By the shores of Peng Island.
A Daoist stood with hands clasped behind his back, quietly watching the undercurrents swirling beneath the water's surface.
Suddenly.
Splash!
The lake parted as if shoved aside by invisible hands, and a massive, single-horned dragon head slowly rose from the depths. Once fully emerged, even the serpent-dragon head alone loomed far taller than the white-robed Daoist.
Though it looked down from above, its eyes brimmed with reverence.
"Master, the Black King has returned."
Luo Chen observed him in silence, his divine sense naturally sweeping across the Black King's entire form.
His aura was somewhat languid, yet showed no visible injuries—a state born purely of exhaustion after long-distance travel.
If he was unharmed, why had he been delayed for so long?
Abruptly.
Luo Chen's sharp, probing divine sense came to rest squarely upon the serpent-dragon head.
"Did your divine soul suffer damage?"
The Black King drooped his head, appearing somewhat listless as he exhaled a heavy breath. "Master has sharp eyes. I indeed suffered from soul poison earlier."
"Soul poison? Was it the toxic mist released by the Purple Monkey Flower?"
"Yes, precisely so."
Upon hearing this answer, Luo Chen's worry vanished, instantly replaced by delight.
For a soul poison to injure the Black King's divine soul, it had to originate from a Purple Monkey Flower of at least Tier 4.
And to refine the Nascent Soul Formation Pill, his primary ingredient, the Purple Monkey Flower, required a standard of at least Tier 4.
Purple Spirit Island truly held what he needed!
Sure enough, in the Black King's subsequent report, he confirmed the presence of Tier 4 Purple Monkey Flowers on the island.
"You have worked hard," Luo Chen consoled him, before asking for specific details and the reason he had returned so late.
"The route on that map was largely correct."
"However, perhaps because too much time has passed, several islands that once lacked spiritual veins have evolved into places rich in spiritual qi over the years, attracting powerful demon beasts to occupy them. On my way there, I accidentally trespassed into the territories of several Demon Kings and was forced into combat."
"After reaching my destination, I consumed the Poison Ward Pill Master refined, concealed my aura, and quietly slipped onto Purple Spirit Island to search for the Purple Monkey Flower. But in truth, there was hardly any need to search, because the island was covered in them!"
"Yes, everywhere! It was as if that island were a kingdom of Purple Monkey Flowers."
"The only issue was that most of those flowers were low-tier. Knowing Master required a Tier 4 Purple Monkey Flower, Xiao Hei began searching in secret."
"Purple Spirit Island is far from safe. Numerous demon beasts on it have been bewitched by the Purple Monkey Flowers, including no small number of formidable Tier 3 Demon Kings. In particular, the Purple Qi Poison Apes!"
Ancient records stated that wherever Purple Qi Poison Apes gathered, Purple Monkey Flowers were bound to exist. In truth, that had the cause and effect reversed.
The Purple Monkey Flowers must have existed first, and only then did the Purple Qi Poison Apes emerge. The latter had been controlled by the flowers over long years, their growth habits altering until they gradually evolved into a distinct demonic species.
"These Purple Qi Poison Apes are fiercely territorial against outsiders, yet internally, they stick close together in packs. I deliberately avoided them, wishing to avoid conflict. But in the end, when I discovered a Tier 4 Purple Monkey Flower, I was forced into a confrontation with a large swarm of Tier 3 ape kings."
"These Tier 3 Purple Qi Poison Apes were not particularly formidable, and their methods of attack were rather scarce. Given enough time, Xiao Hei could have dispatched them one by one."
"Yet it was time that did me in!"
"The longer one stays on that island, the more one is tainted by the purple miasma. Without realizing it, even my demon soul was affected. Even the Poison Ward Pill Master bestowed lost more than ninety percent of its potency."
"Seeing more and more Purple Qi Poison Apes gathering to besiege me, and fearing that a fierce battle would destroy Purple Spirit Island, I had no choice but to flee in disarray."
"After escaping the island, my mind grew muddled and my strength dropped precipitously. To avoid running into danger on the return journey, I found a secluded spot to nurse my injuries. Coupled with having to detour around the territories of those Demon Kings, I only managed to return to Penghu Lake today, nearly half a year later than planned."
As the Black King recounted everything in meticulous detail, Luo Chen formed a clear outline in his mind regarding the route to Purple Spirit Island and the exact situation there.
At the end, he made sure to ask one more question.
"Along the way, did you encounter any human cultivators?"
"None." The Black King shook his head, stirring ripples across the water.
Watching the ripples slowly expand outward, Luo Chen finally felt at ease.
Overall, the Black King's solo expedition had been a success.
He had scouted the route and discovered the Tier 4 Purple Monkey Flower he needed. Even if the Tier 4 flowers were few in number, the potential was immense—there was an entire island of Purple Monkey Flowers!
Furthermore, this trip eliminated the possibility that someone was deliberately using rumors of the flower to lure him away.
This was an issue Luo Chen had been particularly watchful of.
Especially after Ding Yi had just used information about the Five Elements Lotus Platform as leverage to invite him to the Sunken Sea, Luo Chen had grown all the more cautious regarding Purple Spirit Island.
After all, the Qingyang Firm had publicly posted bounties for the Purple Monkey Flower and the Five Elements Lotus Platform in earlier years, which could easily draw the attention of schemers. Luo Chen had to tread carefully.
Ding Yi was one such case; who could say whether the Purple Monkey Flower might be another?
Now, it appeared all worries were unfounded.
Standing beside him, Tianxuan voiced some concern.
"Master, according to the Black King, a Tier 4 Purple Monkey Flower can already affect creatures at the Tier 3 Demon King level. Wouldn't that be just as perilous for Golden Core cultivators?"
Luo Chen nodded.
"Moreover, a host of powerful beings on the island are bewitched by the flowers. If we try to seize the island by force, a battle is inevitable. But once combat erupts, it will inevitably wreak havoc on the island's terrain and the spirit plants themselves!"
Luo Chen nodded once more, yet no great anxiety showed on his face.
Tianxuan looked puzzled.
Luo Chen gave a relaxed smile. "Those are hardly problems. We can simply resolve them one by one."
Indeed, so long as no external human schemes were involved, none of the other challenges were insurmountable.
"Ugh!"
Before Luo Chen and Tianxuan, the Black King retched, vomiting up a mass coated in black fluid.
Tianxuan frowned. "Didn't I teach you how to use a storage bag?"
The Black King grinned sheepishly. "Just habit."
As the black liquid dripped away, the object's true form was revealed. Glowing with purple light, its stalk resembled sinew and blood vessels, crowned by clustered blossoms piled layer upon layer. Viewed as a whole, it looked remarkably like an exposed brain freshly ripped from a skull.
It was a Purple Monkey Flower, exactly as described in ancient texts!
At the root of the plant clung a clod of bright red soil.
With a wave of Luo Chen's hand, the Purple Monkey Flower drifted before him. He widened his eyes, carefully counting the purple halos upon the blossoms.
One, two, three!
"A Tier 3 Purple Monkey Flower! Excellent! With this living specimen in hand, I have far greater confidence in conquering Purple Spirit Island."
Luo Chen withdrew his gaze and gave the Black King a warm smile.
"You have done well. Go rest and recover for now!"
"Master, I'm fine. Once I left Purple Spirit Island, the soul poison's effects diminished, and I mostly recovered on the way back. When Master sets out for the island, you must bring me along! I have to teach those monkeys a lesson."
With that, the Black King turned, swaying his head and tail as he submerged beneath the lake.
By the shore, Luo Chen cradled the Purple Monkey Flower, gazing out over the calming water as he sank into thought.
Occasional murmurs slipped from his lips.
Purple Spirit Island... Ding Yi... the Five Elements Lotus Platform... the Sunken Sea...
...
Mount Moyun.
This was Luo Chen's first time setting foot upon this spiritual mountain of great renown within the Myriad Immortals Association.
Naturally, he knew well that what was truly famous was not the mountain itself, but Cave Master Moyun, the master artifact forger.
Led by a cultivator from Mount Moyun, Luo Chen walked up the mountain at an unhurried pace.
Along the way, his divine sense periodically swept outward, brushing over the buildings dotting the mountain.
A dense fiery aura and the passionate clang of hammer on iron were transmitted back to his sea of consciousness.
"Mount Moyun is truly one of the rare places in the Dragon Taming Mountain Range blessed with abundant earth fire! It is an immortal domain exquisitely suited for forging artifacts and concocting pills!" Luo Chen sighed in admiration.
Hearing this, the Foundation Establishment cultivator beside him said with pride, "Senior praises us too highly. However, our Mount Moyun's forging prowess is indeed renowned far and wide. Countless rogue cultivators across the entire Myriad Immortals Association rely on us to repair their artifacts and magic treasures. As they put it, if our Cave Master didn't disdain founding a sect, Mount Moyun could easily become a premier forging sect!"
A premier forging sect?
Surpassing small factions like the Duan Family and the Lianfeng Firm, rivaling the likes of the Yan Alliance and Baizao Mountain?
Luo Chen neither agreed nor disagreed.
Yet he did not dispute the man's earlier claim that rogue cultivators across the association relied on Mount Moyun.
Facing the threat along the Three Oceans Defensive Line, the Myriad Immortals Association fought demon beasts year-round, turning the wear and tear of artifacts and magic treasures into a bottomless pit.
Though magic treasures were often said to be "used for a century, repaired for a century, and patched for another century" as heirlooms passed down through generations, that only applied to exceptional treasures.
How could ordinary cultivators possess treasures of that caliber?
Under frequent combat, the degradation of artifacts and treasures was immense.
Take Luo Chen himself: during the Qi Refinement stage, frequent fighting had destroyed his favored Green Musk Flood Dragon Banner; during the Foundation Establishment stage, combat had been less intense, but overuse had worn out his Blazing Cloud Wings. After reaching the Golden Core stage, during the battle of Xuanyan Island, he had lost both the Qi-Piercing Nail and Armor-Piercing Nail from his Three Soul Breaking Nails to a Nine-Clawed Poison King Crab, leaving only a single Soul Breaking Nail. Later, fighting the Golden Armor Demon King, his most handy weapon, the Profound Fire Sword, had been shattered.
Even someone as formidable as Luo Chen suffered such grievous losses in weaponry.
Other rogue cultivators fared no better.
Under such circumstances, Mount Moyun, as a sanctuary for forging, naturally reaped tremendous wealth.
Through commissioned tasks from the Demon Hunting Department, Mount Moyun's cultivators regularly repaired artifacts and magic treasures for association members.
This was their primary source of income!
It was also one reason Cave Master Moyun had managed to keep his temper in check despite Luo Chen's sudden rise.
How many defensive magic treasures could Luo Chen produce in a single year?
Penghu Lake lacked a massive pool of forging talent to command, so he naturally posed no threat to Cave Master Moyun's livelihood.
Through the guide's explanation, Luo Chen learned more about Mount Moyun's operations.
Roughly eight hundred rogue cultivators depended on Cave Master Moyun for their livelihood.
Internally, they processed ores and materials, assisting him in artifact forging.
Externally, they maintained their own storefronts in Longyuan Immortal City, accepting forging commissions from rogue cultivators.
On top of that, they held regular, large-scale orders from the Demon Hunting Department.
Over the years, these eight hundred rogue cultivators had come to follow Cave Master Moyun's lead unconditionally. Several late Foundation Establishment cultivators among them had even received his personal guidance and mastered complete forging techniques.
Calling them personal disciples was no exaggeration.
*If I were still in the Eastern Desolation, the Luotian Sect would probably look like this too.*
*No, it would likely be even better!*
*A sect-based model fosters far stronger cohesion. And within the Luotian Sect, there were capable people besides myself. I wonder if Wang Yuan succeeded in breaking through to the Smelting Furnace Realm, or if Chu Kui advanced to the Golden Core stage. Counting the years, with the large batch of Jade Dew Pills I left behind, Huiniang and Caiyi should have reached late Foundation Establishment long ago. Did they ever worry about core formation? Probably not, since I also left them the Micromote Origin Art and Mingyuan Pills...*
Seeing the flourishing assembly of rogue cultivators on Mount Moyun, Luo Chen was reminded of old friends, ripples stirring within his heart.
Yet a moment later, he suppressed those wandering thoughts.
Before Moyun Cave, two figures stood watching him with smiles on their faces.
"Fellow Daoist, we have been waiting for you!" Ding Yi hailed loudly.
Cave Master Moyun, with whom he had experienced minor friction in the past, cupped his hands in greeting as well.
Luo Chen swept his sleeves, wore a warm smile, and returned the salute.
Then, exchanging pleasantries and laughter, the three walked into Moyun Cave.
Chapter 628