"On what grounds?!"
Inside a cave dwelling rich with spiritual energy, Huangfu Song smashed the teacup in his hand, his face contorted in rage.
For a mere low-grade defensive magic treasure, how dared he ask for five hundred thousand spirit stones? Did he truly take the cultivators of the cultivation world for fools?
Beside him, Duke Gui, who had been reporting the news, looked on helplessly.
He understood reasonably well what had enraged Huangfu Song.
Showing weakness before Demonic Lord Qingyang had once been the greatest humiliation in Huangfu Song's heart. Even though he often consoled himself with the rationale that a man destined for greatness must know when to bend and when to stand tall, his frequent monitoring of Demonic Lord Qingyang's movements made it obvious he had never truly let the matter go.
Now that Demonic Lord Qingyang had refined a second defensive magic treasure, it proved the man's prior success had been no fluke.
Such treasures enjoyed an immense market, and their prices had always remained sky-high.
As a result, Demonic Lord Qingyang's streams of wealth would flow endlessly. Any hope that his savings would fail to support the exorbitant rent and force him to surrender his lease on Lake Penghu was now dead in the water.
The confluence of these grievances had driven Huangfu Song to his current lack of composure.
Duke Gui said in a shrill voice, "My lord, some things are best laid to rest when the time comes. We must not delay our own grand ambitions."
Huangfu Song glared at him askance. "Why should I lay it to rest? Do you truly believe I am inferior to him? That encounter took place in a dao sanctuary he had cultivated for years, bolstered by a grand array. We were the ones whose hands were tied! If we faced off on neutral ground, it remains to be seen who would come out on top!"
"A son of a noble house does not sit beneath eaves that may collapse. Why wager your life in a reckless gamble?"
"Hmph, do I not still have all of you? Besides, when I beseeched her with all my might, Zihou promised she would take action on my behalf once."
"Ahem... My lord, word has arrived that Zihou took the initiative to send a formal calling card to Lake Penghu."
Huangfu Song froze.
He knew better than anyone what it meant to take the initiative in sending a calling card!
Unless this was an instance of courtesy before force, that meant she intended to cultivate friendly relations with Demonic Lord Qingyang.
At this thought, Huangfu Song's expression grew all the more twisted.
"That wretched woman..."
He had merely refined a defensive magic treasure! Was it truly necessary to cast aside all shame to curry favor with him like that?
***
In Longyuan Immortal City.
Outside Qingyang Firm.
Cave Master Moyun paced back and forth for a long time before finally making up his mind.
"This old man insists on seeing the quality of this magic treasure you forged. Even if it costs five hundred thousand spirit stones, I won't hesitate."
A subordinate beside him could not fathom why Master Qingyangzi had set the price so high.
To this, Cave Master Moyun merely curled his lip.
"He set it out as the cornerstone of the shop, so of course the price has to be steep! Five hundred thousand is beyond what Foundation Establishment cultivators can afford, and even those who have recently entered the Golden Core stage find their pockets too shallow. Only seasoned, veteran Golden Core cultivators who have accumulated wealth over decades can produce such a sum. Yet such people have usually secured suitable protective treasures long ago during their cultivation careers. Why would they go out of their way to buy another?"
The subordinate was struck by a flash of realization.
No wonder a low-grade defensive magic treasure had been priced so high, yet not impossibly so.
It fell into an exquisite pricing sweet spot: discouraging ordinary buyers without truly treating the market as fools.
Yet now, their cave master intended to purchase the treasure to study it thoroughly. Before this supposed shop-cornerstone could even sit for two days, it was about to be carried away.
Cave Master Moyun strode forward, parting the bustling crowd, and entered Qingyang Firm.
The crowd behind him had gathered out of curiosity. When some recognized Cave Master Moyun, they called out his identity on the spot.
In an instant, an uproar swept through the onlookers.
Even Cave Master Moyun, the most renowned artifact-forging grandmaster in the Myriad Immortals Association, had arrived in person! Was this an implicit acknowledgment of Master Qingyangzi's forging skill?
Could Master Qingyangzi truly rival Cave Master Moyun now?
Indifferent to the chatter behind him, Cave Master Moyun walked straight to the counter.
He addressed the gentle woman standing there. "Where is that Bright Yellow Rock Armor?"
Wen Xiu recognized his background. Though feeling a twinge of nervousness, she kept her expression as poised and dignified as possible.
"Master, I am afraid this treasure cannot be shown to you at the moment."
"Hmm?" Cave Master Moyun furrowed his brows.
Before his temper could flare, Wen Xiu hurriedly explained, "A buyer is currently upstairs discussing the purchase with my husband. We must first..."
"Hmph! I'd like to see who dares snatch a treasure from me!"
With a flick of his sleeve, Cave Master Moyun strode up the stairs.
Wen Xiu followed closely behind.
*Thud, thud, thud...*
The moment Cave Master Moyun entered the VIP parlor, a light chuckle drifted out.
"Fellow Daoist Moyun, it is merely a low-grade magic treasure. Why cause such a stir? Why not yield it to me this once?"
"Huo Fang!"
Catching sight of the middle-aged Daoist chatting with composed ease, Cave Master Moyun blurted out the name.
It was none other than Huo Fang, the vice city lord of Longyuan Immortal City.
"Do you not already possess a mid-grade defensive magic treasure, the Heaven-Defending Ring? Why would you..."
Before finishing his sentence, he realized the truth.
"Are you purchasing this for Wuzhong Valley?"
Huo Fang smiled and nodded, his demeanor relaxed and unhurried, as though entirely unconcerned that the other would engage in a bidding war against him.
Cave Master Moyun, however, found himself in a dilemma.
Though Huo Fang served as the vice city lord of Longyuan Immortal City, he was not a retainer under True Person Longyuan, nor was he an ordinary demon hunter like the Old Angler or Zihou.
He hailed from Wuzhong Valley!
It was common knowledge that while the Myriad Immortals Association claimed to be a sanctuary for rogue cultivators, it was not entirely pure.
Aside from the Three Great Loose Cultivators and True Person Longyuan, who had advanced from the rank of Nine-Star Demon Hunter, there were three other Nascent Soul True Persons.
And those three held sway over powerful forces in their own right.
The Tianqu Chen family, the Coral Sea Zhou family, and a sect known as Wuzhong Valley.
This Huo Fang originated from Wuzhong Valley. Beyond his status as vice city lord of Longyuan, he was also the third disciple of True Person Yuling of Wuzhong Valley, concurrently holding the post of Transmission Elder within the sect.
His appointment to Longyuan Immortal City went back to a rule established during the early days of the Myriad Immortals Association.
The three major factions were forbidden from meddling too deeply in the association's affairs; their relationship was strictly an alliance.
To compensate them for this restriction, the Three Great Loose Cultivators had deliberately yielded a share of the benefits within Longyuan Immortal City.
The price was the seat of vice city lord.
After deliberating among themselves, the three factions agreed to let Huo Fang occupy the post to claim the benefits due to them.
Those benefits extended beyond mere cultivation resources. An even more crucial element was the recruitment of talent!
Heroes arose from the wilderness, and exceptional talents emerged even among rogue cultivators.
From the countless masses of rogue cultivators, individuals with extraordinary abilities inevitably surfaced from time to time.
Huo Fang's primary purpose in serving as vice city lord was to win over the association's most formidable rogue cultivators.
Why did Moyun know all this?
For no other reason than that he himself was one of those who had been courted!
Over the years, of all the artifacts and magic treasures forged by Moyun Cave, only a fraction had flowed into the hands of ordinary rogue cultivators. The vast majority had been bought up by the three factions.
Had Cave Master Moyun not possessed an untamed temperament and an aversion to constraint, the three factions would have gladly offered him the rank of guest elder, supporting him with lavish resources.
And now...
Huo Fang had come to Qingyang Firm in person to purchase a low-grade magic treasure useless to himself. Cave Master Moyun instantly grasped the underlying meaning.
They did not care about the Bright Yellow Rock Armor. They cared about Qingyangzi, the man who had forged it.
Just as they had set their sights on him years ago!
Noticing Cave Master Moyun's contemplation, Huo Fang suddenly spoke.
"Your desire for this item is surely only to study it. That does not conflict with our purpose in the slightest. In fact, doing so will help us appraise it, and it can even save you a substantial sum of spirit stones.
"Fellow Daoist Moyun, yield it to me. It will serve both our interests. Afterward, I will grant you ample time to study it."
After a brief pause, Cave Master Moyun agreed without hesitation.
Outside the room, Zhang Jiadi and Wen Xiu scarcely dared to breathe.
Even though they wished to confer in private, they feared a Golden Core Master's divine sense would overhear them.
A moment later, cheerful laughter drifted from inside.
The door opened, and Cave Master Moyun stepped out, making no further mention of buying the Bright Yellow Rock Armor.
"Vice City Lord!" Zhang Jiadi bowed respectfully.
Huo Fang acknowledged with a hum, his gaze settling on the couple as his eyes flickered slightly.
"I hear Fellow Daoist Qingyangzi lacks capable assistants, and that you two have been managing his mundane affairs all along?"
Zhang Jiadi nodded hurriedly. "Indeed. This lowly one established a modest cultivation clan, depending on our master for peace and livelihood. In ordinary times, we assist him in managing various matters."
"Is that so..."
Huo Fang pursed his lips, the smile in his eyes deepening.
***
A month later.
A green calling card was delivered into Tianxuan's hands on Peng Island.
"The master stated he is in seclusion and will see no outside visitors. What does Little Zhang think he is doing?"
Over the years, countless cultivators had sought an audience with Luo Chen, and the calling cards delivered to their door had piled up like a small mountain.
Among them were no small number of formidable figures renowned among rogue cultivators.
Yet Luo Chen had not received a single one.
Especially after releasing the second defensive magic treasure, anticipating the subsequent fallout, he had expressly instructed Tianxuan to turn visitors away outside Lake Penghu so they would not disturb his cultivation.
Under such circumstances, how dared Zhang Jiadi still forward a calling card?
Beneath Tianxuan's displeased gaze, Zhang Jiadi swallowed hard.
"The person who presented this card possesses a rather special identity."
"Oh?"
"It is Lord Huo Fang, the vice city lord of Longyuan Immortal City."
"Huo Fang?"
As Tianxuan murmured the name, her expression shifted abruptly.
Huo Fang was not representing Longyuan Immortal City, but rather Wuzhong Valley, as well as the Tianqu Chen family and the Coral Sea Zhou family.
In other words, he represented the three Nascent Soul True Persons of the Myriad Immortals Association!
Her master could disregard those formidable Golden Core rogue cultivators, but the face of three Nascent Soul True Persons could hardly be brushed aside lightly.
Taking a deep breath, Tianxuan accepted the card and hurried toward the Pill and Artifact Hall.
Upon arriving, she sensed no movement inside.
*The master is not refining pills or forging artifacts?*
Without hesitation, she went to the Constellation Palace and stood quietly outside for a long time.
Even with an urgent matter, she dared not rashly disrupt her master's cultivation.
Fortunately, Luo Chen possessed formidable divine sense and shared a unique mental link as a spirit beast master, quickly noticing her arrival.
"What is it?"
"Master, Vice City Lord Huo Fang of Longyuan has submitted a calling card."
"Bring it in."
The heavy bronze doors parted slightly, revealing a narrow gap. A sweep of magic power drew the calling card from Tianxuan's hands inside.
Then the bronze doors slowly closed again.
It seemed entirely placid, but in that fleeting instant, Tianxuan's face drained of color. Her heart churned with turmoil, and the demonic qi she had suppressed within herself for years leaked out uncontrollably.
*Gulp!*
*What kind of aura was that?!*
Tianxuan could not help but swallow nervously.
Just moments ago, she had felt as though a primeval desolate beast were awakening.
The natural suppression of bloodline hierarchy had nearly choked the breath from her lungs.
*What in the world is Master cultivating?*
***
Inside the Constellation Palace.
Luo Chen's eyes remained shut, yet within his body, it felt as if rivers, lakes, and oceans were surging in tempestuous waves.
Across his flesh, large swellings bulged up from time to time, as though someone were beating heavily upon a rawhide war drum.
Resonances like the tolling of great bells and copper gongs echoed continuously through the star-draped hall.
Listening closely, one could tell all these sounds originated from deep within his body.
*Initial body refinement transitions from the external to the internal; reaching modest success attains the Vajra Realm.*
*Once one enters the threshold, vitality surges like a rushing river; this is the Blood River Realm.*
*From then on, one comprehends the transformations of blood and qi, embracing the core to gather intent, condensing astral qi to achieve the third realm of body refinement: the Smelting Furnace Realm.*
*That is the traditional path of body refinement. Yet I forged my own path, pursuing an alternate method that mimics the desolate beasts—disregarding the subtle shifts of blood and qi to focus solely on the physical strength of the flesh.*
*Through years of cultivation, I underwent eight blood cleansings and restructured two hundred and six bones. Bolstered by the Black Emperor Paste, my physique surpassed even that of a puppet. Yet my training was ultimately too eclectic, lacking harmonious unity.*
*Now, I employ the methods of artifact forging to temper this treasure body. Taking the intent of a thousand hammer strikes and ten thousand smeltings, I fuse my limbs, skeletal frame, and extraordinary meridians together. In the future, I will surely attain a presence capable of swallowing the vast wilderness!*
As thoughts surged through his mind, the blood and qi within his body were ignited and refined by the Wither-Bloom Fire, generating torrents of formidable force that hammered relentlessly against his internal organs.
Under this ceaseless pounding, those organs and meridians grew increasingly resilient.
This was the very body refinement method Luo Chen had recently devised.
Using blood and qi as firewood, he ignited them with Wither-Bloom Fire to create an even more potent internal force, then utilized that force to hammer his physique.
He supplemented this with massive quantities of blood food to bolster his blood and qi.
Externally, Tier 4 Black Emperor Paste steadily elevated his physical durability.
In this manner, his path of body refinement grew ever more refined. Rather than rigidly adhering to ancient methods, he sought only what best suited his own constitution.
The tangible result was the rapid advancement of his body refinement progress on his attribute panel.
He was now only a dozen or so points away from Desolate Ancient Tier 4—within arm's reach!
When a full heavenly cycle drew to a close, Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze fell upon the calling card in his hand.
After reading it for a time, he broke into an amused smile.
"I might as well meet him!"
***
Three days later, a large vessel set out slowly from the shore of Lake Penghu.
Zhang Jiadi, patriarch of the Zhang clan of Cailian Island, manned the helm in person, while Fairy Tianxuan accompanied the guests.
Huo Fang was not the only honored guest aboard.
He had brought along a Foundation Establishment junior from the Tianqu Chen family and another from the Coral Sea Zhou family.
In addition, there were three others: artifact-forging grandmaster Cave Master Moyun, Eight-Star Demon Hunter Zihou, and the Old Angler.
The latter three had essentially hitched a ride on Huo Fang's coattails.
However, since they had been permitted aboard, it signified Luo Chen's tacit consent.
The logic was simple: previously, Luo Chen had treated everyone alike by refusing all visitors. Now that he had agreed to see Huo Fang, the precedent was broken. He might as well receive the Old Angler and Zihou together; they were, after all, among the foremost figures among the rogue cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Association. It was better not to offend them if he could avoid it.
At this moment, the group stood on deck, facing the wind and taking in the scenery of the eight hundred li of Lake Penghu.
Ordinarily, misty ripples veiled the waters, with no trace of human presence to be seen.
Now, with the grand array opened, the vaporous haze had parted to reveal verdant mountains and lush islets resting amid emerald waters—a true immortal realm.
Beneath the ship, golden dragon carps swam near from time to time, gradually gathering until ten thousand carps leaped in unison, creating a magnificent spectacle.
Standing at the bow, Huo Fang took in the sight and nodded repeatedly.
"It seems Qingyangzi has cultivated this spiritual land of Lake Penghu remarkably well!"
The others nodded in agreement.
A young female cultivator with an oval face suddenly let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
"Eh? Why are the golden dragon carps here black and gold?"
Tianxuan glanced over and said indifferently, "Dwelling here for so long, they have absorbed the aura of a flood dragon. It is only natural that they have undergone a mutation."
"The aura of a flood dragon?"
The young woman was taken aback. The Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Tianqu Chen family explained in a low voice, "The master of Lake Penghu possesses a spirit pet—a giant black-scaled flood dragon. It once nearly swallowed a mid Golden Core cultivator in a single gulp; its power is exceptionally fearsome."
The young woman came to a sudden realization.
Since a flood dragon resided here year-round, it was no surprise that the golden dragon carps, which carried a trace of draconic bloodline, had begun to evolve. She wondered, though, what these black-gold dragon carps tasted like.
Yet when those words reached the ears of the Golden Core Masters, each harbored their own thoughts.
Zihou thought to herself, *Qingyangzi has developed Lake Penghu to such prosperity, and now even Huo Fang has come knocking to collaborate. His standing in the Myriad Immortals Association is growing increasingly secure. By visiting in person today to break the ice over our past misunderstanding, I ensure that my future path remains unhindered.*
Having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy!
As for Huangfu Song, who shared some ties with her?
He was still thrashing about in a territory governed by a Golden Core sect. Playing at petty skirmishes like that amounted to nothing in her eyes.
Who knew how many years or months it would take to restore the Great Zhou Dynasty?
Moreover, even at the height of its power, the Nascent Soul patriarchs of the Great Zhou Dynasty had been forced to hide away like rats, never daring to see the light of day.
As for the so-called glory of the dynasty, Zihou had no desire to share in it for the rest of her days.
The Old Angler felt differently. He only wished to see Qingyangzi and ask when the man would conclude his seclusion and resume normal activities.
He wanted to converse with him more, hoping to glean further insights regarding the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.
As for Cave Master Moyun, standing alone in a corner?
His face was etched with restless hesitation, bordering on impatience.
After studying the Bright Yellow Rock Armor, his heart had felt as though it were being scratched by cat claws, itching uncontrollably.
Just how had Qingyangzi managed to seamlessly fuse the array formations with the magic treasure embryo?
It clearly used the most ordinary materials, yet under that bizarre technique, it possessed defensive power capable of withstanding attacks from early Golden Core—and even mid Golden Core—cultivators.
Such methods were entirely unprecedented in his experience.
If he could glean even a fraction of that knowledge, it would elevate his artifact-crafting skills to a whole new level. Perhaps within his lifetime, he might even harbor hope of refining a legendary True Artifact!
Huo Fang kept a faint smile on his lips, watching the scene placidly.
"Fellow Daoist Tianxuan, how much further?"
Tianxuan replied, "Once we pass Flying Falcon Island ahead, we will have arrived."
Huo Fang looked toward the island before them, where short-tailed black birds roosted among the trees, taking flight and landing with ferocious speed.
It was a pity they were not spiritual fowl. Otherwise, if cultivated properly, they would find plenty of willing buyers outside.
Amid these musings, the great vessel banked sharply, rounding Flying Falcon Island. A stretch of water smooth as a mirror came into view.
As a gentle breeze blew, faint dragon roars seemed to echo across the waters.
Everyone focused their gaze. At the water's edge stood a white-robed Daoist tossing medicinal pellets into the lake. A colossal black dragon head suddenly breached the surface, ecstatically catching the pills in its maw.
Right at that moment, the white-robed Daoist turned his head.
He dusted his hands, as if brushing away crumbs, or perhaps signaling the black dragon to depart.
As the black dragon rolled over and dove into the lakebed, churning up ripples across the surface, the white-robed Daoist laughed heartily.
"Is it not a delight to have friends visit from afar?"
"Fellow Daoists, Qingyangzi offers his greetings!"
Chapter 619