Across the boundless ocean, white waves surged as a dark silhouette rapidly cut through the water.
A closer look revealed that it was swimming in a wide circle.
At the very center of that perimeter, high up in the sky, a tiny black speck sat cross-legged in empty space.
While driving off the nearby low-tier sea demons, the Black King kept a watchful eye on the speck above.
*After a month of secluded cultivation, Master left Purple Spirit Island and came out here. He said he wanted to test a new technique, but there hasn't been a peep the entire time. Who knows what he's up to?*
As he muttered to himself, his expression shifted, and he swam toward the distance.
A moment later, the Black King’s massive form blocked the path of an oddly shaped seahorse.
Upon encountering the Black King, the seahorse demon beast babbled a stream of gibberish. The Black King’s eyes widened.
"Speak human!"
The seahorse let out another long burst of croaks and clicks.
Growing thoroughly impatient, the Black King unleashed his demonic Qi, kicking up rolling waves that surged forward layer upon layer.
"I don't care what you want—take a detour! Ahead is my territory!"
In the Mountain Sea Realm, though distinctions were drawn between the human race and the demon race, that was merely a one-sided categorization by human cultivators.
Among the demon race, tribes and species were myriad and bizarre. They were inherently distinct, so how could they possibly be lumped together? Their languages, scripts, growth habits, and even their natural affinities, counters, predators, and vassalage were entirely different.
The Black King had evolved from a black-scaled giant python and shared nothing with this seahorse tribe. Without having learned its tongue beforehand, he could not comprehend the other's words at all.
While divine sense transmission might convey mutual meaning, demon beasts communicated in a far simpler, more direct fashion.
Territorial dominance—that was precisely what the Black King made clear!
Faced with his fury, the seahorse froze, and a tremendous aura erupted from its body as well.
Its demonic Qi crashed like a tidal wave, rolling forward with a might not inferior to the Black King’s in the slightest!
For a moment, the two stood locked in a standoff.
Just as the impasse reached its peak, both beasts shuddered and looked toward the sky in unison.
A heavy, suffocating pressure radiated from the distance. Even after being weakened by the vast expanse of space, it still weighed heavily upon their bodies.
Delight flashed through the Black King’s eyes. *It’s Master!*
Sensing something terrifying, the seahorse demon beast cast a wary glance toward that direction, then turned and swam off without hesitation.
"At least you know what's good for you!"
The Black King snorted and turned back toward Luo Chen's location.
Yet as his gaze swept the heavens, he failed to find Luo Chen's figure.
"Eh?"
Abruptly, the Black King breached the ocean surface and darted toward a patch of rolling swells.
There, floating up and down in the seawater, was a white-robed man, his eyes clouded with perplexity.
"Master, what happened to you?"
The Black King hurried over, using his broad back to gently scoop the man out of the water.
"Let's head back first," Luo Chen said in a low voice, rubbing his brow, his tone laced with exhaustion.
The Black King gave a bewildered nod and carried Luo Chen toward Purple Spirit Island.
Yet to his perception, his master seemed utterly incapable of maintaining the secret art that concealed his cultivation, revealing a state of completely depleted magic power.
*Just what kind of spell was that to drain even Master's boundless magic power dry?*
Luo Chen was in no mood to explain.
Sitting atop the flood dragon's back, he recovered his magic power while staring down in deep thought. Occasionally, he touched his lower abdomen and murmured to himself.
"Man is no heaven-and-earth spirit vein; demands must be kept within measure. How should I control that balance?"
"The Master of Baizao Mountain's array drew upon the heaviness of the Earth element, allowing him to suppress me with sheer weight. Yet my magic power possesses a violent, domineering Fire attribute. How am I to adapt it?"
"Furthermore, the scope of this domain must be kept strictly under control. Otherwise, the first things drained dry will be my own Golden Core and Origin Core."
"No, the two power sources cannot be kept in the same basket. One must be reserved for conventional combat. I will need to study this further."
***
When the Black King carried Luo Chen back to Purple Spirit Island, they happened to cross paths with Sang Jiugong emerging from the sinkhole.
"Eh, Qingyangzi, did you just step out?"
Having rested, Luo Chen had already restored part of his magic power and reactivated the Yinwei Formation.
Thus, in Sang Jiugong's eyes, aside from looking slightly pale, there was no sign of depleted magic power.
Well, even paleness was impossible to spot.
As Luo Chen's cultivation had deepened over the years, his complexion had turned increasingly crimson.
If his white robe were swapped for a red one, he would resemble a burning flame from afar. How could an ordinary person read shifting expressions on such a flushed face?
Luo Chen gave an acknowledging nod, his gaze falling upon Sang Jiugong.
"And you, Elder?"
Sang Jiugong clapped his hands and chuckled. "The transplantation of the Purple Monkey Flowers is completely finished. Now we only need to observe the growth during the first minor cycle and make minor adjustments. After that, we can leave Purple Spirit Island."
Hearing this, Luo Chen's spirits lifted!
They had spent more than half a year on this island, and they were finally reaching a milestone.
Under Sang Jiugong's lead, he inspected the sinkhole in detail.
Along the way, Sang Jiugong explained the essentials of this ripening method.
By leveraging the sinkhole’s unique geography, it drew upon the spiritual energy of the entire island, complemented by large quantities of demon beast flesh and blood, turning the sinkhole into an artificially crafted blessed land.
Most vital of all was the practice of "cannibalism."
Using high-tier Purple Monkey Flowers to devour massive amounts of lower-tier ones saved years, decades, or even a century of effort!
"Will a spiritual plant master need to watch over it constantly in the future?"
"No need. Purple Monkey Flowers are nurtured by heaven and earth; they aren't that fragile."
Seeing Luo Chen's concern, Sang Jiugong paused before adding, "However, if you're worried about accidents, I can arrange for a Foundation Establishment disciple to visit Purple Spirit Island at regular intervals to check in."
"That would be ideal. But... a disciple?" Luo Chen looked at him in surprise.
The old man smiled with easy detachment.
"At my age, I have at most twenty or thirty years left to live. You can't expect me to trek thousands of li every year to farm on this island, can you?"
Luo Chen was stunned.
He had heard that Sang Jiugong was quite advanced in age, which was why he had founded a sect to pass down his life's craft.
Yet he had never imagined that the man's lifespan was already so near its end.
Twenty or thirty years... To a Core Formation cultivator, that was merely the span of a single deep secluded meditation.
Luo Chen parted his lips, momentarily at a loss for words.
Sang Jiugong crouched by the edge of the sinkhole, watching the densely clustered purple blossoms in the dim light with a tranquil expression.
The restless ambition of chasing fame and fortune was gone, replaced by a quiet serenity.
"Don't bother trying to comfort me; everyone has this day coming. The road to immortality isn't something anyone can walk forever. In my life, I've drifted, fallen on hard times, and enjoyed glory. Looking back, tending to these voiceless flowers and herbs brought me the greatest comfort. Fertilizing them, clearing pests, watching them thrive... that sense of fulfillment outweighed even breaking through to higher realms..."
Listening to the old man ramble on, Luo Chen stood silently, pressing his lips thin.
After a long while, when the elder paused to catch his breath, Luo Chen sighed. "I never thought you would be so open-minded, Elder Sang. It seems I was the one being narrow-minded."
Sang Jiugong stood up and stretched his back.
"Bah, that's just how I feel right now. Who knows, when the end truly comes, maybe I'll weep and wail, regretting that I didn't cultivate harder in my youth."
Luo Chen smiled faintly.
Sang Jiugong looked at him, hesitating. "Qingyangzi, there's something I don't know whether I should say."
Normally, Luo Chen's reply would have been: *If you don't know whether to say it, don't.*
Yet considering that a dying man's words were often earnest, he let him speak.
"My Tusang Sect only has a few scattered souls. The core successors are only at Foundation Establishment, like fireflies in this vast cultivation world. A single rogue wave might wipe them out."
"I know that our ties aren't especially deep."
"Still, if the Tusang Sect encounters trouble in the future, I hope you can lend them a small hand within your capabilities."
He looked earnestly at Luo Chen.
"Consider this a favor Sang Jiugong truly owes you. Though I fear I'll only be able to repay it in the next life."
Meeting the old man's sincere, pleading gaze, Luo Chen was silent for a moment before giving a gentle nod.
"In the next life, then!"
Sang Jiugong burst into hearty laughter.
His jovial laughs echoed for over a dozen li, making the purple blossoms across the sinkhole sway as if dancing along.
***
Three months later.
Two figures lingered in the sinkhole for a long while before departing with satisfaction.
The black flood dragon python undulated in the water offshore, and the old man leaped onto it first.
The flood dragon snorted in mild annoyance, but said nothing.
Both men directed their gazes toward the figure hovering high above.
They watched him cast arts and lay down formations.
As thousands of radiant beams rose from all directions and gradually subsided into stillness, the land once veiled in toxic purple mist vanished from sight.
No, it hadn't vanished.
Purple Spirit Island was still there!
Yet when swept with a cultivator's divine sense, the area felt entirely empty.
To the naked eye, it appeared to be nothing more than an unremarkable little islet.
In the sky, Luo Chen looked down with satisfaction at the array enveloping the island.
All his attainments in array dao over the years were fully displayed here.
Not only did it combine concealment, bewilderment, and misdirection, but he had also laid several lethal killing arrays anchored by low-grade magic treasures as formation cores.
Even if low-tier demon beasts forced their way onto the island, they would be shredded by the arrays before they could harm the nursery of Purple Monkey Flowers in the sinkhole.
If anything was lacking, it was puppets.
If he could place several powerful third-tier puppets from the Luoyun Sect on the island, its security would reach another level.
Unfortunately, Luo Chen had been swamped with matters and needed to prioritize his cultivation. Otherwise, with a master puppeteer like Han Zhan at his disposal, he would have exploited that resource to the utmost.
Shaking his head, Luo Chen withdrew and drifted down onto the Black King's back.
"Matters here are temporarily settled."
"Let's go. Back to the Myriad Immortals Association!"
The Black King grunted in acknowledgment and plunged beneath the waves. The two cultivators stood firm upon his back, shielded by spiritual light that rendered the ocean pressure unfelt.
***
The journey there had taken considerable effort, but the return was far swifter.
For one, the Black King had traversed the route several times and knew it by heart.
For another, they had two formidable experts holding the line. Even if they encountered third-tier demon kings with fierce territorial instincts along the way, a brief release of their auras was enough to send them scurrying aside.
The only thing that caused any delay was the righteous-demonic war that had dragged on for two to three decades.
On their way back to the Myriad Immortals Association, they had to cross several territories held by the Canghai Alliance.
The Black King's massive bulk made too much commotion to escape the notice of high-level cultivators.
Fortunately, both Luo Chen and Sang Jiugong held star-ranked Demon Hunter statuses. After presenting their waist tokens and explaining their origins, the Canghai Alliance sentries granted them passage.
During these stops, Luo Chen inquired about the war's current state.
The news came as quite a surprise.
The joint force of Moluo Stream and the Penglai Immortal Sect was growing increasingly ferocious, at one point pushing the numerically superior Canghai Alliance onto the back foot.
This made little sense.
The Canghai Alliance not only held the advantage in numbers, but they were backed by a Soul Formation almighty!
While the demonic factions having an early advantage might have been understandable, how could the Canghai Righteous Alliance keep falling back in a prolonged war of attrition?
After turning it over in his mind, Luo Chen ultimately attributed it to the faction behind the Penglai Immortal Sect.
The Central Plains' Tianyuan Dao Sect!
They were one of the five greatest powers in the entire Mountain Sea Realm, rivaled only by the Yuan Demon Sect in its prime.
Their ranks boasted countless top-tier experts, and their almighty cultivators stood above all five continents!
Perhaps it was precisely because of the Tianyuan Dao Sect's covert support that the almighty cultivator surnamed Li of the Canghai Alliance was held back by fear, hesitating to strike and leaving his subordinates to bear the brunt of the onslaught.
*Still, none of this has anything to do with me. I, Luo Chen, am merely a rogue cultivator. Let the deluge come as it will!*
Having resolved the matters on Purple Spirit Island, Luo Chen was in high spirits.
Unfortunately, that good mood vanished shortly after his return to Penghu Lake.
***
"Over the past year and more, many people came looking for Master. But once Diaosou and the others returned and announced that the Withered Wood Ridge mission was complete, they stopped pestering us. After all, everyone knows the Blood Hermit's tasks take priority."
Holding a stack of calling cards, Luo Chen listened to Tianxuan report what had happened in his absence.
Upon learning that Diaosou had been lavishly rewarded by the Blood Hermit with insights on Nascent Soul breakthrough, Luo Chen's expression grew slightly solemn.
He had received benefits as well.
His status as a four-star Demon Hunter had been elevated to five-star.
He only needed to visit the Demon Hunting Department to register, and he would officially be a bona fide five-star Demon Hunter.
A star promotion brought clear perks: mission cycles grew longer and less frequent, and he would enjoy a fifty percent discount on exchanging various resources within the Myriad Immortals Association—including the rent for the spiritual land at Penghu Lake!
"A genius Core Formation cultivator from the Zhou clan came seeking an artifact. Master promised him before, so I couldn't outright decline." Tianxuan presented a calling card. "Master, when do you wish to see him?"
Luo Chen considered it. "Tomorrow, then."
Tianxuan nodded, then brought up the final matter.
"Ding Yi wants to see me?"
Luo Chen frowned, recalling his prior apprehension.
He was rather reluctant to go to the Sunken Sea.
Still, since Ding Yi wanted to see him, he had nothing to fear.
Without stopping to rest, he went in person to Moyun Cave that very day, where he was granted an audience by Ding Yi and Cave Master Moyun.
Yet before he could even state his purpose, Ding Yi delivered bad news outright.
"Something has changed in the Arctic Yama Heavens!"
Chapter 639