Listening to Cave Master Moyun's words, Luo Chen recalled the fleeting glimpse he had caught earlier; indeed, there was little difference.
That monster, standing beside the cyclone leading to the spirit medicine garden, had resembled a towering red pavilion.
Because the murky black seawater obscured the vision, an ordinary person truly would not have realized that it was actually a desolate beast!
However!
"Such a renowned desolate beast—how is it that I have seen no records of it in ancient texts, yet you know of it in such great detail, Cave Master?" Luo Chen stared at Cave Master Moyun, his gaze burning intently.
Cave Master Moyun gave a helpless look, turning his eyes toward Ding Yi, who was sprawled on the ground gasping for breath.
"You will have to ask Fellow Daoist Ding about that. Everything I know was told to me by him."
"Oh?"
Ding Yi shot a sour look back at him. "Why do you think I know? Have you forgotten the piece of Soul Nourishing Wood you won at that auction?"
Soul Nourishing Wood? Ghost Immortal Tower!
In an instant, Luo Chen connected the dots.
That piece of Soul Nourishing Wood purchased for Han Zhan had carried a terrifyingly foul aura. Luo Chen had expended tremendous effort, even cultivating a Tier 4 spell to Grand Perfection, just barely managing to cleanse it.
Back then, he had wondered what manner of entity the owner of that foul aura was.
Comparing them now, even though several decades had passed, a wave of familiarity surged forward like a tide.
That foul aura was distinctly the very presence emanating from the desolate beast Ghost Immortal Tower.
"Phew..."
Ding Yi caught his breath, and the flab across his body swelled back out as if inflated with air.
A look of disgust crossed his face, yet he did not make too much of a display, seeming long accustomed to it.
Luo Chen, on the other hand, gave him a couple of extra looks.
Earlier, by drawing upon the flab on his body, the man had executed a blood-transformation escape art of astonishing speed, nearly rivaling his own Great Accomplishment escape speed for a brief spell.
And yet, there seemed to be hardly any drawback.
It was truly astonishing.
At this moment, however, his attention was focused more on the terrifying desolate beast, Ghost Immortal Tower.
Ding Yi did not keep him in suspense and offered an explanation.
"This beast is born preying on the various demons of the sea, with a particular fondness for turtles and giant squids. Every time it devours a giant squid, it preserves its tentacles, wrapping them around itself like strands of hair. Whether to flaunt its trophies or for some other purpose, none can say.
"Blood Lanterns are formidable, yet they especially favor nesting on Ghost Immortal Tower to serve as its eyes. We only saw two Blood Lanterns just now, but that was just the tip of the iceberg; across that massive, hundreds-of-zhang-tall body, who knows how many low-tier Blood Lanterns make their home.
"Having slaughtered so many living beings, countless foul auras coil around it over time, naturally spawning illusions that make anyone who beholds its true form sink into them instantly.
"The reason you won't find records of this desolate beast in the texts is that for thousands of years, cultivators of the Yuan Demon Sect have continually sought to subdue it, at one point driving it into the depths of the Demon Sea.
"Even if human immortal cultivators occasionally ventured deep into the Demon Sea and caught sight of it, they would fall under the sway of its dense foul aura, plunge into an illusion, and end up as its food.
"Thus, across the long passage of time, intelligence regarding the desolate beast Ghost Immortal Tower has rarely been recorded in the Northern Sea immortal cultivation world outside of the Yuan Demon Sect.
"It was only after I was injured by that wisp of foul aura on the Soul Nourishing Wood—and searched far and wide to heal my divine soul injuries—that I finally learned the relevant details from remnants of the Yuan Demon Sect."
Luo Chen listened with a shaken heart.
To cultivate the Senluo Fire Hell, he had personally slain a late Tier 3 Blood Lantern along the shore of the Sunken Sea, so he naturally knew how terrifying that demon was.
Yet such creatures were merely parasites on the desolate beast Ghost Immortal Tower?
And those giant squids were even more formidable, surpassing even demons like the Sea-Overturning Demonic Flood Dragon and the Golden-Horned Silver Rhinoceros.
Hundreds of years ago, one had appeared in the Coral Sea, slaughtering countless low-tier cultivators of the Coral Sea Zhou family until the Zhou family ancestor personally stepped in to slay it.
Even setting aside hundreds of years ago, just three years past, he had witnessed one in the Sunken Sea.
It had forced Dao Lan to flee into the airspace above the Sunken Sea, withstanding the pressure of the Void Burning Wind just to evade the giant squid's attacks.
Such beings were actually food for Ghost Immortal Tower!
Upon hearing that even the Yuan Demon Sect—a Soul Formation sacred ground—had attempted to subdue the beast multiple times and failed, Luo Chen grew all the more awed.
"I wonder, what tier is this beast?"
Ding Yi replied, "The tiers of desolate beasts can never be judged conventionally. Speaking of size, the massive ones run rampant without restraint, yet even minuscule ones can swallow oceans. Nor do they have anything like demon cores or Nascent Souls. For cultivators to assess the strength of a desolate beast, they can only rely on past experience and personal probing. As for this Ghost Immortal Tower, compared to us human cultivators, its strength is at least in the late Nascent Soul stage! In fact, judging by its track record of repeatedly escaping the experts of the Yuan Demon Sect, it is likely infinitely close to Tier 5 Soul Formation."
As he spoke to the end, lingering dread was evident in his eyes.
And when he looked at Luo Chen, the wariness in his gaze deepened even further.
He remembered vividly that under the taint of Ghost Immortal Tower's foul aura, Luo Chen had clearly fallen into an illusion.
Yet in merely an instant, the man had awakened and been the first to flee.
Even as Luo Chen marveled at Ghost Immortal Tower's realm, he also noticed Ding Yi's wariness.
He offered no explanation.
Such an illusion would have caused any Golden Core cultivator to sink into it at a single glance.
He, however, was different; he was already proficient in the illusion art Mirror Flower, Water Moon, and using the foul aura of Ghost Immortal Tower as a blueprint, he had derived its second tier: Ghost Immortal Pavilions.
One could say he naturally possessed a certain degree of resistance.
Coupled with Han Zhan's soul roar at the critical moment, escaping had naturally been easy.
Having grasped the situation regarding Ghost Immortal Tower, Luo Chen turned his attention to their immediate surroundings.
Or rather, from the moment they entered the passage behind this cyclone, they had been carefully watching the surrounding area.
This was a narrow corridor.
Deep and bottomless.
A massive volume of Void Burning Wind surged outward from within, flowing through the cyclone above their heads and toward the outside world.
If they wished to enter the true ruins, their only choice was to head against the current down the corridor.
Luo Chen naturally had no fear; with the Xuanchen Armor on him, he could largely disregard the Void Burning Wind.
Ding Yi and Moyun, however, were in dire straits.
The Treasure Basin Fish had been snatched away, and the spare Guiyuan Pearl had turned to powder.
This corridor endlessly belching Void Burning Wind had become an impassable chasm!
"What do you two plan to do next?"
Cave Master Moyun frowned. "I have materials on hand and could forge a new Guiyuan Pearl on the spot, but it would take at least half a month."
"No, that's too long!" Ding Yi flatly rejected the proposal, then looked toward Luo Chen. "Qingyangzi, your suit of armor was able to envelop that black flood dragon earlier. Protecting the two of us shouldn't be a problem either, right?"
Luo Chen smiled.
Just a moment ago you called me Demonic Lord, and now you respectfully address me as Qingyangzi?
"Protecting you two isn't an issue. But the question is: why should I do that?"
As he spoke, he took a slight step toward the entrance of the corridor.
The moment he made this move, the expressions of the two across from him changed abruptly.
"Demonic Lord Qingyang, what is the meaning of this? Do you intend to seize this opportunity to extort us?"
"Qingyangzi, we are in the same boat, grasshoppers tied to a single rope! Relying on your strength alone, you won't get what you want in those ruins!"
Luo Chen remained unbothered, chuckling composedly.
"Right, we're in the same boat, but channeling this magic treasure drains a great deal of my magic power. I remember clearly that when you two boarded the Treasure Basin Fish earlier, you had no intention of bringing me along."
Ding Yi said displeasedly, "Do you think we deliberately targeted you?"
Luo Chen shrugged. "Who knows?"
"You!" Ding Yi was so furious he thrust out a finger, which trembled faintly as he pointed at Luo Chen.
Cave Master Moyun kept his composure. "Qingyangzi, your vast magic power is evident to all of us. It is merely a short distance; why be so stingy?"
"Having vast magic power is no reason for you two to take advantage of me."
"Then what do you want? Magic treasures? Qi-replenishing pills...?"
"I want none of those."
Luo Chen wiped the smile from his face and said solemnly, "I want the specific location of the medicine garden where the Five Elements Lotus Platform resides, along with all intelligence regarding the ruins!"
Cave Master Moyun had a sudden realization, then turned his gaze to Ding Yi.
Ding Yi let out a sigh of relief. "So it's just that. Why make things so tense between us?"
Luo Chen stared at him. "Then can you speak now?"
He knew full well that their three-person team was far from harmonious, nor did they possess any means of mutual restraint.
The situation concerning the Sunken Sea ruins remained entirely in Ding Yi's grasp.
If he did not learn as much as possible, then even with overwhelming martial prowess, he would still be subject to another's manipulation.
Hence, even amidst cooperation, he did not hesitate to discard decorum and shame to make such an extortionate demand.
Ding Yi pondered for a moment and said earnestly, "I truly do not know the exact location of the Five Elements Lotus Platform."
Luo Chen frowned. "Impossible. You clearly stated earlier that that cyclone led to the ruins' spirit medicine garden."
"Precisely—only that cyclone!" Ding Yi swore solemnly. "Only that cyclone reliably leads to the spirit medicine garden area. But since it's occupied by Ghost Immortal Tower, without entering through there, I am completely clueless as well."
"How can that be?" Luo Chen was dubious.
Ding Yi appeared sincere. "That is simply how things are. I have no reason to lie to you."
"Then how could you be so certain that cyclone passage was the right one?"
Luo Chen was determined to get to the bottom of the matter.
Under his pressing interrogation, however unwilling Ding Yi was, he could only recount the truth.
"You remember what I told you about the Taisui, right? The flesh and blood on my body have been influenced by the Taisui, replenishing endlessly. And the remnant will within it directs me toward where its main body lies. That cyclone was the spot where the remnant will felt the strongest perception, which is why I was so certain."
Luo Chen glanced at the fat swelling back up on the man's body and ultimately chose to believe him.
However, the man had not yet answered Luo Chen's other question.
"As for intelligence on the ruins?"
Ding Yi gave a bitter laugh and posed a question in return.
"What kind of cultivator, after death, leaves behind ruins that could keep a Soul Formation sacred ground like the Yuan Demon Sect exploring incessantly for a thousand years?"
Cave Master Moyun evidently had not known the inside story previously either. Faced with this question, he exchanged glances with Luo Chen.
Indeed!
What manner of existence could, after passing away, continue to thwart exploration by a sect that possessed three Soul Formation ancestors and numerous Nascent Soul Perfected Persons?
A Nascent Soul Perfected Person? Soul Formation ancestors could easily sweep through.
A Soul Formation powerhouse? While alive, they might have been evenly matched at best; how could the measures left behind after death withstand the living?
Faintly, a possibility surfaced in each of their minds.
Upon Luo Chen's chest, the wooden plaque trembled faintly.
In Luo Chen's ear, an aged voice sounded.
"Indeed. Just as this old man guessed, these ruins were left behind by a True Monarch."
"True Monarch?" Luo Chen blurted out.
Cave Master Moyun echoed without hesitation, "A Void Refining expert?"
Ding Yi nodded slowly. "That's right. According to the Yuan Demon Sect's records, these ruins are indeed the temporary palace of a Void Refining True Monarch. What's more, that True Monarch might very well be the strongest Void Refining realm existence in all of history! Because he perished here, this place is known as the Land of the Fallen Demon!"
Chapter 656