Blood Hermit was the first to depart, followed by True Person Longyuan.
Even though the latter took his Daoist title from the name of Longyuan Immortal City itself, the truth was that he rarely troubled himself with the city's day-to-day affairs.
He seldom intervened even in the major matters of the Myriad Immortals Association.
In contrast, it was Moon Hermit who frequently took charge of the Association's business. From external communications down to internal control of the Demon Hunting Department, she held the reins of it all.
Once the two Nascent Soul Perfected Persons had left, Moon Hermit reclined languidly against the back of her chair, her cool gaze assessing the four people below.
Suddenly, she spoke.
"Liu Ziweng, I hear you've been quite close to Blood Hermit lately!"
*Thump.*
To Luo Chen's astonishment, the Old Angler dropped directly to his knees, displaying not a shred of the dignity or pride expected of a Golden Core grand cultivator.
Trembling, he prostrated himself. "The Perfected Person misunderstands! This lowly one was merely completing a task for Perfected Person Blood to earn a modest reward. It was not just me, either; many within the Association also—"
Luo Chen stared in shock, but gradually, noticing the nonchalant reactions of the other two, he began to understand.
Just as the rumors said, Blood Hermit may have founded the Myriad Immortals Association, but he never managed its affairs and lived no differently from any ordinary rogue cultivator.
To him, the Myriad Immortals Association was merely a tool. He required no accountability from his subordinates, nor did he feel accountable to anyone else.
The true head of the Myriad Immortals Association was, in fact, Moon Hermit!
In daily administration, most of the Association's core pillars leaned toward Moon Hermit.
Among them were the Demon Hunting Department's three Eight-Star Demon Hunters!
The Old Angler had shown signs of leaning towards another camp before, so it was only natural that she took this moment to put him in his place.
Once Luo Chen understood the situation, a flicker of pity tinged his gaze toward the Old Angler.
Even rogue cultivators were hardly free!
Or rather, anyone who wanted something would inevitably find themselves under another's thumb.
"Enough. Babbles like that are thoroughly vexing."
The moment Moon Hermit spoke, the Old Angler shut his mouth and scrambled nimbly back to his feet, though his spine remained hunched and cold sweat drenched his withered face.
Watching this, Luo Chen grasped something of this woman's temperament.
She was a woman of absolute authority; subordinates were best advised not to prattle before her, nor to step too far out of line.
Having reined in the Old Angler, Moon Hermit drifted her gaze over the other three, ultimately settling on the youngest among them—the red-robed man.
"Raise your head!"
Calm and composed, Luo Chen lifted his head to look directly at the exquisitely beautiful, curvaceous female cultivator above.
Inside his body, the Micromote Origin Art circulated continuously, warding off the invisible allure radiating from her as much as possible.
Just as he was openly sizing her up, she was scrutinizing him thoroughly in return.
"Quite the handsome face. Pity about that filthy stench of blood—identical to Pang Bujue."
Offering that brief evaluation, Moon Hermit cut straight to the point.
"What star rank are you currently?"
"Five-star."
"Only five-star?" Moon Hermit's brow knitted, her enchanting eyes sweeping over Luo Chen's frame. "Given your abilities, that shouldn't be."
Beside her, Empress Zi chimed in at just the right moment. "Reporting to the Perfected Person, Qingyangzi spent the past year hunting numerous demon beasts on the Sunken Sea battlefield. He submitted the corpses of three Great Demon Kings alone. By his merits, he is already eligible for promotion to six-star."
"Oh...?"
Moon Hermit let out a lingering gasp of surprise, her eyes drifting across Luo Chen once more.
"At merely the sixth layer of Golden Core, you can slaughter Great Demon Kings at will? Are you truly that formidable?"
Luo Chen felt a prickle of caution. "It was mere good fortune. The Perfected Person flatters me."
"Heh."
The woman chuckled softly. "Quite modest, aren't you... Little Zi, see to it that Qingyangzi's rank is elevated to seven-star shortly!"
"Ah!" Empress Zi froze for an instant before catching herself. "As the Perfected Person commands!"
Luo Chen was genuinely taken aback as well. "I thank the Perfected Person for your favor, but one should not receive rewards without merit. How could I skip a rank without cause and partake in the Association's resources?"
Moon Hermit remained smiling, though on her chilly countenance, the expression seemed jarringly incongruous.
"How could you call it unearned? Slaying tens of thousands of demon beasts is one merit; bringing back the intelligence that a demon emperor escaped the Yama Heavens is the second. On those two grounds alone, a mere seven-star rating is rightfully yours."
Here, her smile broadened, blooming like an alluring flower.
"Cultivate diligently. Though this Myriad Immortals Association is an alliance of rogue cultivators, our resources are plentiful, and with seven Perfected Persons presiding over us, we are second to no Nascent Soul superior sect in this world.
"Should you one day rise to become a Nine-Star Demon Hunter, you will even receive preferential allocation from the Perfected Persons when it comes to resources for forming your Nascent Soul.
"Just like Longyuan did!"
Listening to her words, Luo Chen's eyes shone and his body trembled slightly, seemingly overcome with excitement.
Bowing low, he saluted respectfully and proclaimed,
"My thanks to the Perfected Person for her patronage! Luo Hai will never fail your expectations!"
***
Under the moonlight, a man and a woman walked side by side.
The voluptuous woman in a purple dress smiled warmly as she congratulated the red-robed man beside her.
"Demon Hunters ranked seven stars and above aren't rare in the Association—there are seven or eight of them—yet all are late Golden Core grand cultivators. For a fellow Daoist as young as you to reach seven stars while only at the sixth layer of Golden Core makes you one of a kind. Above all, Qingyangzi, you caught the eye of the Perfected Person and won her favor. Your future is truly boundless!"
Luo Chen accepted her congratulations with apparent excitement, singing Moon Hermit's praises without pause.
How profound her cultivation was, second not even to Blood Hermit; how stunning her beauty, worthy of being called the Northern Sea's foremost maiden; how discerning her eye, picking him out as an unpolished jade at a single glance...
Flattery poured from his mouth as though it cost nothing, radiating unbridled elation.
At last, he cupped his hands and said, "I leave the matter of my promotion in your capable hands, Fellow Daoist."
Empress Zi waved her hand. "It's merely a formality. Tomorrow, I'll send someone to deliver your new identity medallion to Penghu Lake."
"There is one more matter I must trouble you with."
"Oh?"
"When Perfected Person Blood departed, he ordered you all to lead forces to the Sunken Sea battlefield to purge the demon race. You know my situation—I just spent nearly a year there and fought countless battles. Not only am I exhausted in body and mind, but I also have numerous minor injuries. Thus, when selecting candidates later, I hope you might pass over me to allow me some time to recover."
Hearing this, Empress Zi chuckled softly.
"And here I thought it was something major! That is a trifle. I'll mention it to the Old Angler and the others. Fellow Daoist, return and rest well!"
"In that case, my sincere thanks."
Luo Chen cupped his hands, took his leave, and sped through the night toward the Eight-Hundred-Li Penghu Lake.
After he departed, Empress Zi unexpectedly turned around and returned to the Demon Hunting Department.
Inside a great hall filled with bamboo slips and ancient texts, she bowed behind Moon Hermit.
"Well? How did he react?"
"Just as before—wildly excited. For rogue cultivators of his level, reaching the Nascent Soul stage is the ultimate temptation, especially when Qingyangzi is still so young."
"Heh, with Longyuan as a precedent before them, who wouldn't be tempted?"
"Also, he mentioned being exhausted and injured, and doesn't wish to return to the Sunken Sea battlefield."
"Hm?"
Moon Hermit's finger froze over a bamboo slip, a flicker of doubt showing on her face.
"That shouldn't be. By all logic, having just been exceptionally promoted to Seven-Star Demon Hunter, he should seize the moment to undertake missions, cement his reputation, and strive toward nine stars. Why stop now?"
Empress Zi hesitated. "Perhaps he truly is injured and weary?"
Moon Hermit shook her head slightly, her eyes narrowing beneath long lashes.
"It seems this seat underestimated this man's composure!"
Grasping her meaning, Empress Zi suggested, "Should we forcibly conscript him under Blood Hermit's name?"
Moon Hermit pondered for a moment, then resumed perusing the vital intelligence gathered by the Association over recent years.
"Let him be! We just gave him a sweet date; demanding his life before he's even swallowed it would only make others look down on this seat."
***
Peng Island.
The Constellation Palace shone with light once more.
Having bathed and changed into fresh robes, a refreshed Luo Chen sat cross-legged within, exhaling a long, relieved breath.
Running the Micromote Origin Art through a full circulation cleared his mind. As he reviewed his brief audience with the Nascent Soul Perfected Persons, his tension finally subsided.
"I made no grave blunders. I said what needed to be said and kept quiet about what shouldn't be spoken."
The excitement on his face had long since vanished, replaced by cool detachment!
Moon Hermit's tactics might have enticed any other Golden Core cultivator, but to him, they were all too familiar.
They were nothing more than the control techniques of a ruler over subordinates.
Dangle an impossible promise, urge people to risk their lives.
Moon Hermit was at least polite enough to offer a small taste of sweetness before fulfilling the promise, exceptionally promoting him to a Seven-Star Demon Hunter.
Honored with the status of a Seven-Star Demon Hunter at merely the sixth layer of Golden Core was indeed a first in the Myriad Immortals Association.
Yet who was Luo Chen?
He was a man who had built a faction that began with just a few late Qi Refinement cultivators and led it all the way to becoming a great Golden Core sect. He had also used the grand promise of "Foundation Establishment" to make thousands run and toil for him.
When it came to political maneuvering and managing subordinates, he knew the game inside and out.
Most of his earlier excitement had simply been an act.
As for why it was only mostly an act, a small part of him had been genuinely pleased.
Being a Seven-Star Demon Hunter meant that in many transactions within the Association, he could enjoy a seventy percent discount.
That included the rent for the Penghu Lake spiritual ground!
The only thing that left Luo Chen somewhat unsettled was that final request.
He did not know whether Moon Hermit would question Empress Zi and see through his true intentions.
Yet even if given another chance, Luo Chen would still have done the same.
A Perfected Person's favor was no blessing to him; if he threw his lot in with her completely, he would lose control of his own fate in too many matters.
Besides, his sword-testing journey had ended. He had no desire to engage in needless battles.
After all, he was no warmonger like Dao Lan.
Ah, and even Dao Lan had crashed. Walk by the river long enough and your shoes will get wet; who knew if she was even still alive?
Luo Chen's plan was simple: before the Sunken Sea ancient cultivator ruins opened, seize the time to consolidate his foundation further. If he could smoothly break through to Tier 4 of the Ancient Desolate, so much the better!
*Time. I need enough time!*
Luo Chen's eyes shone brightly as his mind began mapping out his next cultivation regimen.
He would do whatever it took to cross that final step of body refinement, adding another trump card for his journey to the Sunken Sea.
A trump card that could turn the entire board!
Chapter 649