Sitting by the Abyss, Luo Chen Felt Lost

The battle erupted in an instant! The demon beasts here dwelt far out in the outer sea, possessing virtually no opportunity to interact with humanity. Even those that had attained the third tier and refined the transverse bones in their throats could not speak human speech. Their reckless roars were completely unintelligible, and Luo Chen and his companions had no desire to waste words on them anyway. In this battle, speed was of the essence! They had to resolve it swiftly and minimize the spread of aftershocks, lest they scar the island's landscape or compromise the environment for cultivating the Purple Monkey Flowers. Thus, as the beast horde numbering well over a thousand surged forward like rolling waves, the four cultivators and one flood dragon struck without hesitation. Duan Li wielded his jade ruler, conjuring myriad illusions that corralled a large swarm of beasts. Every time the ruler fell, a dense cloud of blood mist burst forth. Sang Jiugong struck the earth with a palm, and over a hundred black vines tore through the soil, directly binding three Purple Qi Poison Apes. In execution, the technique bore a resemblance to the vine art Luo Chen had used during Foundation Establishment to drive thorny poison vines, yet its potency was vastly greater. Entangled by the black vines, the three early third-tier demon kings roared in fury but could not break free. As their bodies were slowly constricted, they seemed on the verge of being torn limb from limb. Furthermore, Sang Jiugong retrieved a stone stele and slammed it into the ground, forcibly churning the earth into a morass. Countless low-tier beasts sank into it, utterly helpless. Lord Lushan, by contrast, fought with far more elegance. She maneuvered a blue flying sword, sending it darting back and forth across the field. In her left hand, she held a horsetail whisk; though she had yet to unleash it, a surging aura of slaughter brimmed between its drifting white hairs. The Black King's approach was simpler still. Swelling massively in size, he charged straight into the beast horde, sweeping huge swathes aside with each swing of his draconic tail. As for the flashes of blade light across the field, they came from the Black King manipulating his two mid-grade magic treasures, Yin Slaughter and Yang Extinction. Evidently, his mastery over them was quite crude, and the power he drew from the two mid-grade treasures fell far short of what Duan Li and the others could muster. Before long, growing impatient, the Black King parted his gaping maw and used his innate talent to devour the low-tier beasts by the mouthful. Among them all, the most domineering was undoubtedly Luo Chen, who fought with sweeping, unfettered might. Though he did not deploy the Poyue Wings, his speed remained astonishingly swift. Whenever a boom echoed through the void, he would shift tens of zhang across thin air, appearing right above a third-tier demon king before smashing down his hammer. With every strike, a demon king was either killed or crippled. Moving at blinding speed, he felled three or four Purple Qi Poison Apes beneath the Flowing Fire Hammer in mere moments. Suddenly, a piercing bird cry sounded in the sky. "Skreee!" Luo Chen looked up coldly. This was the only avian demon beast among the third-tier demon kings Duan Li had identified during his scouts. Judging by its appearance, it had to be a Gold-Crowned Flying Eagle, renowned for its immense brute strength. With a cold snort, Luo Chen released nine chains from his body, which shot toward the sky. Seeing this, the Gold-Crowned Flying Eagle showed no fear, extending its massive talons to tear the chains apart. "Hmph!" Yet the nine chains of magic power recoiled upward, wrapping around half its body. "Get down here!" Luo Chen barked a low shout. Surging, monumental strength erupted, and using the momentum, he launched himself into the air. Buffeted by colossal force, the Gold-Crowned Flying Eagle found the circulation of its demon power disrupted, letting out a panicked shriek as it plummeted. In its golden eyes, it suddenly caught sight of a Daoist vaulting above its head, followed by a hammer smashing downward. Boom! A flurry of flesh and blood burst across the sky, accompanied by a shower of iridescent feathers. Seeing this, the Black King could not help but drool hungrily. *Master, what a waste!* From the moment the eagle's cry rang out to Luo Chen striking it down, barely a few breaths had passed. The entire sequence had unfolded with falcon-like swiftness and concluded in the blink of an eye. The other three still had attention to spare while fighting, and seeing Luo Chen dispatch such a troublesome third-tier avian with such speed and violence, each felt a chill of awe. Duan Li murmured, "Fellow Daoist Luo Hai's combat arts have grown ever more refined, carrying a touch of returning to simplicity." Sang Jiugong thought, *So these are the methods of Demonic Lord Qingyang? To think he is this formidable without even using that rumored giant cauldron treasure of his.* Lord Lushan's eyes flickered, inner shock rippling through her. *Didn't he just fight a night-long battle against a Core Formation eighth layer grand cultivator on Seven Stars Island not long ago? Why is his magic power still so boundless?* In the sky, having finished off the Gold-Crowned Flying Eagle, Luo Chen cast his gaze downward to take in the full picture of the battlefield. His brow furrowed slightly. Under the onslaught of the four cultivators and one demon, the beast horde occupying Purple Spirit Island was entirely powerless to resist. By now, the rout had already begun. Driven by beastly instinct, they began fleeing in all directions. One could easily imagine that while scattering the beasts might make killing them easier, it would also risk spreading the destruction to other areas. With a thought, Luo Chen shouted aloud, "Do not hold back, everyone! Eliminate the beasts here as quickly as possible. Do not let them flee back to their dens!" At his words, everyone picked up their pace. Duan Li poured more magic power into his ruler, while Lord Lushan swept her horsetail whisk; wherever its drifting hairs brushed past, beasts were torn to shreds. Sang Jiugong slammed a palm onto the stele before him, causing it to expand and grind forward with unstoppable momentum, rumbling over everything in its path. When the dust settled, all that remained was a sky-filling drizzle of blood. Luo Chen did not stay idle either. Stowing the Flowing Fire Hammer, he stood aloft in the air, his ten fingers flicking in rapid succession. Stream after stream of Fireball Arts descended like shooting stars, creating a fiery deluge. Any beast beneath the third tier was engulfed in a massive fireball the instant his spell struck, reduced to ashes amid agonized howls. Nor did Luo Chen spare the few remaining third-tier demon kings. Qingyang Great Handprints fell repeatedly, turning whatever they touched into paste. Yet there was an exception! Luo Chen's gaze paused, fixing upon a colossal crocodile fleeing in panic. *Is this that third-tier abyssal crocodile? Its defenses are truly remarkable to withstand my Qingyang Great Handprint.* With a thought, Luo Chen dove downward, heading straight for the mountain-sized giant crocodile. Sensing its pursuer, the abyssal crocodile refused to wait for death. Its sinister tail lashed out, smashing through the boulders in its path as though they were dried clay. The tail whipped horizontally, barreling straight toward Luo Chen. "Hmph!" Luo Chen snorted softly. His palms abruptly swelled in size, seizing the crocodile's tail in the nick of time. His feet planted into the earth, unyielding as a mountain. With a low roar, he shouted, "Up!" Exerting strength through his arms, he hoisted the giant crocodile horizontally into the sky before the creature's terrified eyes, then slammed it downward with violent force. Boom! The earth trembled, and the wilderness shook. From the distance came Sang Jiugong's alarmed cry, "Qingyangzi, watch it!" He feared that Luo Chen's brute strength would wreck this modest Purple Spirit Island. A fierce glint flashed through Luo Chen's eyes. His figure surged atop the giant crocodile's head, and a massive palm struck downward. Mountain-Cleaving Stele-Shattering Palm! Domineering magic power surged forth. The giant crocodile was struck heavily, rolling uncontrollably across the ground. Yet even beneath this strike, its formidable defenses preserved its life. *This isn't a crocodile—it's a tortoise!* Luo Chen's eyes flickered, and Mirror Flower, Water Moon activated instantly, leaving the giant crocodile lying rigid on the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Luo Chen unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, moving from the crocodile's head to its tail across several tens of zhang, striking once every three zhang. One palm! Two palms! Three palms... until nine palms had landed. Luo Chen's hands shifted into claws, gripping the crocodile's sturdy scales as he barked fiercely, "Overlord Sheds Armor!" *Riiip!* The sound of flesh tearing from bone echoed incessantly, revealing a gruesome, shocking sight. Everyone turned toward the noise, only to see a raw crocodile stripped of all scales, writhing frantically on the earth as a mass of crimson flesh. Rocks and dirt clung to the mangled flesh, making it look all the more grotesque and sickening. Meanwhile, the red-robed Daoist simply stood there, dragging an empty shell. Seeing the writhing mass about to roll into a dense patch of Purple Monkey Flowers, Luo Chen casually struck out with a palm, extinguishing its life. Once it was all over, Luo Chen caught his breath in shallow pants, a sense of relief washing over his expression. Lord Lushan had been the first to clear out the beasts on her side. Looking over and seeing Luo Chen's satisfied expression, she couldn't help but knit her brows. *Qingyangzi is somewhat unhinged!* Only Luo Chen himself understood why he had been so violent. In the battle of Withered Wood Ridge, the might of a Nascent Soul cultivator had left him feeling utterly powerless. In the battle of Seven Stars Island, he had been ambushed, restricted hand and foot, and subjected to a continuous beating throughout the night. For someone who had enjoyed smooth sailing ever since arriving in the Northern Sea, the pent-up frustration in his chest had reached an absolute boiling point. Thus, he had vented his fury into this battle. Using the extreme speed of Explosive Void Steps and pure, unadulterated strength, he had crushed these beasts bewitched by the Purple Monkey Flowers, venting the rage within. Only now, having flayed the abyssal crocodile alive, did the fury finally dissipate. Catching Lord Lushan's displeased look, he casually tossed aside the crocodile's shell. "My apologies. I lost my composure just now." Lord Lushan offered a strained smile and nodded without a word. He had indeed lost his composure, but he had also displayed domineering, ferocious methods. Were such techniques turned against her, she doubted she could withstand them for more than a few exchanges. *Such a formidable figure can only be befriended, never made an enemy!* Luo Chen paid no heed to her thoughts. He cast a casual Cleansing Art, washing away the stench of blood clinging to him, and surveyed his surroundings. The outcome of the battle had long been settled. Duan Li and the Black King were hunting down small pockets of fleeing beasts, while Sang Jiugong was gathering the mangled beast corpses into a pile, preparing them for the ripening technique he would perform later. Overall, the battle had been won with remarkable ease. This came as no surprise to Luo Chen; after all, every step had already been calculated in his mind. What followed would be simpler still. *** Three days later, Duan Li and Lord Lushan bid Luo Chen farewell and departed together. Only Luo Chen and Sang Jiugong remained on Purple Spirit Island. The Black King roamed the surrounding waters, hunting low-tier sea beasts in vast numbers and bringing their carcasses back to the island. In the sinkhole-like valley at the island's center, Luo Chen and Sang Jiugong crouched on the ground, carefully harvesting three Purple Monkey Flowers that resembled monkey brains. "Including the one on the cliffside, all four fourth-tier Purple Monkey Flowers are now in my hands." Luo Chen carefully stored them in jade boxes. Afterward, he watched as Sang Jiugong buried mangled beast corpses beneath the sinkhole, including the flesh of the third-tier abyssal crocodile. Luo Chen had already harvested all the valuable parts from these beasts—be it cores, scales, or wings. Only the blood, muscle, and bone had been left untouched. Sang Jiugong buried the massive haul of corpses, covered them with thick mounds of loose soil, and then, before Luo Chen's eyes, retrieved a jade bottle and poured out roughly a large bowl's worth of green liquid onto the earth. Having done all this, Sang Jiugong breathed a sigh of relief. "The spirit vein on Purple Spirit Island is of modest quality to begin with, and having been drained without restraint by four fourth-tier Purple Monkey Flowers, it has long lost any chance of advancing. Now, it can at least be put to good use. With the flesh and blood of countless creatures, paired with my exclusive concoction of Golden Sang Green Liquid, this ground will serve as the most fertile environment for the Purple Monkey Flowers for the next ten years." Hearing this, Luo Chen showed a puzzled expression. "Will ten years be enough?" Sang Jiugong chuckled. "Naturally not. Ripening these third-tier Purple Monkey Flowers and shaving a thousand years off their growth is hardly so simple. Rest assured, I have supplementary methods to push the soil's fertility to its absolute limit, enough to sustain it for several decades!" Luo Chen's eyes brightened. "Oh? Then I shall wait and see!" Sang Jiugong had spoken no falsehood. In the days that followed, he indeed deployed numerous high-tier spiritual herbalist techniques that Luo Chen had only ever heard of in rumors. Drawing boundless seawater, dissolving a million of Luo Chen's spirit stones into it, and using an array to set up a recurring Great Cloud and Rain Art, he caused a shower of spiritual rain to fall once every three months. Towering flames were unleashed to scorch Purple Spirit Island, reducing countless ancient trees to ash, which were then heaped inside the sinkhole. This was the Bing Fire Land-Clearing Art, an exceptional method for enhancing soil fertility. Even the Black King was reduced to a laborer, sent into the deep sea to collect myriad shells for Sang Jiugong, which were ground into fine powder with demon power and evenly scattered across the sinkhole. Such diverse, dazzling methods left Luo Chen thoroughly impressed. It made him realize that reaching the heights of any craft was by no means simpler than alchemy or artifact forging. By the time the sinkhole "cultivation ground" for the Purple Monkey Flowers was fully prepared, nearly half a year had passed. Only then did Sang Jiugong formally begin the transplantation of the Purple Monkey Flowers. He intended to transplant every last Purple Monkey Flower across the island into this basin, using the vitality of the entire population to nourish the hundred-odd third-tier flowers, allowing them to bypass a millennium of natural growth and advance to the fourth tier ahead of schedule. Aside from initially assisting Sang Jiugong with the Bing Fire Land-Clearing Art using his source true fire, Luo Chen took no further part in the work. The Black King became the beast of burden, bossed around ceaselessly by Sang Jiugong. For a time, Luo Chen found himself with unexpected leisure. Not that he was entirely idle. He roamed Purple Spirit Island, studying the terrain and laying down suitable island-protecting arrays to prevent powerful beasts from intruding and disrupting the herbs' growth after his departure. During this process, Luo Chen began reflecting on the shortcomings of his current combat methods. While he was skilled in spellcraft and low-tier spells still carried respectable power in his hands, low-tier spells ultimately had their limitations as his cultivation grew. Against cultivators of the same tier, let alone stronger foes, their threat dropped drastically. His Landslide and Blazing Sun Arts, once treated as decisive finishing blows, failed to achieve one-hit kills against such enemies no matter how much he optimized them. His signature Qingyang Great Handprint remained usable, but its wide area of effect, an advantage in most scenarios, became a flaw against high-tier foes because its power was not concentrated enough. Unless he faced an opponent of equally massive proportions, the handprint yielded meager results against nimble human cultivators or formidable defensive magic treasures. Before a frigid pool exuding cold mist, there were tracks left by a crawling behemoth—evidently the former lair of the abyssal crocodile. Calling it a pool was perhaps inaccurate; it was closer to an abyss. Luo Chen planted a formation flag, then stared into the bottomless abyss, sinking into contemplation. *Third-tier spells have practically become like chicken ribs to me—of marginal utility.* It wasn't that third-tier spells were weak. Through diligent practice and system deduction, his Great Circle third-tier spells could still unleash tremendous power. Such might remained quite effective against early or even mid Core Formation opponents. Yet Luo Chen had long stopped fearing foes of that level. His hypothetical enemies were now grand cultivators in late Core Formation, or perhaps even Nascent Soul True Persons! By his estimation, fourth-tier spells might serve as a new trump card. However, fourth-tier spells rarely circulated on the market, typically mastered only by Nascent Soul True Persons. At present, he had mastered only two fourth-tier spells: the Dragon Slaying Art and the Origin Core Art. Yet neither was an offensive spell. Even though the Dragon Slaying Art had evolved to sever souls, its effect remained confined to Luo Chen's sea of consciousness and could not be projected outward. The Origin Core Art was indeed extraordinary; the origin core Luo Chen had refined provided him with a "secondary hidden reserve." The reason he had been able to hold out against the Master of Baizao Mountain for an entire night on Seven Stars Island, and then go on a slaughter on Purple Spirit Island shortly after, was largely thanks to that origin core alongside his golden core. His current reserve of magic power was in no way inferior to a late Core Formation cultivator! The Master of Baizao Mountain shouldn't have lost so miserably in a contest of magic power reserves. But maintaining the Big Dipper Seven Mountains Array while simultaneously manipulating seven mid-grade flying swords in a sword array—how could that possibly last? Conversely, after Luo Chen had unleashed his various techniques, his Xuanchen Armor had absorbed ambient earth-attribute spiritual qi and earth pulse qi. That was why he had ultimately triumphed with ease and still had energy to spare. *Yet these are merely reserves of foundation; they cannot translate directly into overwhelming killing power!* To his dismay, Luo Chen realized he had hit a bottleneck in the path of spellcraft, his greatest specialty. Even with his profound foundation allowing him to create his own spells, any spell he devised would inevitably fall short of the fourth tier in rank and potency. It wasn't just spells—it was magic treasures as well! He possessed many treasures: the Hunyuan Cauldron, the Poyue Wings, the Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin, and the Flowing Fire Hammer were all top-tier items. He even had marvelous and extraordinary treasures like the Lanke Black Chess Piece and the Dragon Nurturing Basin. Yet at their core, these treasures leaned heavily toward utility and defense. The Flowing Fire Hammer boasted respectable offensive power, but it was too slow; hurling it to strike someone was far slower than holding it in hand and flying over to smash them. As his natal magic treasure, the Hunyuan Cauldron held immense potential and produced miraculous effects in many areas, but it was slightly lacking in pure offensive power. Luo Chen had anticipated this long ago. Developing in every area meant mediocrity in all. Given the Hunyuan Cauldron's profound foundation, it would certainly never be mediocre, but in the short term, it could not serve as a weapon to breach fortified positions. In truth, this dilemma afflicted most Core Formation cultivators. As an item bound to one's life and cultivation, cultivators valued their natal treasure's foundation and versatility more than raw offense, leaving its offensive power somewhat lacking. Consequently, many Core Formation cultivators sought to master a second, dedicated offensive treasure once their realm rose and their magic power allowed for surplus. The Old Fisherman, for instance—though Luo Chen did not know his natal treasure, the combination of the Xuan Gold Rod, Sound-Absorbing Bell, and Crippled Sky Thread had clearly been refined specifically to cover his offensive shortcomings. Similarly, the Master of Baizao Mountain, whom he had met recently, possessed the immensely heavy Baizao Mountain as his natal treasure, yet relied on the sharp, fiendish Seven Fiends Swords for offense. Luo Chen had previously followed a similar path: the Hunyuan Cauldron as his versatile natal treasure, paired with the Xuanchen Armor for defense. For offense, he had used the Profound Fire Sword in the past, followed by the Flowing Fire Hammer. He had once thought this sufficient, and it truly had been—with his myriad techniques and virtually no glaring weaknesses, he had always found a way to counter his foes. Yet against a late Core Formation enemy, the disparity had become glaringly apparent. *I lack a purely offensive magic treasure!* Sitting cross-legged beside the chilly abyss, Luo Chen identified a problem he had previously overlooked. Finally, looking into the water's reflection, he saw his own robust frame. *My physical body is undeniably powerful, far surpassing third-tier demon beasts and rivaling true desolate beasts! Yet my utilization of it is far too crude. I haven't tapped into its true potential at all.* During the battle on Seven Stars Island, Luo Chen had been suppressed from start to finish, managing only a single opportunity to counterattack. Aside from the suppression of the Master of Baizao Mountain's Big Dipper Seven Mountains Array, his own lack of mastery over his physical body was another factor. He believed that if Wang Yuan, possessing such a physique, had faced that situation, he would never have taken a beating so passively, even without myriad spells or powerful treasures. Wang Yuan's comment upon seeing the Heavenly Roc Transformation years ago resurfaced unbidden in his mind: *"How could a demon-like transformation ever compare to the true body of our human race?"* *Is the true Heavenly Roc form simply unsuited for head-on battle?* When space was suppressed and speed constrained, the true Heavenly Roc form did indeed seem like nothing more than a living target. What if it were Wang Yuan's Giant Spirit Transformation instead? One question after another surfaced in Luo Chen's mind, pouring down like buckets of cold water. Through years of cultivation, continuous breakthroughs, the reverence of many, and the flattery of peers, Luo Chen had long basked in the euphoria of success. Yet now, before this cold, deep abyss, he was suddenly jolted awake. Looking at himself, he realized that even as he grew stronger, his shortcomings and flaws had only multiplied. "This makes no sense..." Sitting by the abyss, the Daoist muttered to himself, a look of bewilderment lingering in his eyes.