The geographical environment of the Flying Swallow Archipelago was exceptionally remote.
Luo Chen had known this from the very beginning, but after traveling halfway across the Northern Sea cultivation world, the impression was etched even deeper.
Nearby, there were virtually no major sea regions suitable for cultivation, and formidable cultivators were exceedingly rare.
Outsiders were seldom seen either.
Had they not used Luo Chen's name in those years to assemble a merchant caravan that traveled regularly to prosperous lands, their communication with the outside world might have remained completely closed off.
Back then, Yan Nantian had been able to hide away in seclusion within the Flying Swallow Archipelago to escape the pursuit of the Moluo Stream precisely because he benefited from this isolation.
The reason for this state of affairs, aside from the sparse spirit veins, was also connected to the vast ocean at their back, which was perpetually blanketed in dense fog.
It was named the Southern Ocean, bordering both the Southern Border and the Eastern Desolation.
No one knew whether that thick mist was the gu poison mist of the Southern Border or the nether ghost fog from the Mingyuan Abyss of the Eastern Desolation; in any case, few ever dared to cross the Southern Ocean.
On this day.
Along the horizon where the Southern Ocean met the Northern Sea, a silhouette slowly emerged.
In white robes with a red sash, long hair tied back, and a pair of dark eyes like cold, abyssal pools—calm, yet harboring boundless, scorching heat.
This person was none other than Luo Chen.
He gazed at the faintly drifting black mist, feeling as if he stood upon the boundary line between life and death.
Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen waved a hand to disperse the dark haze and stepped into it.
The sea breeze blew, and the black mist gathered in from all directions, gradually reclaiming the cleared space.
...
In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, something seemed to boil within the Southern Ocean.
Immediately afterward, a figure enveloped in blazing fire flew out from within.
Luo Chen turned his head to look back at this ocean shrouded year-round in mist and thick clouds, his expression neither pleased nor sorrowful.
Closing his eyes, he inspected his inner body. Tiny insect eggs, barely visible to the naked eye, lay clinging within his meridians and blood vessels.
"Are these gu eggs?"
With a thought, the Wither-Bloom True Fire swept through his entire body.
In an instant, those eggs were silently incinerated to ash, turning into pure essence that nourished Luo Chen's physical body.
"Rumor has it that cultivators of the Southern Border excel at utilizing gu insects, most of which originate from the mysterious Southern Ocean. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation!" Luo Chen muttered to himself.
In that brief span of flying inside, mere normal breathing had drawn unknown insect eggs into his body.
One could well imagine the danger within!
And this was merely the edge of the Southern Ocean.
If one went deeper, there would surely be far more formidable eggs—perhaps even ranked gu insects.
Luo Chen was well-versed in breath-holding techniques and believed that at his current cultivation level, he could hold a single breath for months, forming a self-contained internal cycle; even if he breathed freely, he had true fire protecting him. Yet even so, it could not completely ward off the pervasive infiltration of those ubiquitous gu insects.
One wondered what manner of cosmic craftsmanship had nurtured such a bizarre realm within the Mountain Sea Realm.
Luo Chen shook his head and turned to fly toward the Flying Swallow Archipelago.
His plan to land in the Southern Border via the Southern Ocean had died in the womb.
Luo Chen was not disappointed; it had only been an experiment in the first place.
The treachery of the Southern Ocean was known to all.
As abundant as the Northern Sea's resources were, distributed across the five continents under heaven, they still could not reach the Southern Ocean directly, but had to pass through the Central Plains as a transit hub.
Since established paths already existed, sneaking through the Southern Ocean was entirely unnecessary.
Thinking of this, Luo Chen grew even more curious about the structure of this world.
With his current Nascent Soul realm allowing him to briefly harmonize his divine soul with heaven and earth, he had already glimpsed the true face of the Mountain Sea Realm.
This realm was not the dome-sky and flat-earth of popular imagination!
It resembled what Luo Chen recognized as a "planet"!
Yet cultivators had only conquered and developed it for a mere ten thousand years; this world remained exceedingly primitive.
Beyond the Eastern Desolation, Southern Border, Western Desert, Northern Sea, and even the Central Plains, there were vast expanses that remained unexplored.
For instance, the Mingyuan Abyss enclosing the Mingyuan Sect, the holy land of the Eastern Desolation, or the boundless Million Mountains.
Or the Northern Sea's Endless Demon Sea.
The Southern Ocean bordering the Southern Border remained equally mysterious to this day.
The far side of the Mountain Sea Realm was structured roughly like this: the Mingyuan Abyss, Gu Ocean, Demon Sea, and the savage wilderness mountains, all filled with endless ghost mist and yin qi, perhaps even with surviving desolate beasts roaming within!
The human race's conventional chronological divisions of "remote antiquity," "ancient times," and the like were likely no more than the snap of a finger compared to the history of this world!
"The Nascent Soul realm is still lacking after all. If I can reach the Soul Formation realm, perhaps I will be able to fully explore this world."
As Luo Chen thought this, his feet had already landed upon a high cliff.
Wanghai Cliff!
Upon his arrival, someone was already waiting there.
Looking at the tall, maturely alluring woman—slender waist, shapely hips, and long legs that still caught the eye even as she bowed respectfully—Luo Chen swept his gaze over her with a smile.
"Haixin, you have made no small progress over the years!"
Having received Luo Chen's greeting, the cautious Cheng Haixin finally let out a sigh of relief and lifted her delicate head.
With just one look, her eyes froze.
The Perfected One's features remained as they had been back then, yet his complexion had grown even fairer.
Not only that, as he stood there with hands behind his back doing nothing at all, he seemed like an innate flame, searing to the eyes and making one dare not look at him directly.
She drew a breath and murmured softly, "The Perfected One praises me too much. Haixin's aptitude is dull and slow. A century has passed and I have yet to form a Gold Core, disappointing the Perfected One."
In a hundred years, Luo Chen had already formed his Nascent Soul, whereas Cheng Haixin was only at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, not even having attained Great Perfection; by comparison, she paled drastically.
Yet going by her age, she was merely around a hundred and forty years old, and reaching such a realm already qualified as a genius in the cultivation world!
Evidently, the medicinal pills and resources Luo Chen had left behind when he departed, together with the abundant spirit vein of Yaoyue Island, had benefited this woman immensely.
Luo Chen smiled and asked about the state of the Flying Swallow Archipelago.
Presently, among the islands, the Cheng clan reigned supreme, occupying seven islands all to themselves, with their Foundation Establishment cultivators numbering well over ten—truly the foremost Foundation Establishment family of the archipelago!
However, over the past century, the Flying Swallow Archipelago had not been entirely without Gold Core experts.
For example, the Third Elder of the Xu clan, which had good relations with the Cheng clan, had managed by sheer luck to advance to the Gold Core stage after comprehending the *Qingyang Pill Canon* that Luo Chen had left behind on the stone stele on Yaoyue Island.
"And where is he now?"
"He left."
"Oh?"
Cheng Haixin recounted the reasons in detail.
It turned out that after the Xu clan's Third Elder formed his core, he felt deeply that the resources of the Flying Swallow Archipelago were too meager; relying solely on goods brought by the caravans could hardly sustain the cultivation of a Gold Core cultivator.
Moreover, the sole third-rank spirit vein nominally belonged to Cheng Haixin.
And this spirit vein bore the mark of Demonic Lord Qingyang!
Mindful of the friendship between the Xu and Cheng clans, and intimidated by Luo Chen's demonic might, the Third Elder had no choice but to go outside to seek a cultivation environment more suited to him.
At that time, the war between the righteous and demonic factions had been escalating, and the Xu clan's Third Elder had seized the opportunity to make a name for himself, securing considerable gains.
During this process, he had caught the eye of an expert from the Canghai Righteous Alliance, who brought him into the alliance's subordinate forces and granted him a small island with a third-rank spirit vein, allowing his clan to recuperate and thrive.
"He was quite sensible," Luo Chen chuckled softly. Then, as if recalling something, he suddenly asked, "What of Xu Muxian?"
He had not uttered this name in a very long time.
Yet he had not forgotten it.
No matter what, the youth had been his nominal registered disciple.
And he had possessed considerable talent in the Dao of Alchemy.
Facing Luo Chen's inquiry, Cheng Haixin hesitated slightly before replying, "He left as well."
Luo Chen frowned. "Did he leave with the Xu clan?"
The reason he frowned was remembering that Xu Muxian's relationship with the Xu clan had never been good, and later, due to the marriage alliance with the Cheng clan, he had favored the Cheng clan even more.
Cheng Haixin shook her head.
"No, Muxian departed very early on. After his wife passed away, and after he consumed the Foundation Establishment Pill you specially left for him to successfully establish his foundation, he left the Flying Swallow Archipelago without hesitation to wander the outside world. This happened even before the Xu clan's Third Elder formed his Gold Core."
Hearing this answer, Luo Chen fell silent.
He vaguely remembered how that registered disciple of his had once been lost and bewildered, and how Luo Chen had scolded him for aiming too high, dreaming of forming a core before even establishing a foundation.
During their final conversation, he had encouraged him: even if the Great Dao was hard to find, the world held boundless sights, and one ought to go out and see them.
To think that the youth had not only succeeded in Foundation Establishment, but had truly leaped out from this shallow well of the Flying Swallow Archipelago to behold the scenery of the world.
Had he set a good example?
Luo Chen sighed and asked, "Did he leave behind any offspring?"
Cheng Haixin shook her head, saying he had not.
Since that was the case, Luo Chen asked no more and brought up another matter.
"I am merely passing through the Flying Swallow Archipelago and will not stay long. Early tomorrow morning, I shall depart. This time, I will give you another choice: would you like to leave with me?"
Cheng Haixin froze, and then a breathtaking smile blossomed across her face.
Years ago, Luo Chen had offered her the same choice, and now he was doing so once again.
Furthermore, unlike back then, Luo Chen's words now carried an even greater confidence.
If she agreed, the journey ahead would surely be smooth sailing, and she would not have to endure the many trials and tribulations Luo Chen had faced in the past.
Such was the tremendous sense of security that a Nascent Soul Perfected Cultivator brought her.
Yet this time, her answer remained unchanged.
"That the Perfected One still keeps me in his thoughts brings this concubine great joy, but..."
Luo Chen frowned. "Back then, you were weighed down by your clan, which I could understand. But now, the Cheng clan is the foremost family here, with over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators. They do not lack you in the slightest. Why cling to this place?"
Cheng Haixin smoothed back a stray lock of hair and smiled gently. "It has nothing to do with the clan; this concubine has simply grown accustomed to it."
"Accustomed?"
"Accustomed to the sea and mountains here, and accustomed to the tranquility of Yaoyue Island. I have also heard some rumors about you from the Flying Swallow Caravan, Perfected One. Every time they speak of you, it sounds so perilous, so magnificent, and so thrilling. Yet Haixin has never experienced such turmoil since childhood, rarely fights with others, and knows nothing of combat. You are destined to achieve great things, Perfected One, and future battles will be inevitable. If I remain by your side, I might receive your protection, but I could never serve you wholeheartedly as Master Tianxuan or Lord Black King do. In the end, I would merely be a burden."
This time, Luo Chen did not interrupt the woman, only listening quietly.
He knew that she was right.
Going to the Northern Sea this time involved both the conflict between righteous and demonic factions and the invasion of the demon coalition; even returning to the Eastern Desolation would involve endless scheming and deceit.
Having Cheng Haixin by his side would indeed be a burden.
Even though he had a certain degree of confidence that he could protect her, he had no complete assurance of keeping her safe and sound.
From the very beginning, those gathered around him were "useful people"!
"This concubine has thought it through clearly. War and fire, power and authority—none of these are what I desire. Only quiet cultivation and comprehending the Dao are the true anchors of my life."
"That the Perfected One thinks of me is already wonderful enough."
"In the future, if the Perfected One is free, has time, or feels hurt... or weary, then come back to sit for a while on Yaoyue Island."
"This concubine will warm the wine and await you!"
Luo Chen looked earnestly at the woman. Time had left its marks upon her face.
Though her features remained captivating, she was no longer the charming young maiden from their first meeting.
Her bearing had grown increasingly mature, and her thoughts and wishes were no longer the passive submissions dictated by her elder brother.
He urged her no further, simply reaching out to wrap an arm around her waist, drawing her into his embrace.
"The wind is rising. Let us return to the island!"
Cheng Haixin's eyes curved gently, the corners of her lips turning up slightly.
She still remembered that years ago, the words "the night is cold and the wind is fierce upon Wanghai Cliff" had originally been spoken by her.
...
In the middle of the night, clad in soft silk undergarments, Luo Chen stroked the woman's smooth, jade-like back, his divine sense sweeping across her entire body.
Suddenly!
With a light tap of his fingertips, wisps of gentle Dharmic powers were channeled into her body.
Traces of foul qi and impurities were expelled from the acupoints on the surface of her skin. With a flick of his sleeve, they all fell to the floor, leaving her skin as smooth as before.
With a soft murmur, Cheng Haixin awoke from her slumber.
"Husband?"
"You aren't calling me 'Perfected One' anymore?"
Cheng Haixin blushed. Ever since that night of parting years ago, she had regarded Luo Chen as her husband; previously, it was only because of the vast disparity in cultivation realms that she had not dared to claim intimacy.
Now, having rekindled their intimacy once again, things were naturally different.
Luo Chen smiled. "Just now, while you were asleep, I cleared your meridians and purged some impurities from your physique. However, the bit of pill poison on the barrier of your qi sea is something I cannot touch rashly. Therefore, if you wish to form a Gold Core, you must diligently cultivate that pill-purging technique from the *Micromote Origin Art*."
"Additionally, take good care of these bottles of pills. They will be of great help in forming your core, especially this bottle of mild Liquid Condensation Pills!"
"Furthermore, this water-attribute cultivation technique will seamlessly connect with your subsequent training; even if you carry it all the way to the Nascent Soul stage, it will be sufficient."
"As for this top-grade water-attribute flying sword, with your current abilities you cannot refine it, so I have sealed it for you. Once you form your core..."
As Luo Chen rambled on, a tender finger gently pressed against his lips.
"Husband, tonight let us not speak of the Great Dao, but only of romance, all right?"
Luo Chen paused, then chuckled freely.
Indeed, he had become overly attached to forms; after decades without rest, he had focused solely on pressing fiercely forward.
"Fair enough. Only of romance!"
That night, the wind blew fiercely over the island and the moon was obscured. Rain fell, sending ripples across the ten-li tranquil lake.
...
Early the next morning, with Tianxuan driving the carriage, Luo Chen quietly departed.
Across the entire Flying Swallow Archipelago, countless cultivators were utterly unaware that Demonic Lord Qingyang, who had once held absolute sway over the islands, had ever returned.
Cheng Haixin did not see him off, only standing before that stone stele, staring blankly in a daze.
Only after a long while did she pace back to the palace.
The palace gates slammed shut; this shutting would last for decades.
...
"Master, where are we heading now?" Tianxuan asked.
The tenderness in Luo Chen's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a trace of ruthlessness.
"First, to Lengguang Island!"
Tianxuan blinked in surprise, then came to a sudden realization.
Some people and some matters, though unmentioned, were by no means forgotten.
The Six Imperials Flying Cloud Carriage jolted slightly, accelerating with immense speed, streaking across the sky like a beam of flowing light!
Chapter 719