A group of people arrived in Shenyuan City.
This was hardly surprising. Although Shenyuan City was vaguely surrounded by the allied demon beast forces, under the daunting prestige of the Central Plains' Tianyuan Dao Sect, the demon beasts had never actually laid siege to the city all these years, so cultivators had continually come and gone.
However, this newly arrived group drew attention from all sides from the moment they entered the city.
They spanned various cultivation realms, though most were at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages. They were relatively young, both men and women.
The only thing they shared in common was the identical coral flower emblem of their family crest embroidered on their garments.
These people reeked of blood. Their expressions were numb, yet tinged with the faint relief of having survived a catastrophe.
In secret, streams of divine sense conversed with one another.
"Are these cultivators from the Coral Sea Zhou family?"
"Judging by that hallmark family crest, that must be right. Who would have thought that of the Myriad Immortals Association's three great Nascent Soul families, it would be the Coral Sea Zhou family that held out to the end?"
"The Tianqu Chen family had their treacherous trench as a natural moat, and Wuzhong Valley was reputed to turn back ten thousand demons, yet under the onslaught of the demon coalition army, both were shattered in mere years. Instead, it was the unremarkable Coral Sea Zhou family, with no natural barrier to rely upon, that actually held out for a full twenty years. Tsk, tsk..."
"Holding out for so long is indeed commendable, but the Zhou family, which once had over a hundred million clansmen and tens of thousands of cultivators, is probably reduced to just these few people now."
"Fellow Daoist Li, shall we find an opportunity to pay a visit together to the Zhou family ancestor? In the past, people thought he was over eight hundred years old and trapped at the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, nothing more than a dry bone in a tomb. But seeing how he could lead his clan's cultivators to break through the encirclement, he was truly concealing his depth!"
"Agreed!"
The survivor cohort of several dozen Zhou family members was undergoing inspection by Shenyuan City cultivators to prevent metamorphosed Nascent Soul demon cultivators from slipping into the city.
Yet they discovered that ever since entering the city, their ancestor had vanished without a trace.
For a time, anxiety gripped their hearts.
Their ancestor was their heavens!
Now that the heavens were gone, anyone would panic.
In the end, a prudent, senior figure stepped forward on his own initiative to soothe everyone, explaining that the ancestor had gone to see a friend to arrange a place to settle the clan's cultivators.
Only after these comforting words did everyone settle down.
Yet facing the scrutinizing stares of numerous unfamiliar cultivators in Shenyuan City, the Zhou family cultivators could not help hanging their heads, like stray dogs driven from their home.
***
At the foot of Mount Xiaoqiong, an old man in green robes with a long beard hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took a step forward into the mountain.
As he entered, the clouds and mist parted on their own accord, clearing a pathway.
This signified that the master of this place was already aware of his arrival.
Seeing this, the green-robed elder felt his heart inexplicably calm instead.
He proceeded along the path, eventually catching sight of a smiling young man in a pavilion on the mountainside.
He wore loose white robes, with a gold-and-red cloud-pattern jade belt cinched at his waist, and jet-black hair cascading down his back, loosely bound by merely a wooden hairpin.
Upon seeing him, the young man smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Fellow Daoist, following my spirit pet all this way and arriving uninvited isn't quite polite, is it?"
The green-robed elder looked hesitant. Staring at the young man's appearance, which was vastly different from what he remembered, he could not confirm his identity for a moment.
He spoke tentatively, "Demonic Lord Qingyang, Luo Hai?"
The corners of Luo Chen's lips curved slightly. "This humble one is Luo Chen, known as the Desolate Hermit."
*Luo Hai, Luo Chen?*
*Demonic Lord, Hermit?*
The green-robed elder shook his head. "I know not who you truly are; perhaps even 'Desolate Hermit' is merely one of your aliases. But I do recognize that black flood dragon. It was the spirit pet of Demonic Lord Qingyang, master of Penghu Lake in the Myriad Immortals Association."
Luo Chen countered, "Could Demonic Lord Qingyang's spirit pet possess such capabilities?"
The green-robed elder fell silent for a brief moment, but soon replied resolutely, "If Demonic Lord Qingyang could become the Desolate Hermit, then it is only natural that his spirit pet made such progress."
Luo Chen was rendered speechless.
Well, the false identities he had adopted since coming out of seclusion had been exposed one after another before Fu Chaosheng and the Zhou family ancestor—not because his disguises were lacking, but because his two spirit pets had each given him away.
From this perspective, for a high-ranking cultivator to hide himself perfectly, it was no longer just a matter of name, appearance, aura, and divine sense.
One had to consider completely different divine senses and dharmic powers, two entirely separate sets of signature techniques, and even carriage conveyances, spirit pets, and servants—every single aspect had to be accounted for.
Since that was the case, there was no need to conceal it any longer.
Luo Chen smiled faintly and gave a Daoist salute with bowed head. "This humble one is Luo Chen. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhou."
The green-robed elder breathed a sigh of relief and returned the salute. "Of the Coral Sea... Zhou Yunshen greets Fellow Daoist Luo."
He had already concluded that the man before him was indeed Demonic Lord Qingyang, who had risen to great fame in the Myriad Immortals Association back then. For him to introduce himself so formally, "Luo Chen" was surely his true name.
And yet...
Sensing the faint, elusive fluctuations of dharmic power on Luo Chen, along with that unrestrained divine sense, Zhou Yunshen felt conflicted, and his words were filled with immense emotion.
"Back during this old man's eight-hundredth birthday banquet, Fellow Daoist was merely at the Golden Core stage. In just a few decades, you have actually broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. It is truly astonishing!"
Luo Chen laughed softly. "Are you not concealing your depth as well, Fellow Daoist? The world merely took you to be at the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul stage and well advanced in years, never knowing you had already reached the sixth layer, just one step away from the seventh layer—the realm of a Great Cultivator."
During his days in the Myriad Immortals Association, Luo Chen had not simply closed himself behind shut doors to work in isolation.
He had not only built wide connections within the Myriad Immortals Association, but had also maintained ties with the three external powers that comprised the alliance.
Wuzhong Valley went without saying.
And the Coral Sea Zhou family was the one with which he had the deepest ties.
Not only had a woman of the Zhou family married Zhang Jiadi, who worked on his behalf, but Luo Chen had also attended the eight-hundredth birthday banquet of Zhou Yunshen, the Zhou family ancestor, and had even been personally received by him at the time.
Later, in order to concoct the Tier 4 Poison Avoidance Pill for traveling to Purple Spirit Island, the Zhou family ancestor had even opened a wide door of convenience, sending the spiritual herbs he required.
These minor details might not have seemed like much normally, but once the two stood at equal realms, they became what one called longstanding rapport.
Exchanging a few compliments now was simply the courteous art of mutual flattery!
Yet across Zhou Yunshen's aged face, only a bitter smile remained.
"So what if I am at the sixth layer of Nascent Soul? No matter how deeply one hides, before absolute power, it merely buys a little more time."
At this point, he suddenly bowed deeply to Luo Chen once more.
"This time, I must also thank you, Fellow Daoist, for dispatching your spirit pet to relieve our Zhou family from our besieged predicament."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "Black King?"
Zhou Yunshen straightened up and nodded with lingering fear. "Indeed! At the time, the Coral Sea had been besieged for twenty years and had reached the end of its rope. Had Black King not dispatched tens of thousands of dragon earthworms to disrupt the situation, I fear this old man would never have been able to lead out our clan's last bloodlines. Perhaps, had it truly reached the bitter end, I could only have pulled away alone, reduced to a solitary wanderer."
Things had actually reached such a dire state?
Luo Chen was somewhat surprised.
He had been in secluded cultivation lately and knew very little about external intelligence, never imagining that even the Coral Sea had "fallen."
Seeing his surprise, Zhou Yunshen surmised that Luo Chen had likely been preoccupied with breaking through realms these past years and was unaware of outside affairs, so he simply gave a brief account of the Myriad Immortals Association's situation.
After the demon coalition broke free from the Arctic Yama Heavens, their very first target was the Myriad Immortals Association.
The Three Oceans Defensive Line, maintained for two hundred years, was shattered in a matter of days.
The demon coalition then began a massive invasion into the Dragon Taming Mountain Range, the stronghold of the Myriad Immortals Association.
With Mad Hermit and Blood Hermit absent, and True Person Longyuan having vanished, the Chen family ancestor, True Person Yuling of Wuzhong Valley, and Zhou Yunshen had gone together to the Myriad Immortals Association to help Moon Hermit resist the demon army.
Yet who could have expected that at the crucial moment, Moon Hermit would pull out and depart, leaving the countless loose cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Association leaderless?
Under such circumstances, it was impossible for the three True Persons to fight to the death either, so each retreated.
After that, the Tianqu Chen family fell, and the Chen family ancestor fled.
Wuzhong Valley, famed for turning back ten thousand demons, beat back three successive waves of demon beast assaults, but during the fourth wave, it provoked a formidable Demon Sovereign. Not only was Wuzhong Valley annihilated, but even the illustrious True Person Yuling perished on the spot.
Finally, there was the Coral Sea Zhou family.
"In truth, the demon beast army attacking us was only a small fraction of the demon coalition's strength. The main force pushed south to strike the territory of the Canghai Alliance; otherwise, my Zhou family could never have held out for so long."
Zhou Yunshen's expression was miserable, showing how harrowing life had been these past years.
In particular, his close friend True Person Yuling, relying on the geographical advantage of Wuzhong Valley to hold fast, had also fallen because of that very terrain, unable even to escape with his Nascent Soul.
Luo Chen was secretly alarmed. It was extraordinarily difficult for a Nascent Soul cultivator to truly perish.
Even if the physical body was destroyed, the Nascent Soul could rely on its innate affinity with heaven and earth to execute spatial teleportation.
Unless the enemy possessed a wondrous treasure like the Hunyuan Cauldron capable of capturing a cultivator's Nascent Soul.
He pursed his lips and suddenly asked, "What about before that?"
Zhou Yunshen was puzzled.
Luo Chen repeated, "Before the demon coalition, after Moon Hermit returned, what changes occurred within the Myriad Immortals Association—especially... regarding me?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yunshen's wrinkled face showed a hint of unease.
Seeing Luo Chen's persistence, he finally sighed and said, "At the time, rumors were rampant in the outside world, claiming Moon Hermit had reaped immense benefits in the Sunken Sea. The rumors also mentioned how awe-inspiring you were, crossing cultivation realms to kill Feiyunzi. What truly happened, I do not know. But after Moon Hermit returned, she began a sweeping purge within the Myriad Immortals Association of any forces connected to you."
"From what I know, Penghu Lake was reclaimed, and the Zhang family of Cailian Island was wiped out down to the last person. Only my descendant Zhou Shanshan—separated from me by who knows how many generations—survived, and that was solely because Moon Hermit gave me face. Well, Moon Hermit hid her depth even more deeply than I did; in truth, she had long reached the late Nascent Soul stage. Knowing that I stood at the sixth layer of Nascent Soul, she granted me that shred of courtesy."
"The Qingyang Little Shop you had your subordinates open in Longyuan Immortal City was destroyed. Not only that, but loose cultivators connected to you were arrested, and by all accounts, they suffered considerable torment."
"The loose cultivator who was interrogated... was named Duan Li, I believe? Later, he reportedly died amid the demon beast onslaught. The exact details, this old man does not know."
"The Tusang Sect was completely wiped out. That was quite a pity; among loose cultivators, those adept in the art of cultivating spiritual flora are rare talents!"
Luo Chen listened quietly, but at some point, the calm, leisurely demeanor on his face had turned thoroughly ashen.
Standing to the side, Zhou Yunshen felt increasingly uneasy as he spoke. Clearly, his cultivation realm was considerably higher than Luo Chen's, yet at this moment, he felt as if he were facing a long-dormant volcano on the brink of erupting.
That profound killing intent—scorching as blazing fire, freezing as bitter ice—made one squirm in discomfort.
Was this the baleful aura of someone who had slain a Nascent Soul cultivator while still in the Golden Core stage?
In his entire life, Zhou Yunshen had never accomplished the feat of killing a fellow Nascent Soul peer.
Zhou Yunshen shook his head and offered stiffly, "In truth, there is some good news as well. Moon Hermit wanted to capture a Golden Core loose cultivator named Lord Lushan, but could find no trace of him. Moreover, the Zhang family wasn't entirely exterminated either. A surviving female cultivator hid in a cavern deep within Penghu Lake and managed to live, and was later brought back to the Zhou family by my descendant."
Faced with this negligible piece of good news, Luo Chen's grim expression did not shift in the slightest.
Only after hearing it all did he coldly utter two words:
"Moon Hermit!"
At that instant, towering killing intent radiated without the slightest concealment. Invisible flames diffused outward from Luo Chen, scorching the very void into distortion.
Yet this murderous aura came swiftly and departed just as fast, just as that eerie flame vanished in a flash.
Luo Chen took a deep breath and forced a faint smile.
"Thank you for informing me of these matters."
"Compared to you saving my Zhou family, this is truly insignificant." At this point, Zhou Yunshen hesitated slightly. "Black King took that orphan of the Zhang family from among my Zhou clansmen. I wonder how you intend to arrange for that woman hereafter?"
*Zhang Jingqing?*
Without a second thought, Luo Chen replied, "Thank you for looking after her all these years on my behalf. Her father served me for many years, after all; naturally, I shall take care of her from now on."
Zhou Yunshen wore a look that suggested he had anticipated this. Then, a storage bag appeared in his hand.
"In that case, I must trouble you to pass these items along to her on my behalf, as compensation for these past years."
*Compensation?*
Luo Chen knitted his brows.
Zhou Yunshen seemed disinclined to say more. Citing the excuse that his clansmen had just arrived in Shenyuan City and were not yet settled, he took his leave.
Luo Chen did not insist on keeping him either, merely agreeing to find a time to speak again once they were both at leisure.
After Zhou Yunshen left, Luo Chen stood silently in the mountain pavilion for a long time before returning to his cave abode.
As soon as he stepped back inside, he saw a beautiful woman standing gracefully there, her eyes filled with worry as she gazed at Black King curled up on the ground.
Luo Chen glanced at the dragon, then flicked his fingers. A wisp of cyan-gold flame abruptly materialized, cloaking Black King.
In an instant, the cyan-gold flame tangled with the deep blue flame on Black King's back.
"Was it Merman Emperor Liu Jun?"
Black King bared his fangs and grimaced. "None other! Of the three Demon Sovereigns besieging the Zhou family, one was Merman Emperor Liu Jun, whom we encountered before. Both of us being creatures of the sea, I naturally have no fear of him! But the flame from his oil lamp posed far too great a threat to my ancient beast body."
Luo Chen understood.
He had witnessed the power of Merman Emperor Liu Jun's oil lamp firsthand.
Even Luo Chen back then, with his Tier 4 Primordial Desolate physique, could not withstand that eerie blue flame, forced to sever his own arm and rely on the Wither-Bloom Fire to isolate the blue fire's erosion.
Black King's present physique was comparable to Luo Chen's back then; even though he possessed an innate indestructible body, without a true fire to assist him, he was naturally no match for Merman Emperor Liu Jun.
Rumor had it that the Merfolk were once servants to ancient beasts before rising up to become masters.
That blue flame, ignited with merman fat, was specially crafted to counter the flesh of ancient beasts.
As for the residual wisp of blue flame on Black King now, simply erasing it would be somewhat wasteful.
With a thought, Luo Chen had the Wither-Bloom Fire envelop all the deep blue flame and draw it back into his purple palace.
Then, he turned his gaze upon the woman whose features bore a familiar semblance.
She no longer carried the youthful tenderness and ethereal grace of her girlhood; her expression bore traces of sorrow and bitterness. Where once she had merely resembled her mother in appearance, she now shared the same weary spirit.
All were souls marked by misfortune!
Under Luo Chen's gaze, the woman was somewhat ill at ease.
Hesitating for a moment, she offered a delicate curtsy.
"Xiaoqing greets the True Person."
"From now on, you shall follow me," Luo Chen said softly.
Visible relief washed over the woman's countenance.
***
"Is it actually this lavish?"
Luo Chen examined the storage bag Zhou Yunshen had given Zhang Jingqing. The resources inside were by no means commensurate with an early Foundation Establishment cultivator; even an ordinary Golden Core cultivator's net worth amounted to little more than this.
Black King sprawled beside Luo Chen and scoffed.
"Xiaoqing was treated quite harshly in the Zhou family. Especially after the demon beast army besieged the Coral Sea, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like her was actually sent to the battlefield. These things are merely compensation, nothing more."
Luo Chen shook his head. "If she were truly mistreated, then when tens of thousands of Zhou family cultivators died in battle, there would have been no reason for Xiaoqing to survive."
Black King was taken aback. That actually made sense, didn't it?
Having inspected the storage bag, Luo Chen handed it back to Black King, instructing him to pass it to Zhang Jingqing when he found time, and then inquired about the details of that battle.
"Though the Zhou family had no natural hazards to rely on, they ran the Coral Sea like an impregnable bastion of copper and iron. The blood-sucking coral filling that entire sea territory caused immense suffering to the demon beasts."
"Following what you said, Master, it was likely formed into a grand formation, which was how they could hold out for so long."
"The reason I could charge inside and break the demon beast formation was that the batch of dragon earthworms brought out from Longyuan Island rendered meritorious service."
"That old fellow Zhou Yunshen is truly formidable. Once he decided to abandon the Coral Sea, he no longer suppressed his cultivation realm and unleashed his full might, suppressing two Nascent Soul Demon Sovereigns all on his own. But I could sense that he is truly very old; unleashing his power so violently was a heavy burden on him."
After carefully learning about the battle of the Coral Sea, Luo Chen understood the Zhou family ancestor, Zhou Yunshen, much better.
This man possessed a forbearing nature and would never act lightly unless pushed to the absolute brink.
Yet once he made a decision, he was exceedingly decisive.
And his strength was certainly not to be underestimated.
Yet now, he had become a stray dog driven from his home; where would he go from here?
Rather than fleeing to the North Sea's largest power today, the Canghai Righteous Dao Alliance, he had come to Shenyuan City. His intention needed no further explanation.
Did he also wish to go to the Central Plains?
Luo Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
With a stir of divine sense, Luo Chen sent out a sound transmission. Before long, Sang Jinghe stepped inside from outside.
His eyes were rimmed in red; he had likely learned of the Tusang Sect's fate from Zhang Jingqing.
"True Person, what are your orders?"
"Go ask Fu Hongzhang when their family head will return to Shenyuan City."
Sang Jinghe froze. The purpose of asking when Fu Chaosheng would return was self-evident: Luo Chen wanted to know when they could set out for the Central Plains.
However, once they left the North Sea, what about the vengeance for the Tusang Sect, the vengeance for the Zhang family of Cailian Island, and the vengeance for the True Person's friends?
Luo Chen seemed to guess what Sang Jinghe was thinking, but offered no explanation.
Only after Sang Jinghe departed dejectedly did Luo Chen let out a soft sigh.
In the North Sea today, war and perils ran rampant, and countless people were searching for a way out.
Revenge?
Setting aside whether he was currently a match for Moon Hermit, he had no clue whatsoever where she even was.
Some matters were simply this helpless.
However!
Vast though this realm was, that was only true for low-ranking cultivators.
When his cultivation reached great fruition in the future, even if he had to search heaven and earth, he would ultimately seek out that woman and settle the score!
Chapter 731