"Is this the Purple Spirit Sea?"
A massive python-dragon slowly surfaced from beneath the turbulent currents of the sea.
Upon its black back sat four figures with their legs crossed.
Looking at the purple mist drifting across the waters, Luo Chen couldn't help but frown.
Beneath them, the Black King spoke in a low rumble. "It wasn't like this the first time I came. Back then, this purple poison barrier only enshrouded Purple Spirit Island. But when I arrived here with everyone half a month ago, we found that the poison barrier had begun spreading outward from the island, cloaking this entire stretch of sea."
Beside him, Duan Li added, "Not only that, but some low-tier demon fish nearby seem to have been bewitched. They've grown aggressive toward strangers as well."
Luo Chen was puzzled. His understanding of the Purple Monkey Flower was limited to ancient texts, and he had never heard of it possessing such extraordinary spirit!
It was Sang Jiugong, who was well versed in the art of spiritual plant cultivation, who offered an explanation at this moment.
"Purple Spirit Island is enormous, and Purple Monkey Flowers grow abundantly upon it. When such a species clusters together in vast numbers, a powerful leader is often born. The Purple Monkey Flower's only offensive means is the poison of its fragrance; once you escape the area covered by their floral poison, there's little danger.
"The last time Black King escaped Purple Spirit Island, it likely gave these ignorant Purple Monkey Flowers a sense of crisis, so they deliberately expanded the reach of their poison."
Ignorant?
The three looked at one another. For plants to display such intelligence, they could already be considered truly numinous!
Luo Chen, however, compared them to the Withered Blood Vine King of Withered Wood Ridge. In comparison, the Purple Monkey Flower was still a cut below—it still needed to bewitch other creatures to fight on its behalf, lacking much raw power of its own.
Still, one was fourth-tier and the other fifth-tier; a difference was only natural.
"Master, what should we do next? Charge directly onto the island?" Black King asked.
Luo Chen waved his hand. "No rush. Let us sneak onto the island first to scout it out."
Either way was going onto the island, but charging in head-on differed significantly from slipping in under cover.
The most immediate benefit was avoiding an instant clash with the island's creatures.
Luo Chen tapped a finger against his body. The Yinwei Formation fully activated, suppressing his aura to the absolute limit.
Inscribing an entire third-tier grand array onto his body was equivalent to having a complete formation conceal him.
At that moment, as Luo Chen stood before the three, anyone not looking directly at his physical form would find it impossible to perceive his existence.
"Fellow Daoist's breath-concealment technique is truly exquisite. Not only was the movement swift as lightning, but the suppression of your aura is miraculous."
Lord Lushan, after slapping a talisman onto herself, cast a slightly surprised glance at Luo Chen.
Luo Chen gave a faint smile. His methods of concealing his aura were naturally exquisite.
Unless countered in advance, his movements would be exceptionally difficult to detect.
Speaking of which, one could not overlook how rich Luo Chen's combat experience was, nor how keen his battle instincts were.
Just recently, in the battle against the Master of Baizao Mountain, the man had suffered from this very trick.
While frantically unleashing the Qingyang Great Handprint, Luo Chen had quietly cast the Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin without the opponent noticing in the slightest.
Of course, it was also possible the man had simply lacked the ability to detect it.
By the time the master realized, the Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin had already struck his protective shield.
The Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin was merely a lower-grade magic treasure, and its innate might was rather mediocre.
Back on Lengguang Island, when that cultivator wielded it against Luo Chen, it had achieved nothing.
Yet in Luo Chen's hands, it managed to overcome superior strength with weakness, exposing a flaw in a defensive shield that was easily upper-grade.
From this, one could see that the might of a magic treasure depended not merely on its grade, but on how its wielder used it.
It was this that broke the stalemate, allowing Luo Chen to seize the initiative.
Looking at the other three, they too had begun deploying their breath-concealment methods.
"Let's go!"
Luo Chen said, flying toward the island shrouded in purple mist, with the three following behind him.
Watched by them, Black King slowly sank beneath the surface of the sea.
In just the past half-day, Luo Chen had already sensed how formidable the island's purple poison barrier was; fortunately, he had prepared the modified fourth-tier Poison Ward Pills well in advance. Only in this way could he move unimpeded and stealthily across Purple Spirit Island.
With clear and bright eyes, Luo Chen continued to pay close attention to whether any hidden traps had been laid on the island.
After learning that the news about the Purple Monkey Flowers had been deliberately leaked by the Master of Baizao Mountain to draw the snake from its hole, he had felt a lingering worry about Purple Spirit Island throughout the journey.
Now, observing it in person, that lingering worry finally dissipated.
To ensure the authenticity of the information, the Master of Baizao Mountain really hadn't tampered with Purple Spirit Island at all.
"The island is over seventy li long and roughly forty li wide. The overall terrain is concave, resembling a basin. There are high mountains flanking the island that shield it from the sea winds, which created this strange spectacle of lingering poison mist.
"It seems the proliferation of so many Purple Monkey Flowers on Purple Spirit Island is also related to this unique geographic environment."
One piece of information after another was calculated in Luo Chen's mind.
"If I am to set up an array using this terrain, the Inverted Jade Bowl Array can be used. This doesn't deviate from my prior estimates."
Setting up a grand array relying solely on one's own resources would consume far too much.
Only by combining it with the natural terrain could one achieve twice the result with half the effort!
At the same time, he had to take care to keep the array's power controlled to a certain degree, avoiding unrestrained draining of spiritual qi that might ruin this spiritual island where the Purple Monkey Flowers grew.
After determining the overall topography of Purple Spirit Island, Luo Chen did not stop. Instead, he made a circuit in each of the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north.
Wherever he went, he took out the Spirit-Sealing Compass to inspect the flow of earth qi and the distribution of spiritual veins.
Thus, it was not until the twilight of sunset settled over the land that he departed Purple Spirit Island and regrouped with the other three.
Duan Li was the first to report his findings.
"There are seventeen third-tier demon beasts in total, all of them at early third tier. Their distribution is scattered, so they are nothing to worry about. Among them, the Purple Qi Poison Apes are the most numerous, eleven in all.
"Those of the first and second tier are few in number, mostly apes and monkeys subservient to the Purple Qi Poison Apes.
"However, take note of an amphibious abyssal crocodile. Its scaly armor is exceedingly tough, capable of withstanding attacks from late Core Formation cultivators. If we truly end up fighting this beast, we must take the radius of destruction into account."
The group listened quietly. Afterward, Lord Lushan also reported her findings one by one.
However, her side was not critical.
The sole purpose of inviting her along had been her talisman-crafting skills.
The most important report belonged to Sang Jiugong!
"Elder Sang, what about your side?"
Under Luo Chen's gaze, Sang Jiugong coughed dryly, cleared his throat, and slowly spoke.
"I've gained a rough grasp of the growth and distribution of the Purple Monkey Flowers.
"In the depression of the central area, there are only three stalks, yet they are the highest-grade among all the Purple Monkey Flowers on the entire island. From my observation, their growth spans at least a thousand years, already at the fourth tier.
"In addition, on a cliff face, I also found a fourth-tier Purple Monkey Flower of extraordinary quality."
Luo Chen frowned. "Only four stalks in total?"
He had studied the Nascent Soul Formation Pill formula for many years and was intimately familiar with the proportions required for each medicinal ingredient.
Aside from the Five Elements Lotus Platform, which could be used multiple times, the Purple Monkey Flower and the Divine Iris were both ingredients where one stalk yielded only a single batch.
Four stalks meant he would only have four chances to refine the Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
Compared to Azure Pill Valley back in the day, this quantity was far too meager.
Although comparing an individual to the foundation of a whole sect was somewhat inappropriate, Luo Chen naturally hoped for as many raw materials as possible.
Seeing Luo Chen's concern, Sang Jiugong smiled.
"While fourth-tier ones are few, the number of third-tier Purple Monkey Flowers is truly immense!
"I didn't count them in detail, but by a rough estimate alone, there are well over a hundred. Together with countless first- and second-tier Purple Monkey Flowers, this Purple Spirit Island can truly be called a kingdom of Purple Monkey Flowers."
Beside them, Lord Lushan asked out of curiosity, "But Qingyangzi needs fourth-tier Purple Monkey Flowers. Are these low-tier ones of any use?"
"Useful, of course they're useful!" Sang Jiugong declared with absolute certainty.
"With my secret ripening technique combined with the Purple Monkey Flower's growth habits, as long as you give me fifty years, I can nurture these hundred-plus third-tier Purple Monkey Flowers to the fourth tier."
Lord Lushan was astonished, an incredulous look surfacing on her fair, delicate face.
"That formidable?"
Sang Jiugong chuckled, but in the next breath, he said solemnly to Luo Chen, "However, once we accelerate their growth according to my method, it will deliver a devastating blow to the local Purple Monkey Flower ecosystem. Qingyangzi, you must consider this carefully."
Luo Chen swept his sleeve calmly. "I only need the fourth-tier ones, no fewer than ten blossoms. Any extras will serve as your compensation, Elder."
Sang Jiugong's eyes lit up, and he instinctively rubbed his hands together.
An ancient poisonous flower like the Purple Monkey Flower went unrecognized by ordinary cultivators, but as a spiritual farmer proficient in the cultivation of spiritual plants, he knew its immense value.
Especially those of the third and fourth tiers.
Once fully formed, selling them to high-level cultivators who tamed poison-attribute demon beasts could fetch a vast fortune in spirit stones.
If Luo Chen truly fulfilled that promise, his trip would not be in vain!
He would repay a favor, gain benefits, and draw closer to Qingyangzi—how wonderful would that be?
"In that case, let me explain in detail the areas we need to watch out for later."
Sang Jiugong brought out the map he had sketched earlier and pointed to several locations.
"Here is a place that must be avoided during battle; fourth-tier Purple Monkey Flowers grow inside.
"This spot must also be noted. The terrain is too fragile and can easily be affected by the aftershocks of combat.
"And this hill—although no high-tier Purple Monkey Flowers grow there, such a vast quantity of low-tier ones is crucial for my subsequent ripening process. By no means let them suffer too much damage.
"Here... and here..."
"All right, that's about it. As for the rest of the scattered low-tier Purple Monkey Flowers, if they're destroyed, so be it; they won't affect the overall situation."
Sang Jiugong swallowed to moisten his dry throat.
Luo Chen nodded. "You have been very thorough, Elder."
Then, he looked toward Lord Lushan.
Realizing what he meant, she nodded to him. "I have already prepared ten third-tier Spirit-Suppressing Talismans. For the extra spots, I will protect them with other talismans to ensure the overall situation isn't compromised."
"Then I leave it in your capable hands, Fellow Daoist." Luo Chen cupped his hands, then finally turned to Duan Li.
Duan Li solemnly took out a flower basket from his storage bag and presented it before Luo Chen.
Duan Li cautioned, "This treasure is an upper-grade magic treasure passed down in my Duan family, possessing both earth and wood attributes, skilled at breaking arrays and spatial restrictions. If you wish to use it in reverse to lay an array and protect the earth veins, it is certainly feasible. But you must be aware that this treasure is slightly damaged, and I haven't had time to repair it yet."
"Damaged?" Luo Chen frowned. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"
Duan Li replied helplessly, "Last time, during the battle against that white-robed cultivator from the Yuan Demon Sect, one of its flower petals was damaged. Afterward, I was busy recuperating and running missions, so I truly lacked the time to mend it. Furthermore, you gave me very little notice before summoning me to Purple Spirit Island, so there was no time at all. But rest assured, minor damage won't affect the overall power of this treasure."
Hearing this, Luo Chen examined it meticulously, finally nodding in agreement.
Indeed, the impact was minor.
Moreover, judging by his own expertise in artifact crafting, repairing this treasure wouldn't be difficult; adding some wood-attribute materials for patching and then nourishing it for a period of time would restore it to its original state.
"Once this matter is concluded, I will find some time to personally repair this treasure for you!"
Duan Li was taken aback, then overjoyed.
"If so, then many thanks, Brother Luo!"
Luo Chen gave an acknowledging hum, turning his gaze toward the heavy shroud of night and the purple mist drifting across the sea.
Let us wait for dawn!
...
Though both were gathering materials in a group, Luo Chen's party and the Old Angler's party acted in completely opposite ways.
The latter paid no heed to the destruction of the local environment, seeking only to secure the true body of the fifth-tier Withered Blood Vine. In fact, they had hoped to cause as much commotion as possible, forcing the Vine King to draw back the vitality of Withered Wood Ridge so its core body would become even more spiritually potent.
The former, however, had to proceed with utmost caution, striving to preserve the original state of Purple Spirit Island as much as possible so that the Purple Monkey Flowers here could continue to flourish.
The same objective, approached in different manners, led to vastly different processes of execution.
When the morning sun rose high and daylight struggled through the purple poison barrier to spill over Purple Spirit Island, Luo Chen's party sprang into action.
Lord Lushan set off alone toward the locations marked out beforehand, laying down talismans at every spot to shield the local Purple Monkey Flowers.
Luo Chen, the other two, and Black King sped toward the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north.
During this process, Luo Chen distributed the formation flags and formation plates—which he had frantically crafted in the months prior to departure—to Duan Li, Sang Jiugong, and the others.
He himself headed straight for the valley at the very center of Purple Spirit Island.
Before the eyes of the three fourth-tier Purple Monkey Flowers trembling frantically within the valley, he brought out two objects.
One was the Spirit-Sealing Compass, which he drove deep into the earth.
The other was Duan Li's flower basket, which shot straight into the sky.
When voice transmissions reached his ears from all four directions, he rose into the air under the watchful eyes of third-tier demon beasts charging from every side.
"Array, rise!"
With a low cry, his sleeves billowed without wind as pure spiritual power surged outward in all directions.
Deep within the earth, the Spirit-Sealing Compass began spinning rapidly, drawing upon the earth veins' qi from the four quarters.
Aided by one hundred and sixty formation flags, thousands of beams of brilliant light erupted from the east, south, west, and north, ultimately converging high above Luo Chen.
In the sky, the vibrant flower basket magic treasure unfolded its petals, slowly inverting.
Its form expanded ceaselessly, manifesting an ethereal phantom that ultimately resembled an inverted porcelain bowl, completely enveloping all of Purple Spirit Island.
The Inverted Jade Bowl Array was complete!
Throughout this process, demon beasts launched attacks at Luo Chen, but guarded by the fully activated Xuanchen Armor, none could harm him in the least.
Even when physical attacks generated powerful concussive shocks, Luo Chen's formidable physique disregarded them entirely.
Once the array took shape, Luo Chen bolted toward the northeast without a second thought.
Behind him, more and more demon beasts converged into a mini beast tide, pursuing him relentlessly.
A moment later, Luo Chen touched down upon a plain where Purple Monkey Flowers grew sparsely. Looking back at the surging tide of beasts, he offered a faint smile.
"Fellow Daoists, let us strike together!"
The beast tide that had originally been hunting Luo Chen suddenly found itself the one encircled as Lord Lushan, Black King, and the others revealed themselves from other directions.
Though the beasts were numerous, at this moment, they were utterly outmatched.
Without hesitation, following Luo Chen's command, the simplest and purest strikes burst from everyone's hands.
In an instant, blade lights and sword shadows flashed as spiritual power erupted; the entirety of Purple Spirit Island felt as though it might shatter to pieces.
Yet under the suppression of the inverted flower basket hanging in the sky, everything remained as steadfast as Mount Tai.
Chapter 636