Night fell.
Sheets of moonlight spilled over the sea, piercing through the rippling waters before gradually fading into the deep.
Looking up, the view was breathtakingly magnificent, like an ethereal dream.
Luo Chen slowly withdrew his gaze, a flicker of lingering dread crossing his pale face.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the destination he had chosen to divert his trouble toward was the Soul Severing Cliff, a place whispered about for countless years across the Northern Sea cultivation world.
Earlier, at the cost of a drop of his heart's blood, he had crafted a puppet avatar.
Then, guided by Han Zhan and utilizing the underlying principles of Locking the Beaded Curtain and the Thicket Clearing Art, he had forcibly severed a wisp of his divine soul from his sea of consciousness.
As a result, apart from its physical constitution, the avatar possessed an aura almost indistinguishable from his own.
At the time, Luo Chen had released the avatar while concealing himself in the ocean depths, even sacrificing his exceptionally handy flying puppet, the wooden kite, in the process.
That was precisely why he had managed to fool the bizarre moth demonic beast.
Recalling it now sent a series of sharp throbs through his head.
He could not tell whether this agony stemmed from willfully cleaving away a piece of his soul or from the terror inspired by Soul Severing Cliff.
Taisui had once claimed that the Sunken Sea was even more perilous than Soul Severing Cliff.
Yet by Luo Chen's judgment, as long as one prepared in advance, the Sunken Sea was comparatively safer.
That Soul Severing Cliff, however, seemed capable of devouring the souls of all living beings. Once someone set foot within, they would become dazed and muddled, blindly marching to their doom inside its bounds.
What manner of natural creation could have given rise to such a forbidden ground?
Luo Chen shook his head, enduring the periodic stabs of pain in his brain, and surveyed his surroundings.
"Where is this?"
During the desperate pursuit earlier, flying at full throttle, he had plunged blindly into the depths of the demon sea.
Without realizing it, he had strayed far beyond his geographic knowledge of these waters.
For a moment, he could not even determine his bearings.
Turn back?
That was out of the question.
When the puppet avatar was attacked by the moth demonic beast, it had sensed the aura of Moon Hermit.
Clearly, she had not given up her relentless pursuit.
Now that he had lost his wooden kite, his magic power was far below its peak, and his divine soul was unstable, crossing paths with Moon Hermit would mean certain death.
"I can only see this dark path through to the end!"
In a flash, Luo Chen steeled his resolve.
He strode forward, cloaking Sang Jinghe in a shroud of magic power as they advanced through the seabed at a steady pace.
Whenever he encountered sea beasts prowling the deep, even relatively weak rank-three demon kings, he chose to conceal himself and steer clear.
He needed to avoid triggering fresh battles at all costs.
At times like this, he missed Black King all the more.
If Black King were still conscious, carrying him through the deep sea, how much easier everything would be.
Unfortunately, Black King remained comatose within the spirit beast pouch.
Luo Chen had administered several spirit pills and even squeezed out a few drops of essence blood infused with Taisui's vitality to forcefully keep him clinging to life.
Yet waking him was certainly not something that could be accomplished merely by letting him slumber inside the pouch.
"I need to find a place to settle down quickly!"
"Not just for my own cultivation, but also to do everything I can to save Black King."
***
Time slipped quietly by as they journeyed through the ocean depths.
Half a year later, a figure silently surfaced from the sea.
Before him lay a colossal island, no smaller in scale than Lengguang Island, which Luo Chen had visited in the past.
Unlike Lengguang Island, however, this landmass was filled with undulating peaks and sprawling ridges, exuding a primordial wilderness.
Perhaps the hills were not particularly tall—from a distance, they looked like earthen mounds pushed up by some burrowing creature underground.
Yet lush forests carpeted the ranges in vibrant emerald.
Scattered among them were glistening lakes.
Accompanied by a faint whisper of worldly spiritual energy, the place offered the serene feeling of a secluded paradise.
Luo Chen looked on with mingled surprise and doubt, asking in a low voice, "Senior, is this truly a rank-four spirit vein?"
Han Zhan replied, "It should be. I can feel a vigorous vitality flowing through the earth veins. Back when I formed my Nascent Soul in Tianfan City, I had a similar sensation."
Puzzled, Luo Chen channeled his Spirit Eye Art and gazed toward the giant island.
His eyes could perceive the flow of life and death, and especially the pathways of spiritual energy within earth veins.
In his early years, it was through this very technique that he had located a rank-one spirit vein cave beneath Crescent Moon Valley.
Yet scrutinizing it now, he genuinely saw nothing out of the ordinary.
At best, the center of the giant island seemed to house a rank-three spirit vein.
Could it truly be concealed so deeply?
"If it were a rank-four spirit vein, powerful demonic beasts would undoubtedly occupy it."
"Yet from what I can see, let alone a rank-four demon emperor, there isn't even a trace of any formidable rank-three beast."
"Senior, are you certain your senses haven't deceived you?"
Han Zhan hesitated for a moment.
Soon, however, he spoke with conviction. "It should be correct! At least, that is how it feels to me. Besides, given how majestic... and vast this island is, its innate earth vein foundation could hardly be poor. As for why the spiritual energy isn't showing, you'll have to investigate for yourself."
Luo Chen pondered for a moment before nodding gently.
Over the past six months, he had ventured deeper and deeper into the demon sea.
Everything he had seen and heard only reinforced the rumors about these waters.
Powerful land fiends and sea beasts were everywhere!
Virtually every piece of spiritual ground of decent quality was claimed by formidable beasts.
And that was even with a vast host of top-tier beasts sealed away in the Arctic Yama Heavens.
Currently alone and far from his peak condition, he dared not invite conflict lightly.
Having finally stumbled upon such a strange, unclaimed territory, there was no way he could simply pass it by.
"Then let us explore it!"
Luo Chen braced his spirits and rose gently into the air above the water.
With a wave of his hand, he brought Sang Jinghe up to the surface as well.
"Are you all right?"
Sang Jinghe shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, Senior."
Luo Chen sighed. "Having you run around with me for the past half-year, hiding our heads and shrinking our tails, has truly been hard on you."
The honest and earnest Sang Jinghe replied firmly, "Since I have resolved to follow Senior, a bit of hardship is nothing. If anything, it is this junior who has held you back."
Luo Chen smiled faintly and said no more.
Leading Sang Jinghe, he set foot onto the solid ground.
The moment his feet touched down, his footprints sank slightly.
Luo Chen looked down. What had seemed like firm earth was actually loose, porous loam that had momentarily yielded under his weight.
Sang Jinghe, on the other hand, showed a look of astonishment.
He crouched down and scooped up a handful of dirt.
A faint thread of spiritual energy wafted from the soil.
"Rank-one spirit soil?"
Luo Chen was also somewhat surprised, though he did not dwell on it. Islands in the demon sea remained uncultivated by humans, so gathering spiritual energy over time was nothing unusual. He continued walking forward.
Sang Jinghe hurriedly followed.
However, as the two walked deeper into the great island, their calm demeanor began to ripple with shock.
For no other reason than this: the soil on this island was of astonishingly high quality!
Soil types such as the Azure Pouch Soil Luo Chen had once encountered in Mutianyuan within the Five Elements Heavens were commonplace here.
There were even other high-grade spirit soils, such as Huasheng Soil and Five-Colored Mud.
The confluence of these materials raised the island's earth to an extraordinarily high grade—the finest areas even reached rank three!
More importantly, Luo Chen could sense that at the very heart of the island, there might even be rank-four spirit soil!
"No wonder the spiritual energy in the air feels so thin. It has all been absorbed into the spirit soil, bound tightly and prevented from dispersing into the atmosphere."
Luo Chen fell into thought.
Meanwhile, an unhealthy flush of excitement spread across Sang Jinghe's face.
"This place is practically a dream sanctuary for a spiritual farmer!"
Indeed!
Spirit soil blanketed the ground, spirit springs gurgled along the valleys, and rare specialty soils required for cultivating high-grade medicinal herbs could be found everywhere.
Such a rich foundation was something even ordinary Nascent Soul sects might not possess.
Perhaps only great sects with millenary lineages could nurture spirit soil of this caliber.
If properly utilized—divided into distinct sectors, prepared as spirit fields, and fortified with formations—there was no telling how many rare and precious herbs could be grown here.
"So what kind of existence created such a spiritual land, and why has no one laid claim to it?"
As Luo Chen murmured to himself, his gaze fell upon a patch of loose loam.
*Rustle, rustle, rustle...*
Amid soft scuffling sounds, a long worm wriggled out of the earth.
Perhaps startled by the sight of strangers, the worm hurriedly tried to burrow back underground.
Yet a sweep of magic power descended, lifting it through the air and drawing it before them.
"A dragon earthworm?"
Sang Jinghe stared in surprise at the squirming grey creature suspended before Luo Chen.
A faint glimmer of realization sparked in Luo Chen's mind as he nodded to Sang Jinghe.
"Indeed, a dragon earthworm. And its grade isn't low—it has already reached rank two."
Dragon earthworms were exceptionally gentle by nature.
Moreover, they were not known for massive size from birth; even when growing to rank two or three, they rarely exceeded ten zhang in length.
Such demon beasts were the favorites of alchemy sects.
Whenever any appeared on the market, sects would scramble to purchase them.
Dragon earthworms were ideal for tending spirit fields and elevating soil quality.
The mucus they secreted was rich in water and earth spiritual energy, and their habit of tunneling through the ground aerated dense, easily compacted spirit soil, making it vastly more suitable for growing spiritual plants.
Earlier, Luo Chen had paid no attention to this, having poured all his focus into searching for high-tier demon beasts.
Now, spurred by the theory forming in his mind, he released his divine sense, driving it as deep into the earth as possible.
Sure enough!
Beneath the surface lay countless dragon earthworms.
From unranked specimens to rank-one and rank-two beasts, they were too numerous to count!
Only rank-three individuals and above were nowhere to be found.
Seeing this, the hypothesis in Luo Chen's heart grew all the firmer.
"Jinghe, wait here for me and do not wander off. I will be right back."
Sang Jinghe nodded.
After Luo Chen departed, he pulled a cloth pouch from his robes and began eagerly stuffing soil into it.
As he packed the dirt, he muttered excitedly, "This is all top-quality earth! If I gather enough, I'll have prime soil seed to cultivate spirit land in the future."
***
"You've guessed it?"
"It seems Senior has thought of it as well!"
Skimming low above the ground, Luo Chen flew at remarkable speed.
He circled the scenic, immense island swiftly, conversing with Han Zhan as he searched for something.
Han Zhan's soft chuckle sounded in his ear.
"Indeed. Seeing those dragon earthworms, you must have realized it too."
"Yes. If my deduction is correct, this giant island must be the cultivation grounds of Duoyuan Longzong. When he departed for the Land of the Fallen Demon in search of opportunity, he took every formidable dragon earthworm with him, leaving behind only these insignificant descendants. And because of his fearsome reputation, even after twenty years of absence, no other powerful beasts have dared to touch this island."
"That is my suspicion as well. Now Duoyuan Longzong is trapped within the Land of the Fallen Demon, his fate unknown. Whether he can ever emerge or not, it will take at least two to three centuries. Thus, for the time being, this island has become an unclaimed land."
Two to three centuries!
Luo Chen's eyes shone with excitement. Two to three hundred years was more than enough time for him to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
And right now, what he needed to do was locate Duoyuan Longzong's true cultivation sanctuary.
That Longzong possessed tremendous strength!
A single demon dominating the entirety of Yuecanglan was proof enough of his prowess.
For such an entity, living without a rank-four spirit vein as his base was utterly impossible.
Coupled with Han Zhan's earlier perception, Luo Chen was entirely certain that a rank-four spirit vein lay hidden on this island.
Suddenly!
Luo Chen halted before a deep pool of emerald water.
Staring at the deep pool, his eyes flickered.
A natural illusion array!
Without hesitation, he strode straight in.
The pool's water was crystal-clear yet bottomless. As Luo Chen dove deeper step by step, his figure suddenly paused.
The next instant, three ferocious roars echoed out.
Luo Chen's expression remained unchanged as a spark flared at his fingertip.
The spark swelled with brilliance, transforming into a blazing sun that illuminated the darkness.
Though gentle by nature and possessing weak combat prowess, dragon earthworms were not easy to counter.
Adept in water and earth, beneficial to the wood element, their bodies might be severed by metal weapons, yet they could simply divide and survive.
Only the fire element countered these creatures completely!
Sure enough.
Under Luo Chen's Blazing Sun Art, the three silhouettes hesitated.
"To think that in just twenty years, three more rank-three dragon earthworms have been born here."
Seeing Luo Chen prepare to obliterate the three demon kings with his Blazing Sun Art, Han Zhan quickly intervened, "Aside from nurturing spirit soil, this type of beast is exceptionally skilled at dismantling formations. Slaying them would truly be a waste."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow and took the elder's advice, holding back from a lethal strike.
Maintaining the Blazing Sun Art, he thrust both hands forward in rapid succession, sending three Qingyang Great Handprints tearing through the void.
When they flew back, the three dragon earthworm demon kings were firmly restrained.
Luo Chen casually placed three seals upon them to suppress their demon cores. Then, taking a deep breath, he held the blazing sun aloft and stepped steadily toward the dark abyss below.
As he advanced, the surrounding spiritual energy grew thicker and thicker.
Low-grade rank three!
Mid-grade rank three!
High-grade!
Finally, Luo Chen touched down inside an abyss spanning thousands of zhang, draped in damp miasma and slick with mucus.
Ignoring the harsh environment, unbridled joy broke across his face.
Drinking in the immensely rich worldly spiritual energy around him, Luo Chen inhaled deeply with great satisfaction.
"A rank-four spirit vein!"
"Such dense worldly spiritual energy, entirely confined within this deep abyss—no wonder not a trace showed on the outside."
"This place shall be where I confirm my Dao and attain the Nascent Soul realm!"
***
Three months later.
Upon the island Luo Chen had christened Longyuan Island, Sang Jinghe stood respectfully before a tall woman with striking, spirited brows.
"Senior Tianxuan, according to your instructions, I have selected a suitable plot and planted the Purple Monkey Flowers."
"In addition, the Divine Irises have matured, and I will harvest them as soon as possible."
"The Dragon Saliva Grass is somewhat trickier. Although this place is ideal for cultivating it, dragon earthworms naturally love to feed on it. I will need an appropriate defensive formation to ensure the countless earthworms here do not ruin the grass."
Tianxuan listened quietly as Sang Jinghe laid everything out.
Once he finished, she nodded. "None of this is an issue. Once I report to the master, he will make the arrangements. Furthermore, do you have any method to nurture that Demon-Devil Concentric Tree?"
A troubled look crossed Sang Jinghe's face. "This junior's skills are lacking. The Demon-Devil Concentric Tree is simply of too high a grade, and I have never encountered such a spiritual plant before. In the short term, I cannot conceive a way to cultivate it."
Tianxuan's brow furrowed slightly, though she did not blame him.
Even her master was helpless before such a plant, let alone Sang Jinghe, who was merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
"Very well, continue studying it for now."
"When you have time, take stock of the other naturally growing medicinal herbs on the island as well."
"I will go see the master first."
With that, Tianxuan flew into the depths of Longyuan Island.
Passing into the emerald pool, she descended deep into the subterranean abyss.
After crossing multiple layers of darkness, a gleam of light appeared.
In her line of sight, a clean, tidy thatched cottage stood atop the subterranean bedrock.
Yet what caught Tianxuan's eye most was the man squatting outside the dwelling, gently stroking a large black python.
"Master, I have returned."
"Mm."
Without looking back, Luo Chen asked, "How are the tasks I assigned progressing?"
Tianxuan immediately recounted Sang Jinghe's report in detail.
After listening, Luo Chen showed no surprise.
"Set the Dragon Saliva Grass aside in the Penglai Octagonal Pavilion for now."
"Let Sang Jinghe keep studying the Demon-Devil Concentric Tree. Whether it can be kept alive can be addressed later."
"As for the formations, once I find time to confer with Senior Han Zhan, we should be able to devise a sound solution."
Having said that, he looked toward Tianxuan.
"How are your injuries?"
"I am fine. Though my wounds are numerous, none are fatal. I will recover slowly with rest."
After answering, Tianxuan's gaze shifted to the black horned python, a trace of heartache showing in her eyes.
"Black King... can he still hold on?"
Luo Chen's expression darkened. "Black King is sustained by my essence blood and spirit pills, allowing him to cling to life for now. He has also entered a state of hibernation using the Cliff Snake technique, which preserves his vitality to the utmost. But as time drags on..."
Seeing Tianxuan bite her lip tightly, Luo Chen patted her shoulder.
"Do not worry. Since he risked his life to protect me back then, I will never abandon him to his death. I already have a rough plan to save him, but a few critical points still need to be worked through. We must wait a little longer."
As he spoke those words, a firm resolution had already formed in Luo Chen's heart.
Chapter 706