Dead, Mad, and Missing: The Ominous Sea

Mount Xiaoqiong. It was one of the Tier 4 spiritual mountains within Shenyuan City. Even though it was only a minor Tier 4 spirit vein, under the hands of skilled craftsmen from the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance, over a hundred cave abodes had been carved into it, capable of accommodating many cultivators meditating at the same time. By comparison, while the Myriad Immortals Association's Dragon Taming Mountain Range was vast, its utilization of spiritual veins had been far too crude. Inside a spacious cave abode, Luo Chen walked out from a quiet meditation chamber, a look of distinct satisfaction on his face. The concentration of spiritual qi here was remarkably high, exceptionally well suited for cultivation at his current realm. He had not asked about the rent; it was obvious that the price for an abode of this caliber would be exorbitant, if spirit stones alone could secure it at all. It required connections! It was only because he had established a cooperative relationship with Fu Chaosheng that the man had granted him use of it free of charge for a period. After all, every bit Luo Chen's cultivation grew added that much more certainty to his later task of protecting Fu Chaosheng's granddaughter. Fu Hongzhang had been waiting quietly in the reception parlor. Seeing Luo Chen's pleased smile, he could not help but let out a sigh of relief. "What does Master think?" Luo Chen smiled faintly and nodded. "I've troubled you greatly. Not only did you gather resources on my behalf, but you also arranged such a comfortable cultivation environment." Fu Hongzhang waved his hands hurriedly. "Since the family head entrusted this matter to us, we will naturally do our utmost. If Master has any other requirements, please do not hesitate to speak; this junior will exert every effort to fulfill them." At this point, he added with considerable confidence, "Though my own abilities are modest, I have managed the alliance's secular affairs for many years, dabbling in matters great and small. The family head explicitly stated in his letter that so long as Master makes a request, I must satisfy it to the best of my ability." Luo Chen's brow rose. Fu Chaosheng had truly spared no expense! Not only had he ordered people to prepare a batch of the resources Luo Chen needed well before his arrival, but he had also placed his family's cultivators at Luo Chen's beck and call. At that thought, Luo Chen pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you happen to know the current whereabouts and movements of the Myriad Immortals Association's Three Great Loose Cultivators?" Fu Hongzhang froze for a second. He had originally assumed Luo Chen would be curious about the high-tier cultivators of Shenyuan City or the situation in the Central Plains, and had already prepared general answers for such topics. He had not expected him to be more interested in the Three Great Loose Cultivators of the Northern Sea. Yet on second thought, this senior called himself the "Desolate Hermit," so it was only natural that he would be interested in seniors who also bore the title of "Hermit" and had achieved renown far earlier. Fu Hongzhang thought for a moment before slowly recounting the intelligence he possessed. "The Mad Hermit was originally known as Layman Fengling, and had always cultivated in seclusion at Fengling Temple. But later, Fengling Temple was seized by the Yuan Demon Sect, leaving him a homeless loose cultivator. It was around that time that the name 'Wind Hermit' gradually gained fame. However, after entering the Sunken Sea and emerging, he went mad. Thus, the Wind Hermit became the Mad Hermit. Over the years, he has wandered all across the Northern Sea, elusive as a divine dragon showing its head but never its tail. The intelligence regarding him is far too fragmented. If Master wishes for a thorough understanding, I can arrange for someone to deliver a consolidated dossier later." Luo Chen gave a noncommittal grunt. He was not particularly interested in this late Nascent Soul great cultivator whom he had heard of only by name and never met in person. His true targets were the other two hermits! "As for the Moon Hermit..." Fu Hongzhang hesitated slightly when mentioning that woman. Luo Chen blinked. "What about her? I heard that the Myriad Immortals Association collapsed under the assault of the demon beast coalition. How is the Moon Hermit doing now?" Fu Hongzhang said hesitantly, "That senior's situation is somewhat difficult to determine." "Oh?" "Before the Demon Alliance attacked, she came to Shenyuan City once to use the cross-sea teleportation array. Later, she rushed back and led the Myriad Immortals Association to resist the Demon Alliance army. According to our intelligence, in that battle, the Moon Hermit revealed an astounding late Nascent Soul cultivation, suppressing seven Nascent Soul demon cultivators single-handedly. She even brought out a treasured chart, intending to rout the demon beast coalition in one fell swoop. Yet at the critical moment, she pulled back and withdrew, abandoning the Myriad Immortals Association to flee alone. Since then, not a trace of her has been seen." Luo Chen listened intently, his mind racing. The Moon Hermit using the teleportation array must have been when she went to hunt him down. When that Star-Chasing Demonic Beast and his soul-split puppet died together at Soul Severing Cliff, the Moon Hermit had lost all trace of him and had no choice but to return empty-handed. Her cultivation went without saying; it had already been revealed back in Mingzhao Heaven. Once considered the weakest of the Three Great Loose Cultivators, she had instead leaped into the same realm as the Mad Hermit, possessing a sound mind and far more stable prowess. With her strength combined with the manpower and material resources of the Myriad Immortals Association, as long as no late Nascent Soul Demon Sovereign appeared among the invading enemies, the association should have been able to hold out. And according to the reports, she had indeed nearly turned the tide and propped up the falling edifice. Yet everything fell apart on that word—"nearly." "Why did she withdraw?" Luo Chen asked in a deep voice. Fu Hongzhang shook his head. "It is unclear. Some say an ancient demon at the Soul Formation stage personally intervened, while others claim she suffered backlash from that treasured chart, which might be a spirit treasure. A comparatively more credible conjecture is that the appearance of the wild beast Ghost Immortal Tower spooked her. But in any case, she has completely vanished now, and no one knows where she went." Luo Chen weighed these three possibilities, immediately ruling out the intervention of an ancient Soul Formation demon. It was common knowledge that the Demon Alliance had deployed only a single ancient Soul Formation demon—the Sea Emperor Whale. And that demon had clashed with the human almighty Li Canghai the moment it emerged. Where would it find the leisure to target a Nascent Soul cultivator? Between spirit treasure backlash and the wild beast Ghost Immortal Tower, he leaned heavily toward the latter. For no other reason than this! In the Northern Sea cultivation world today, the terrifying repute of the Ghost Immortal Tower was nothing short of monstrous! Wherever it passed, almost no one could stand as its match. A major reason why the orthodox and demonic factions had called a truce and joined hands was precisely to free up late Nascent Soul great cultivators to deal with that beast. Still, her disappearance was for the best. At least before leaving the Northern Sea, he would not have to constantly guard against her. Yet Fu Hongzhang's next words caused Luo Chen's relaxed expression to shift. "Speaking of which, among the Northern Sea's Three Great Loose Cultivators who were once in their prime, some have gone mad, some are dead, and some are missing—and every single one of them ventured into the Sunken Sea. Indeed, there is good reason why that sea is called an ominous sea." "Who died?" Luo Chen blurted out, his eyes filled with shock. The one who had gone mad and the one who had gone missing could easily be matched to their names. Could the dead one be the Blood Hermit? Yet... "The Blood Hermit!" Fu Hongzhang spread his hands. "We only received word of it recently. The battle between the Blood Hermit and Blood Nightmare Moluo turned the ten-thousand-li Lengguang Archipelago into a living purgatory, wiping out every living creature. It was truly devoid of humanity. It is said that after that clash, a colossal blood sea spanning ten thousand li lingered without dissipating, from which nonsensical, maddened roars would echo from time to time. The blood sea even showed signs of expanding outward. A disturbance on that scale drew Almighty Li of the Canghai Righteous Path Alliance, who personally intervened to resolve the scourge of the blood sea. The cost, however, was that the Lengguang Archipelago—once blessed with the foundation of a Tier 4 spirit vein—became a completely spiritless wasteland." Luo Chen struggled to digest this news. He asked softly, "No matter how strong a Nascent Soul cultivator may be, how could they possibly affect an expanse of ten thousand li?" The destructive might of a Nascent Soul cultivator was indeed terrifying; Luo Chen had experienced it firsthand. However, that occurred under conditions of a running mobile battle, constantly shifting positions and venting aftershocks of combat, thereby altering the climate and geography. Yet according to Fu Hongzhang, after the clash of the two blood practitioners, a blood sea had evolved as though possessing a life of its own, encroaching outward. Fu Hongzhang pondered for a moment and said, "According to the family head's conjecture, Blood Nightmare Moluo may have borne the power of the Yuan Demon Sect's Ancestor Blood Sea. That power likely went out of control during the battle, causing the entire situation to spiral. Otherwise, it cannot explain why Almighty Li would step in personally to clean up the aftermath." Power of the Soul Formation level could only be resolved by a Soul Formation almighty! Luo Chen fell silent. Had the Blood Hermit, an illustrious figure of his generation, truly fallen just like that? And what of Blood Nightmare Moluo, with whom he shared an enmity, from whom he had only collected a fraction of interest? Had he really perished as well? Did they bear Ancestor Blood Sea's power? When he retreated back then, had the colossal shadow he glimpsed beneath the sea's surface been the manifestation of that very power? No one could give him definitive answers to these questions. The Tianyuan Commerce Alliance's intelligence went only as far as noting that the once-glorious Lengguang Island was now a literal "spiritless land." There were no spirit veins, no spiritual qi; even the stray spiritual qi drifting between heaven and earth would steer clear of that domain. Seeing his silence, Fu Hongzhang did not dare say more. The reception parlor fell into an awkward hush. It was only Tianxuan's arrival that broke the silence. "Master, everything has been inventoried. They are largely the items specified on your list. As for the exact price, according to Fellow Daoist Fu's markings, it comes to thirty million low-grade spirit stones in total." Thirty million? Luo Chen looked up at Fu Hongzhang. The man smiled and said, "This is only the first batch. Because Master requested such a massive quantity of medicinal herbs, this was all we could gather in the short term. But rest assured, with our Tianyuan Commerce Alliance's years of operation in the Northern Sea and business channels spanning the five continents, the remaining herbs will be gathered completely very soon." Luo Chen nodded. "I have troubled you." Having a major power handle affairs was simply this effortless! Refining the Hongyuan Pills needed for regular cultivation and the Great Soul Pills needed for soul tempering required over a hundred varieties of medicinal herbs, and in immense quantities. Relying on Luo Chen alone to gather them all would have taken at least a century. He had had his fill of days spent delaying his cultivation, running about everywhere merely to scavenge herbs. Luo Chen even considered delegating part of the materials needed to refine Liquid Condensation Pills and new Nascent Soul Formation Pills to the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance later on. Otherwise, once his cooperation with Fu Chaosheng concluded, he would lose this channel. The Tianyuan Commerce Alliance wielded formidable power; ordinary Nascent Soul Masters would never receive such preferential treatment. "Right, Master, there is also something here that wasn't on your list." Luo Chen looked over. Tianxuan was holding a bone board and two small pots, one black and one white. "This is?" Luo Chen looked at Fu Hongzhang. The man perked up and explained, "This is a Weiqi set. The board is crafted from the leg bone of a Tier 3 demon beast, as are the bowls. The black and white stones are carved from Tier 2 luminous shells unique to the Northern Sea. While it cannot rival the renowned game sets of our Tianyuan Dao Sect in the Central Plains, it is nonetheless quite precious, particularly with the distinct local flavor of the Northern Sea. This is a personal gift from the family head, not included in the transaction, so Master need not pay any spirit stones for it." "In that case, my thanks." After Fu Hongzhang departed, Luo Chen retrieved a black stone and a white stone, both translucent and lustrous as jade, and rubbed them between his fingers, a thoughtful expression surfacing on his face. Rumor had it that the art of Weiqi was exceedingly popular in the Central Plains. Almost every disciple of the Tianyuan Dao Sect knew how to play a game or two. Fu Chaosheng having this sent over was likely meant to let him familiarize himself in advance with the customs of the Central Plains, facilitating his upcoming journey there. Casting his gaze over the intersecting vertical and horizontal lines across the board, Luo Chen felt a flicker of interest. Before his transmigration, human technology had already developed so-called "artificial intelligence." As for which specific industries it had been deployed to, Luo Chen had not known in detail. Yet as a casual onlooker, he had known about the grand matches between Weiqi masters and artificial intelligence. Before then, Weiqi was hailed as an intellectual game representing the pinnacle of human wisdom—not merely a game, but an embodiment of intellect and strategy. Yet after successive defeats of top players by artificial intelligence, the scientific community had proclaimed that the game had been thoroughly conquered by AI. A cultivator's intellect, of course, was beyond comparison to ordinary humans before his transmigration. The sheer vastness of a cultivator's soul foundation alone, along with the infinite computational capacity yielded by the flow of divine sense, was enough to dwarf any mortal. Under such conditions, what kind of spectacle would a match of Weiqi between high-tier cultivators be? A battle between humanoid supercomputers? Luo Chen chuckled and returned the stones to their bowl. For such pastimes, dabbling was enough; expending too much effort was unnecessary. He had no interest in becoming a Go Sage. Instead, now that various medicinal herbs had been delivered to his doorstep, it was time to refine the corresponding pills—not only to resume his cultivation, but also to test how much his cultivation speed in the Nascent Soul stage would increase with the aid of medicinal pills. Moreover, the split soul he had painstakingly severed after forming his Nascent Soul was currently only at the late Core Formation level. He needed to refine Great Soul Pills to bolster its strength and elevate it to the Nascent Soul realm as swiftly as possible. He did not put the board and stones away, leaving them on the table in the parlor. During his leisure time, he could teach himself a little without expending much thought; it would serve as an extra diversion. Just before stepping into the alchemy chamber, Luo Chen could not resist casting another glance at the board on the table. He vaguely recalled that the poem at the entrance to Mingzhao Heaven seemed to have spoken of Weiqi as well. Did Demon Lord Heaven Refiner also enjoy playing chess? ... Luo Chen was waiting. Waiting for Fu Chaosheng's return. The man served as the Grand Elder of the Northern Sea Tianyuan Commerce Alliance, and his two-hundred-year tenure was nearly up. Coupled with his advanced age, Fu Chaosheng was already prepared to step down and return to his ancestral home. Once he settled all matters great and small in the Northern Sea, he would come to Shenyuan City and journey to the Central Plains together with Luo Chen. At the same time, Luo Chen was waiting for Black King. When they set foot on Giant Whale Port, Black King had quietly slipped away, swimming off toward the former grounds of the Myriad Immortals Association. Luo Chen had instructed Black King to see if he could track down any traces of old acquaintances. The Dragon Taming Mountain Range had already been overrun by demon beasts; it would be troublesome for Luo Chen to go in person, but Black King was far better suited for the task. During this waiting period, Luo Chen was far from idle. After forming his Nascent Soul, many things needed to be replanned, a tangle of countless threads with no obvious place to begin. Yet as he went along, Luo Chen had gradually organized his plans, sorting them by priority and urgency. His natal cultivation method was of paramount importance, yet it was not the first priority to resolve, as the great perfection Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture remained serviceable. Even if he wished to create his own technique, that could not be achieved overnight. The same held true for body refinement. Therefore, he placed his immediate focus upon the matter of medicinal pills. He had studied the pill formulas for the Hongyuan Pill and Great Soul Pill for quite some time, and felt he knew them by heart. Furthermore, having had the experience of refining the Tier 5 divine Law Deduction Pill in the Alchemy Realm, Tier 4 pills posed little difficulty to him, even though he had not yet advanced to a Tier 5 alchemist. While processing the herbs, Luo Chen began testing his hand. In his spare time, he guided Sang Jinghe's cultivation. The man had not formed his core very long ago, yet had accompanied him on his travels, personally handling trivial matters on his behalf; Luo Chen naturally would not treat him harshly. Tianxuan's cultivation had long been on the right track, requiring no concern from Luo Chen. Thus, Tianxuan's primary task recently was liaising with Fu Hongzhang, procuring certain resources Luo Chen needed through him. Such as manuals and records on puppetry techniques. Puppetry was considered a minor path—cumbersome, exorbitant in cost, and far less convenient than enslaving demon beasts or building connections to hire enforcers. Consequently, it had never been mainstream in the cultivation world. The difficulty of hunting down manuals in this field was no less than that of finding Tier 4 cultivation methods. Luo Chen left these affairs to Tianxuan and Fu Hongzhang, while he himself did not take a single step beyond the threshold, quietly cultivating with peace of mind in his Mount Xiaoqiong cave abode. In the vast expanse of Shenyuan City, the arrival of another Nascent Soul Master seemed, for a time, to go entirely unnoticed. Yet it was not truly known to no one. Fu Hongzhang's frequent movements of late had drawn the attention of certain observant individuals within the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance. Inside a white high tower. Shen Wandou, a Grand Elder of the Northern Sea Tianyuan Commerce Alliance, listened to the report of the subordinate cultivator below, his eyes slightly narrowing. At the end, the cultivator concluded: "Elder Fu's tenure is approaching its end, so he must have dispatched his clan's cultivators to gather a massive cache of Northern Sea resources, preparing to bring them back to the Central Plains!" To this, Shen Wandou shook his head. "Though his Fu clan has an ancient heritage, its population has always been sparse, and the clan's cultivators mostly serve within the sect as secular deacons, with little involvement in alchemy. That motley assortment of herbs is clearly not intended for his own clan." The subordinate hesitated. "I hear Elder Fu's granddaughter, Fu Qinglan, successfully formed her Nascent Soul at the age of three hundred, making her a true genius among the younger generation. Perhaps these resources are prepared for her!" Shen Wandou sneered. "The true geniuses of our sect, outside of breaking through bottlenecks, have always disdained the frequent use of pills to aid their cultivation. Fu Chaosheng could not possibly be so foolish as to seek transient speed and ruin his granddaughter's lifelong path." "Then..." The subordinate looked bewildered. Shen Wandou tucked away his smirk and pondered deeply. If Fu Chaosheng intended to take a batch of resources back for trade before leaving, reaping one last windfall on the side, that would not be out of the question. Yet the resources he had learned about were extremely varied in kind but not particularly high in tier. Aside from a few types, they were not especially rare. Even accounting for the price disparity between the Northern Sea and the Central Plains, one would not make much profit. Clearly, these resources were not for his own use. Yet hauling them on such a grand scale to Mount Xiaoqiong... "Go investigate the recent comings and goings at Mount Xiaoqiong. See if there are any unfamiliar faces, particularly around that Tier 4 cave abode." ... "Is this the Great Soul Pill?" Inside the alchemy chamber, Luo Chen pinched a pitch-black pill between his fingers, his eyes gleaming with wonder. From the depths of his divine soul, an instinctive hunger welled up. As if... it were starving? Taking two whole months, he had finally used soul essence as the primary material to concoct the Tier 4 pill from Demon Lord Heaven Refiner's alchemy legacy capable of enhancing Nascent Soul cultivators—the Great Soul Pill! When the pill completed, an anomaly had even manifested! At that moment, ghostly wails and wolf-like howls filled the alchemy chamber, grievances clamoring as if countless wrongfully slain souls had erupted all at once. There was only one cause for such an occurrence: it had to stem from the primary ingredient, the soul essence! Yet the method for producing soul essence passed down from the Yuan Demon Sect supposedly expelled all residual traces of deceased souls, leaving behind only incomparably pure soul energy. The soul essence he had extracted from Duan Li back then had been like that, containing only a few residual wisps belonging to the Yuan Demon remnant himself. It was normal to retain remnants of a Yuan Demon Sect disciple, for that soul essence had already been refined by someone. It had belonged to a master. Yet the soul essence he held now was unrefined raw material; it should not have harbored the remnants of living souls. It seemed that the Yuan Demon Sect had held something back after all! Their subordinate vassals simply could not completely purge the residual wills of deceased souls. Under these circumstances, Old Monster Netherfire feeding such soul essence to his natal netherfire to nurture sentience—it would have been stranger if he hadn't suffered backlash! Luo Chen had been fortunate. The pill formula noted that a specialized alchemical art was required to deal with the residual wills inside the soul essence, and he had found that very art within the seventy-two volumes of alchemical tomes. Only after studying it was he able to refine a Great Soul Pill truly devoid of any lingering side effects. "The Soul Extraction Technique... that such a marvelous spell is actually classified as an alchemical art?" Luo Chen sighed in marvel, then instinctively licked his dry lips. He was somewhat eager to try this Great Soul Pill. No day was better than today! Leaving the alchemy chamber, Luo Chen bathed and freshened up before carrying the Great Soul Pill into the cultivation chamber. Not long after, Shen Wandou arrived outside Mount Xiaoqiong alone. Gazing at the mist-shrouded Mount Xiaoqiong, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Fu Qinglan formed her Nascent Soul not long ago; by rights, she should not harbor the greed to participate in the Five-Hundred-Year Grand Tournament. Yet the Fu clan has long been in decline, its status as a prominent clan tottering. It is hard to say whether Fu Chaosheng might harbor such ambitions." "If he can secure a powerful external aid to protect Fu Qingqing while cultivating in the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven, perhaps she truly stands a chance." "Liu Yuan is the one I have taken a liking to. Though his aptitude is not superlative, his disposition is extraordinarily steadfast. Since he harbors the ambition to elevate the Liu clan into a prominent clan, and my Shen clan lacks a suitable candidate to enter the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven in this generation, if I assist him in achieving success, I will not only forge good karma but also ensure that the Shen clan remains unshakeable within the Dao Sect for a millennium." "On this trip, I shall probe the depths of this Desolate Hermit on Liu Yuan's behalf!" His resolve set, he pressed forward. Wherever he passed, the cultivators of Mount Xiaoqiong respectfully greeted him as "Grand Elder." He met them with a cold countenance, only breaking into a smile when he reached that Tier 4 cave abode, while releasing his faint, undulating Nascent Soul aura. Tianxuan hurried out. Feeling that subtle yet unmistakable pressure, her expression tightened. "Tianxuan greets Senior!" Shen Wandou looked at Tianxuan with suspicion; the aura on this woman was somewhat peculiar. Yet he did not dwell on it, smiling instead as he said, "This old man is Shen Wandou, Grand Elder of the Northern Sea Tianyuan Commerce Alliance. I have come specifically to pay a visit to the Desolate Hermit." Tianxuan said hesitantly, "My master is currently cultivating; I fear it is inconvenient for him to receive guests." Shen Wandou furrowed his brows. "Is that so? This old man heard that the Desolate Hermit has been searching hard for puppetry techniques. It so happens I possess an ancient tome, and wished to exchange insights with him. Since that is the case, let us drop the matter." With that, he turned to leave. Right at that moment, an extraordinary power rippled outward like waves. "Fellow Daoist, why not step inside for a chat?" Surprise showed on Shen Wandou's face. "What formidable divine sense!" Taking a deep breath, he strode into the cave abode.