Upon meeting Lord Lushan for the first time, Luo Chen was somewhat surprised.
He had assumed that anyone holding such a Daoist title would be a male cultivator, never expecting her to be a female cultivator with striking, refined features.
Xiao Buhuan had not mentioned her gender earlier, and the thought had never crossed Luo Chen's mind.
This was largely because male cultivators made up seventy to eighty percent of loose cultivators, while women were exceedingly scarce.
The reason behind this disparity was not complicated.
Although there was little difference between men and women once they grasped the mighty powers of the immortal path, female cultivators generally yearned for stability. The cultivation world was fraught with treacherous undercurrents and perilous hazards, so many low-realm female cultivators often chose to become dependents or retainers of powerful male cultivators.
Moreover, because women tended to possess delicate thoughts and keen sensibilities, they often performed well in productive cultivation crafts. Factions large and small were quite willing to take in female cultivators who had no one else to rely on.
At the very least, they could carry on the family lineage!
When cultivators with spirit roots became Dao companions, their offspring had a much higher probability of possessing spirit roots as well.
Luo Chen had never looked down upon female cultivators. If anything, over his journey, he had met quite a few formidable women of immense capability. There were even some whom he himself had to treat with utmost caution.
A female cultivator who could earn her own Daoist title among loose cultivators commanded even greater respect from him.
"Qingyangzi?" Within a palace atop a towering mountain on Quyang Island, the graceful woman sized up Luo Chen with a look of doubt on her face.
"That is indeed I. Greetings, Lord Lushan." Luo Chen smiled slightly, cupping his hands in salute.
Having received confirmation, Lord Lushan's expression warmed into a genial smile.
"I thought Fellow Daoist would take some time yet to arrive. I never anticipated you would come so quickly—it truly exceeded this poor Daoist's expectations."
*This poor Daoist?*
A flicker of curiosity stirred in Luo Chen's eyes. His gaze fell upon her hair, which was indeed styled into an orthodox Daoist nun's topknot.
Simple and unadorned, poised and generous, it gave an impression as refreshing as a spring breeze.
Although cultivators in the cultivation world frequently addressed one another as "Fellow Daoist," in reality, "Daoist" in that context simply referred to those walking the Great Dao together; rarely did anyone refer to themselves as "this poor Daoist."
Nine times out of ten, anyone who used such a self-appellation was someone truly devoted to the Daoist faith.
In the Mountain Sea Realm, the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism also existed, particularly in the mortal realm. In the cultivation world, the distinctions were generally less pronounced.
To think that this Lord Lushan was actually a Daoist nun.
Though surprised within, on the surface Luo Chen conversed calmly with her.
Followers of the Daoist orders rarely harbored deep taboos, so Luo Chen did not need to walk on eggshells. Their exchange proceeded quite smoothly.
Through Lord Lushan's explanation, Luo Chen's understanding of the loose cultivator units stationed on Quyang Island grew deeper and deeper.
The units Xiao Buhuan had mentioned were merely general categories; in practice, they were divided further.
For instance, the Formation Unit was subdivided into the defensive line formation squad that maintained the main barrier array, the central formation squad in charge of Quyang Island's hub array, and a specialized squad tasked with maintaining the teleportation array.
Then there was the Logistics Unit, which, as the name implied, was responsible for the logistical needs of the cultivators garrisoned on the front.
In truth, the logistics contingent was actually the most complex in composition!
Not only did they manage daily living supplies on the island and distribute cultivation resources, but they also maintained contact between the first defensive line and Longyuan Immortal City, as well as tallying the demon-hunting yields of various cultivators.
According to Lord Lushan, in a workshop cluster at the foot of the mountain, dedicated personnel appraised, butchered, and performed preliminary processing on all kinds of demon beast carcasses.
After offering such a dense, detailed breakdown, Lord Lushan seemed somewhat fatigued.
Seeing Luo Chen's brow furrow, she comforted him, "There is no need to worry, Qingyangzi. It is enough for you to grasp the general outline; you need not fret over specific administrative affairs. You are undertaking a short-term garrison mission. Aside from occasionally joining the patrol squads on inspection rounds, most of your time is yours to arrange as you please."
"Quyang Island also possesses a third-rank spirit vein. You can simply view this as changing places to cultivate."
Luo Chen's brow relaxed. "In that case, things are straightforward indeed. Many thanks to Lord Lushan for clearing up my confusion."
Lord Lushan lightly tapped her finger on the table.
Before long, a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator entered from outside.
Addressing Luo Chen, she introduced, "This is Captain Wu of the Logistics Unit, who oversees the cultivators' immortal caves. He will guide you to your assigned residence. If you have any other needs, Qingyangzi, you may speak to Captain Wu directly. Anything Quyang Island can accommodate shall be provided."
The Foundation Establishment True Cultivator bowed respectfully to Luo Chen. "Junior Wu Ruofu greets Senior Qingyangzi."
Luo Chen nodded slightly.
Then, Lord Lushan withdrew a talisman from her storage pouch and sent it floating before Luo Chen with her spiritual power.
"This is a custom voice transmission talisman crafted by my own hand. Imprint your divine sense transmission into it and burn it on the spot; within ten thousand li, I will hear it in an instant."
Accepting the white talisman, Luo Chen was somewhat astonished.
*So far? And so fast!*
The speed and range of voice transmission talismans had always been sluggish, a frequent point of criticism across the cultivation world. They were mostly used for short distances or polite formal visits.
Because of this, countless ingenious figures had forged alternative paths and devised numerous communication methods.
There was voice transmission via flying sword, the paper crane artifact method used by Tianfan City, and even the teleportation array voice transmission methods employed by top-tier factions.
In addition, the voice transmission jade tokens commonly used among cultivators spanned roughly a thousand li, which was already an exceptionally refined magical artifact technique.
Yet who would have thought that Lord Lushan had actually improved upon the talisman itself?
He could not help asking, "Fellow Daoist crafted this talisman with your own hands?"
Lord Lushan nodded with a smile.
"Can it only be used in connection with you?" Luo Chen asked further.
Lord Lushan shook her head and chuckled. "As long as they come in paired sets and the user has reached Foundation Establishment, whether using spiritual sense or divine sense, anyone can utilize this talisman."
At this point, the delicate woman blinked playfully. "Would Fellow Daoist be interested in purchasing a few pairs to prepare for unforeseen circumstances?"
Ten thousand li was not terribly far; at a Core Formation cultivator's normal flight speed, it was merely the time to drink a cup of tea.
Even for a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator flying at full tilt, it took only an hour or so.
Over such a distance, a single round trip was enough to convey a message clearly, so there was normally no need for a ten-thousand-li talisman.
Yet calling it short was deceptive!
In an emergency or life-or-death crisis, let alone an hour or the time it took to drink tea or burn an incense stick, every single second was priceless.
Luo Chen felt tempted.
Seeing this, the Daoist nun said with a touch of enthusiasm, "Although this talisman reaches the third rank, it is not particularly expensive. If you wish to purchase them, it is merely ten thousand low-grade spirit stones per pair."
Hearing the price, Luo Chen did not hesitate. "Give me five pairs!"
With two forming a pair, ten white talismans entered his possession, and Luo Chen parted with fifty thousand spirit stones.
With the Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talismans in hand, Luo Chen could not resist asking, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist has voice transmission talismans of even greater range?"
Lord Lushan gave Luo Chen an astonished glance before explaining, "There are, but those must be custom-made and cannot transmit messages freely. A predetermined message must be engraved into them in advance; once activated by one side, the other is alerted. Rather than a voice transmission talisman, it is more like a signaling token. As for price, that would require detailed discussion."
*She is a formidable talisman cultivator!* Luo Chen drew his conclusion.
Naturally, he did not order any ultra-long-distance talismans; he had no need for them for now. A few pairs of Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talismans were plenty for sudden emergencies. If the distance were any greater, even if an incident occurred, the other party would not survive long enough for him to arrive.
Next, guided by Wu Ruofu, Luo Chen arrived at his temporary immortal cave.
Along the way, they flew over a cluster of low hills, dotted with several caverns and vast clusters of wood-and-stone dwellings.
According to Wu Ruofu, those were the cultivation quarters for Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators respectively.
***
Inside a spacious cavern hollowed out of the mountainside, Luo Chen nodded in satisfaction.
The setting was tranquil, and the spiritual energy was quite abundant—genuinely the quality of a third-rank low-grade spirit vein.
He could tell someone had lived here before, but Luo Chen did not mind; it was only a temporary residence anyway.
Facing an open area inside the cavern, Luo Chen retrieved large slabs of jade from his storage ring and laid them across the floor. He then opened his mouth and spat out the Hunyuan Cauldron, which settled firmly upon the jade slabs.
Luo Chen paced around the perimeter, setting down small homemade formation flags one after another.
With his current proficiency in formations and forging, he could craft his own formation flags without needing to buy them outside.
Just like that, a simple dual pill-and-artifact chamber was completed. It could be used both for refining pills and for forging artifacts!
Were Mount Ailao's Fei Ming here, he would surely marvel at the sight.
Such a multipurpose chamber looked straightforward, but the understanding of formations and materials embedded within surpassed that of countless spirit architects.
Afterward, Luo Chen pulled out a large quantity of precious third-rank timber from his storage ring, all cleaved in advance. He stacked them neatly beneath the Hunyuan Cauldron.
With a flick of his finger, a wisp of Wither-Bloom True Fire poured forth. Instantly, flames flared, and the Hunyuan Cauldron was gently enveloped in heat.
"The Deep Blue Dark Armor I forged earlier only went through preliminary smelting and still requires constant adjustments. So many materials were invested into it—I certainly cannot let all that effort go to waste."
With a faint smile, an odd movement stirred within the Hunyuan Cauldron. It was Black King.
Lately, his body had grown increasingly massive; hiding inside the Hunyuan Cauldron's internal space, even when shrunk down, felt progressively cramped.
"Come out!"
Light flashed within the cauldron, and a black beam shot out, transforming into a small serpent that slithered around Luo Chen's feet.
"Master, why haven't you released me into the sea?" Black King complained with an aggrieved tone. "It's uncomfortable in here."
"Wait two days!" Luo Chen said indifferently.
Black King was puzzled.
Luo Chen took the trouble to explain, "The other garrison Core Formation cultivator hasn't arrived yet. If I throw you into the sea now and someone mistakes you for a wild demon beast and slays you, it will be a headache."
Black King snorted. "As if they have the power to slay me!"
After spending over a decade digesting the Cliff Snake's corpse, Black King's realm had surged dramatically, reaching the peak of the third-rank mid-stage, merely half a step away from the third-rank late-stage.
He had awakened an innate bloodline devouring technique of immense might. Coupled with the two medium-grade magic treasures Luo Chen had bestowed upon him, which he refined day and night with demonic power,
one could say Black King's current combat prowess was not in the slightest inferior to any mid-stage Core Formation cultivator. Relying on his thick hide and resilience, he would even dare to challenge late-stage Core Formation grand cultivators.
In the earlier battle at Penghu Lake, his sudden assault had suppressed Old Man Ye on Huangfu Song's side to the point where Ye could barely retaliate, showing just how fearsome his strength had become.
Seeing his arrogance, Luo Chen looked over with a half-smile. "Feeling arrogant, are we?"
Black King froze, then chuckled sheepishly. "I didn't mean that, Master. Your humble servant just meant... one must look at the master before beating the dog."
"Hmph." Luo Chen gave a soft snort and waved his hand. "Go, go. Find a corner and curl up. Don't bother me."
Once Black King slithered off, Luo Chen sat cross-legged on the stone bed, his thoughts gradually clearing.
He had no intention of wasting this coming year.
His cultivation would naturally continue without cease, day and night. Even in a third-rank low-grade spirit ground, paired with True Flame Pills and Black Emperor Paste, he could still advance by leaps and bounds.
Aside from that, his forging work could not be neglected either. Luo Chen had calculated that even if he could not forge a low-grade magic treasure right away, as long as he could forge a set of artifacts using the Six Jia Formation, he would have the confidence to refine the Demon Emperor's remains. After all, the Penglai Immortal Sect's refining method for that defensive magic treasure prioritized the inherent quality of the materials over forging technique.
Originally, his plan had merely consisted of cultivation and artifact forging. Now, however, another idea had struck him.
With a flick of his hand, a small black banner appeared in his grip.
"Soul essence!"
Legends held that soul essence was the concentrated essence extracted from vast multitudes of souls. When consumed in conjunction with secret arts, it could substantially enhance a cultivator's soul foundation.
It had this effect because these refined essences had been stripped of their original owners' consciousness, leaving behind pure soul material. Drawing upon the concept of "nourishing form with form," it performed the act of "nourishing soul with soul." It was among the most blatant, overbearing demonic methods!
Yet clearly, Luo Chen could not do so at present.
First, he lacked that demonic secret technique. Second, the soul essence inside this little black banner was no longer purely unblemished.
It was heavily tainted with Yan Zhixian's will! Furthermore, having adhered to Duan Li for five years, it even carried faint traces of Duan Li's soul aura. Luo Chen would never dare swallow it directly.
However, inability to consume it did not mean it was useless.
"Previously, when the Dragon Slaying Art reached the Great Perfection, it gained the effect of severing spirits, but I haven't tested it yet."
"I had originally considered mimicking the method I used when training the Soul Absorption Art—capturing low-tier demon beast souls, injecting them into my sea of consciousness, and severing them with the Dragon Slaying Art. But I feared an accident might inflict irreversible damage upon my soul."
A cultivator's soul was their innermost core; not a single mistake could be tolerated. Someone as powerful as Duan Li had been reduced to risking an appeal to Luo Chen—with whom he had no deep friendship—after suffering soul trauma, which illustrated the gravity of soul injuries. He had truly been driven into a corner!
These soul essences, however, were a different matter!
Yan Zhixian was dead, his remnant will barely lingering. Duan Li's soul aura was even fainter.
If he used these soul essences to test the effects of the Dragon Slaying Art, even if he failed, the impact would be minimal. And if he succeeded...
A glint shone in Luo Chen's eyes. "It would mean that even if someone forcibly breaches the Lanke Black Chess Piece's soul defense in the future and invades my sea of consciousness, I will still possess the means to defend myself."
Luo Chen rarely exerted futile effort, especially when practicing spells. He had developed his own distinct style. In his judgment, this approach was viable.
Thus, having settled in, he could wait no longer.
Instructing Black King to watch over the Hunyuan Cauldron and add more third-rank timber if the fire died down, Luo Chen sent his divine sense into the black banner.
A wisp of soul essence surged toward him like a beast smelling food. Without hesitation, Luo Chen withdrew his divine sense, sweeping that wisp of soul essence along with it into his sea of consciousness.
The moment it entered, waves surged across the golden sea of consciousness.
Deep within the sea of consciousness, a faint, shimmering soul phantom struggled to execute the Dragon Slaying Art using its soul body, striving to sever the foreign will that did not belong to this form.
***
Five days later.
Wu Ruofu stood respectfully outside Luo Chen's immortal cave.
Shortly, the red-robed Daoist stepped out. Wu Ruofu instinctively looked up, and the moment he met Luo Chen's eyes, his heart quaked violently.
What piercing eyes those were! Sharp as a blade, their sheer keenness chilled anyone who beheld them.
"Is something the matter?"
The gentle voice reached his ears, snapping Wu Ruofu out of his stupor instantly. In a daze, it seemed as if nothing had happened at all; the red-robed Daoist's eyes were as warm and gentle as water once more.
He swallowed hard. "Senior Qingyangzi, Old Sang has arrived. Lord Lushan invites you over to meet."
*Old Sang?*
That was likely the third garrison Core Formation cultivator of Quyang Island.
Luo Chen nodded, summoned a cloud of magic power, and flew toward Quyang Main Palace.
Before long, the cloud landed halfway up the mountain. Before even entering the hall, Luo Chen looked at a group of unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivators standing outside and furrowed his brows.
"These people... don't seem to be loose cultivators from our Myriad Immortals Association?"
Chapter 611