the sea was cleaved in two. Countless low-tier beasts perished, and the three Golden Arrow Demon Fish were hacked into minced fragments. The remaining two late Tier 2 sea demons that had not yet shown themselves dove into the deep sea, fleeing in frantic terror. The newcomer paid them no heed. Forcing open the array, he stepped straight onto the Bai clan's merchant ship. Without waiting for the saved cultivators to express their gratitude, he barked, "I am He Yuan. This ship has been requisitioned by me!" The crowd froze, but quickly recovered their senses. Compared to having their lives saved, requisitioning a ship was nothing of consequence. Even the ship's master, Bai Xiang, raised no objection, rushing forward to flatter him instead. Not only Bai Xiang, but most of the surviving Foundation Establishment True Cultivators swarmed forward as well. Only Luo Chen feigned an aura of exhaustion. After offering a brief word to Bai Xiang about needing to meditate and nurse his injuries, he retreated to his cabin. Amidst the crowd, the abruptly arrived Golden Core cultivator, He Yuan, glanced at Luo Chen's retreating back and unconsciously furrowed his brows. Still, he paid it little mind and directly commanded, "From here on out, there will be no stops along the way. Head straight for Feileng City—do not delay my important business!" Though the Bai clan fleet had indeed been bound for Feileng City, their original plan involved trading goods and gathering resources at various points along the journey. Only by profiting from the price differences across regions could they make a substantial return. Hearing that they could not stop and had to sail straight for Feileng City, Bai Xiang knew they would take a massive loss. But when weighed against their lives, any financial loss was acceptable. Without hesitation, Bai Xiang agreed on the spot. The great vessel adjusted its heading, no longer steering toward the next immortal island, and surged straight in the direction of Lengguang Island. ... Inside the second-floor cabin room, the moment Luo Chen stepped inside, his exhausted demeanor vanished instantly. He cast a Sound Isolation Art, his expression solemn as he murmured, "Such a strange magic power aura..." Tianxuan looked on in confusion. She had also been monitoring the battle outside and had assumed she would be abandoning ship with her master. Who could have expected an unfamiliar Golden Core cultivator to suddenly intervene? Before she could ask what came next, another voice rang out abruptly from the Ten Thousand Soul Banner resting against the wall. "It's demonic qi! Pure demonic qi!"