An immortal vessel of this scale was far more than simply large.
Its interior was outfitted with intricate facilities and towering structures, far beyond an ordinary person's imagination.
It was much like the luxury cruise liners from the world before Luo Chen's transmigration; commoners had no concept of the sheer extravagance aboard. Commercial streets, grand theaters, climbing gyms, and even golf courses were all readily available.
Compared to such mundane worldly creations, the Jianji was in a league of its own!
The main hull of the vessel had been constructed around the carcass of a Tier 4 sword-halberd whale measuring three hundred zhang in length, then extended and expanded upon that foundation until the entire Jianji spanned a full five hundred zhang.
Pavilions, multi-storied towers, gardens, and waterside pavilions dotted the deck in abundance.
Imposing palaces of varying heights were laid out in neat, staggered rows like the scales of a dragon fish.
There were shops of every kind and all manner of recreational quarters for cultivators.
One could even catch sight of handsome, half-human, half-beast merfolk drifting about the Jianji.
Such grandeur truly deserved to be called an immortal city on the sea!
Holding mere thousands of passengers, it did not feel the slightest bit crowded.
Its primary purpose, after all, was not passenger transport, but shipping bulk Northern Sea resources that were unsuitable for storage treasures.
In a luxurious palace at the center of the Jianji, Luo Chen drew his gaze back and nodded slowly.
"Elder, you have truly been thoughtful."
Fu Chaosheng kept his hands tucked into his sleeves and chuckled. "Once we return, I will no longer serve as an elder of the Commerce Alliance. In the future, we should just address each other as fellow Daoists!"
Luo Chen blinked in mild confusion.
Fu Chaosheng explained, "For us Commerce Alliance elders, each term lasts two hundred years, and the post is usually filled by elderly Nascent Soul cultivators with no hope of reaching Soul Formation. In this life, I don't have many days left to live anyway. Upon my return, I will naturally enjoy my twilight years, instruct my descendants, and never take up an official post again."
*So that was it.* Luo Chen understood at once, recalling that Fu Chaosheng had vaguely touched on this before.
Fu Chaosheng looked around the great hall, named Kunxiao Palace, his face showing a trace of wistfulness.
"Since you are pleased, my mind is at ease. The journey back is neither particularly long nor short. Every bit of strength you can gain here counts, giving you a better grasp within the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven."
Kunxiao had been the living name of that sword-halberd whale.
A palace bearing that name was bound to be the most exquisite place aboard the Jianji.
How was this distinction reflected?
It was not in the sumptuous architecture or the hundreds of servants, but in the dense, surging spiritual energy coiled beneath the surface, waiting to erupt!
In Luo Chen's perception, though the spiritual energy here was not as pure and clear as in a natural immortal cave, it was firmly at Tier 4, not a whit inferior to his abode on Mount Xiaoqiong.
According to Fu Chaosheng, a massive Spirit Convergence Array was laid out beneath Kunxiao Palace, constantly drawing in free spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Not only that, but he had embedded five top-grade fire-attribute spirit stones into the array to better accommodate Luo Chen's primary cultivation art.
Such an arrangement was unquestionably lavish.
How could Luo Chen not be satisfied?
That was why he had remarked on the elder's thoughtfulness.
Fu Chaosheng guided Luo Chen on a leisurely tour around Kunxiao Palace.
At times he introduced the palace's features, and at other times he chatted about mundane affairs.
"I neglected you a bit some time ago, and my hospitality was truly lacking."
"There were too many matters in the Northern Sea. Though my term has expired, pulling away so quickly is technically against standard procedure. I had to take extra time to settle loose ends everywhere, lest I invite the displeasure of my successor."
"That is just how we Central Plains folks operate. Though we have the Tianyuan Dao Sect above us, the land is fundamentally covered in clan lineages advancing side by side. The Fu Clan has been in decline for a long time; I certainly cannot afford to make enemies for my family on multiple fronts."
"You must have heard about the Star Gate from Shen Wandou, so you should know it is controlled jointly by the Twelve Great Houses. All twelve are paramount clans that have produced Soul Formation almighties; they not only govern the Star Gate, but also wield tremendous influence within our sect. Beneath the Great Houses, there are thirty-six prominent families, and countless humble households below them. How do we distinguish between humble and prominent families? It is not difficult, just listen to me explain..."
"As for the Northern Sea? It is what it is. Between the righteous and demonic paths, men's hearts are a deceitful ghost domain. Being able to establish a veneer of peaceful cooperation is already no small feat. While our sect did lend some force behind the scenes, everything still depended on Almighty Li's stance."
"His attitude has been somewhat ambiguous. Though he established the alliance and bestowed the island-protecting arrays, he seems largely unconcerned whether it comes to the righteous-demonic war or the Demon Alliance's encroachment..."
"On this trip, we will first proceed to Sun Moon Island, where the passengers will diverge. At that point, we will take a teleportation array directly into the Central Plains territory, saving several years of travel."
"There is no need to worry about safety on the road. The banner of the Dao Sect hoisted on the Jianji is more than enough to ward off the covetous eyes of any petty scoundrels."
"Let us leave it at that for today. I still have plenty of matters to attend to, and I imagine those people have grown anxious waiting."
It was clear that Fu Chaosheng was exceedingly patient toward Luo Chen.
After boarding, despite being pressed with endless affairs, he had still carved out time to keep Luo Chen company for a while.
Not only that, he had reassigned Fu Hongzhang, a Golden Core cultivator, to Kunxiao Palace to remain at Luo Chen's beck and call.
Luo Chen knew full well who "those people" were—none other than the other six Northern Sea Nascent Soul True Persons traveling aboard the ship.
Among the group of seven, not everyone had secured passage to the Central Plains through Fu Chaosheng's personal connection like Luo Chen.
Now that they shared the same vessel, a brief acquaintance was only natural.
Luo Chen strolled alone up the tower stairs, reaching the fifth level, which was the highest point of the Jianji.
This was also where the cultivation chamber was located.
Turbid qi sank while clear qi rose; at the highest elevation, the spiritual energy was at its clearest and most refined, ideal for breathing and absorption.
Instead of entering the cultivation chamber directly, Luo Chen stepped out onto the corridor, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked down over the immense Jianji.
The newly boarded cultivators were walking in dense throngs like ants, led by low-ranking cultivators of the Tianyuan Dao Sect toward their assigned palaces and cabins to settle in.
Those people did not spot Luo Chen, yet two or three Nascent Soul True Persons instinctively cast their gazes in his direction.
With a calm expression, Luo Chen nodded in greeting.
Then, he extended his divine sense outward, spanning a thousand li into the surroundings.
*As expected, they've all followed!*
Luo Chen pursed his lips. Within the sweep of his divine sense, a massive host of demon beasts numbering in the tens of thousands was trailing behind the Jianji.
They showed no intent to attack, acting more like an escort keeping watch.
Because his divine sense had actively probed outward, the top experts among them sensed it and unceremoniously clashed against his probe.
A faint smile touched the corner of Luo Chen's mouth, and he drew his divine sense back.
"Acting so cautious... what are they afraid of?"
Luo Chen murmured to himself before returning to the cultivation chamber.
Tianxuan and the others did not require Luo Chen's concern; Fu Hongzhang would see to their accommodations.
For now, Luo Chen had only one task:
Refine the Yuan Tu Blood Sword!
Even if he could not break the third seal to master the blade completely, he had to become as familiar with it as possible to unleash its due might.
***
Several months slipped by unnoticed after the Jianji departed Shenyuan City.
Though massive, the vessel traveled at no sluggish pace.
Yet after such an extended journey, it had still not left the borders of the Northern Sea, testifying to the vastness of the region.
Every place they passed was desolate of human life, choked in demonic miasma!
Evidently, the Northern Sea Demon Alliance was gnawing away at human territory from the outside in.
That was why the farther outward they traveled, the more barren the land became, and the more rampant the demon beasts grew.
Strangely enough, wherever the Jianji went, not a single stray demon beast dared to charge the ship.
Low-ranking cultivators marveled at the sight, but the high-ranking Nascent Soul cultivators understood that this was thanks to the trailing demon beast army behind them.
They truly seemed to be escorting the Jianji, ensuring no stray demon beasts approached.
Witnessing this, the Nascent Soul True Persons born in the Northern Sea felt only deep sorrow, yet were powerless to change it.
Were it not for this, why else would they have abandoned their homeland?
These high-level cultivators turned a blind eye, pretending not to see, retreating into their own worlds.
Hardly anyone engaged in deep seclusion; the remaining journey was too short, and not every palace on the Jianji enjoyed a Tier 4 cultivation chamber like Kunxiao Palace. Consequently, the ship's Nascent Soul True Persons gathered every three to five days for small gatherings and every half-month for larger ones, trading cultivation insights.
They had also wanted to meet Luo Chen—to meet this "Desolate Hermit" whom Shen Wandou had personally visited, whom Fu Chaosheng treated as an honored guest of the highest order, and whom Zhou Yunshen, a cultivator of the sixth layer of Nascent Soul, praised lavishly.
Yet every invitation sent to him vanished like a stone dropped into the ocean.
Gradually, people ceased to concern themselves with Luo Chen, simply writing him off as an eccentric rogue cultivator.
A rogue cultivator, after all, practiced in desolate isolation, so an eccentric disposition was only fitting—especially when his Daoist title even carried the word "Desolate."
Then, one day!
Violent winds suddenly whipped up above the Jianji, and a stench of blood soared into the heavens.
With a resounding sword chime, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged.
Every cultivator looked up in astonishment. Zhou Yunshen and the other Nascent Soul cultivators, who were currently gathered together, filed out of the palace to gaze curiously at the phenomenon.
In the sky, clouds of blood gathered, their color gradually shifting until they formed a brilliant canopy resembling fiery evening clouds.
The spectacle came quickly and vanished just as fast.
Within a mere breath, it dispersed completely.
The True Persons wore varied expressions.
"What kind of True Artifact is that? To mobilize so much spiritual energy of heaven and earth upon activation?"
"A soaring stench of blood, gathering into blood clouds... Even though it later shifted into fiery clouds, such manifestations are clearly in the style of blood-path treasures."
In the crowd, Zhou Yunshen's expression changed slightly. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Back when the Myriad Immortals Association's Blood Hermit displayed his life-bound True Artifact that had been refined for several centuries, a similar phenomenon appeared!"
The crowd was stunned. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, are you referring to the Divine Astral Blood Blade?"
Zhou Yunshen nodded.
The others were even more shocked.
The scale of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy a True Artifact could mobilize was generally tied to the cultivator's realm and the time spent refining it.
The Divine Astral Blood Blade had a terrifying reputation forged through hundreds of years of tempering, claiming countless souls beneath its edge.
Could this Desolate Hermit, a mere first-layer Nascent Soul cultivator, possess a refined True Artifact of comparable might?
Fu Chaosheng had also been invited to the gathering of True Persons that day. Listening to their discussion, he could not help stroking his beard.
The stronger Luo Chen was, the happier he felt!
Although that sword True Artifact leaned toward the blood path and seemed somewhat at odds with orthodox ways, a weapon's nature had little to do with a cultivator's character—so long as Luo Chen did not indulge in wanton slaughter like the Blood Hermit.
Furthermore, with Luo Chen wielding such a formidable sword, his granddaughter would receive far greater support during the upcoming Five-Hundred-Year Grand Tournament.
*As expected, he brings me more and more surprises.*
*My eyes were truly sharp, picking out his extraordinary nature at a single glance from among a crowd of mediocrities!*
***
Inside the secret chamber on the fifth level of Kunxiao Palace, a three-foot-seven-inch longsword darted about like a swimming fish, orbiting the white-robed Daoist up, down, left, and right.
With a beckoning wave of Luo Chen's hand, the Yuan Tu Sword came to a steady halt before him.
The delight in his eyes was completely undisguised.
Having undergone deep soul-imprinting, mana refinement, and communion with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the weapon's power had finally revealed the tip of the iceberg.
Without exaggeration, this sword was the sharpest weapon Luo Chen had ever laid eyes on.
It was not a bit inferior to the Divine Astral Blood Blade he had witnessed back at Kumu Ridge!
*No wonder the frenzied Blood Nightmare Moluo was able to shatter the defenses of both my Sevenfold Blazing Heaven Rings and the Xuanchen Armor with a single strike, even injuring my Tier 4 Desolate Ancient True Body.*
*And this is merely the tip of the iceberg!*
*If I can undo the third seal...*
Luo Chen licked his lips, a restless urge stirring in his heart.
In the end, however, he suppressed that greed.
How formidable Ancestor Blood Sea had been, yet even he had perished beneath this blade. Even factoring in the peculiarities of that dim world, it was enough to demonstrate the terrifying ferocity of Yuan Tu.
To be able to harness a fraction of this sword's power was already a tremendous blessing; how could he demand more?
If he truly breached the third seal and neither he nor the Hunyuan Cauldron could suppress it, disaster would follow.
"It is enough for now; I must not ask for too much."
Luo Chen drew a deep breath and grasped the hilt with one hand.
Flesh and blood welled outward, gradually encasing the Yuan Tu Sword until it sank inch by inch into his right hand.
He had chosen not to store the sword in his purple palace.
Its origins remained obscure, unlike the Hunyuan Cauldron or the Xuanchen Armor, which he had forged himself and knew inside and out. Were it to run amok inside his purple palace, he would be the one injured.
By housing it within his physical flesh, he could still draw it instantly at a crucial moment.
This was sufficient.
With the Yuan Tu Sword refined, Luo Chen's schedule suddenly cleared up.
With a thought, several voice transmission talismans flew in from outside. Ignited by his mana, they burned away in the air.
All of them were invitations to True Person gatherings.
Luo Chen curled his lip, paying them no heed.
Those Northern Sea Nascent Soul cultivators were elderly and well-established in their cultivation; they did not care about the brief cultivation time available on the road.
He, however, was different. Not a single second could be wasted.
Time had to be spent where it mattered most.
"Next, I must consider my cultivation."
Luo Chen's eyes flickered, his face brimming with confidence.
Since forming his Nascent Soul, he had ingested few pills aside from the Great Soul Pill.
Even though he had reached entry level with the Hongyuan Pill and could craft it at will, he had rarely relied on it to aid his cultivation.
It was not that he feared pill toxins corroding the walls of his purple palace.
A purple palace born of five-element top-grade spiritual roots was unimaginably vast. Viewed through a cultivator's divine sense, it seemed like a miniature world unto itself.
Its walls were so thick that mere pill toxins could not possibly erode them.
The reason he had refrained from taking too many was that he kept the taboo of drug tolerance in mind.
Now that conditions allowed it, he would naturally consume only the finest; why shortchange himself?
Thus, Luo Chen's plan was to first grind his proficiency with the Hongyuan Pill to craft large batches of medium-grade, and even high-grade, superior pills.
Consuming those would accelerate his cultivation speed while substantially delaying the onset of drug tolerance.
When he had met Fu Chaosheng again, the elder had predictably delivered the second batch of resources into his hands.
Compared to the first batch, the second was far larger. Luo Chen had handed over ninety million spirit stones in one go, three times the initial sum!
Medicinal herbs for the Hongyuan Pill accounted for the bulk of it.
Once the herbs were in hand, Luo Chen had Tianxuan and the other two process them in advance, with additional help from personnel dispatched by Fu Hongzhang, sparing Luo Chen any real effort.
Now that time had freed up, it was time to grind his proficiency in earnest.
*Huu...*
Opening his mouth, he gently exhaled, and the Hunyuan Cauldron whirled out to land before him.
"Grow!"
At his command, the Hunyuan Cauldron expanded to an appropriate size.
Then, with a shift of Luo Chen's thoughts, a wisp of blue-gold flame flickered from his fingertip.
Looking at the flame, Luo Chen paused.
The gold had grown richer and richer!
Ever since absorbing the netherfire within Old Monster Netherfire at Mulan Court, the Wither-Bloom True Fire seemed to have entered another evolution.
Only, this evolution was slow, unlike the rapid surges in Blazing Purgatory.
Yet no matter how slow the evolution was, accumulated over time, it produced remarkable changes.
This change manifested in its color.
*The Wither-Bloom True Fire was originally azure, and the touch of gold came from the Nirvana Holy Fire, with clear primary and secondary roles.*
*Now that the color is shifting toward gold, could my Wither-Bloom True Fire be inching closer to the Nirvana Holy Fire?*
Luo Chen felt somewhat puzzled, unsure of what manner of metamorphosis his constant companion, his source true fire, was undergoing.
Unfortunately, without an evenly matched battle, he could not test the current might of the Wither-Bloom True Fire.
"I will just use alchemy to probe the fire's condition bit by bit!"
Luo Chen murmured, tossing medicinal herbs into the Hunyuan Cauldron one after another.
***
The Jianji sailed onward, drawing closer and closer to Sun Moon Island.
Anticipation swelled in everyone's hearts.
Like Shenyuan City, that island belonged entirely to the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance.
Once they arrived there, reaching the Central Plains would be merely a teleportation away.
Naturally, the scenery along the way grew increasingly desolate.
Scenes of demon beasts rampaging were a common sight.
Evidently, the war between humans and demons in the Northern Sea was spreading wider by the day.
Even demon tribes that had not joined the Demon Alliance were swept along by the momentum, taking the initiative to join in and push back against human territory.
After all, since ancient times, the Mountain Sea Realm had belonged to desolate beasts. As descendants of desolate beasts, the demon beasts considered every island of the Northern Sea their rightful domain.
Aboard the Jianji, another gathering of True Persons was underway.
Fu Chaosheng brought up the upcoming route.
"Next, as long as we pass through the Blue Ice Sea of the Ice Polar Sect, the path will be clear straight to Sun Moon Island."
The Blue Ice Sea possessed a unique geography, the entire maritime expanse blanketed beneath solid ice.
This place was also counted among the premier spiritual lands of the Northern Sea.
It harbored a massive Tier 4 spiritual vein.
The Ice Polar Sect was established right upon the Blue Ice Sea.
At the mention of the Ice Polar Sect, the crowd found their interest piqued.
"They can be considered the foremost Nascent Soul superior sect in the Northern Sea. They even managed to stay out of the war between the righteous and demonic factions."
"Indeed. Their five great Nascent Soul True Persons are renowned far and wide. I once met Master Lanyu among them; his bearing and poise were truly top-tier in this world."
"Speaking of which, their ability to remain aloof stems not only from their formidable sect strength, but also from their deep ties to the Canghai Alliance. It is said that Supreme Elder Han Jizi once traveled the Mountain Sea Realm alongside Almighty Li before the latter ascended to Soul Formation, and their private friendship was exceptionally close."
"That rumor is indeed true. The Canghai Alliance's method of linking islands into arrays was first used openly by a non-Canghai faction in the Ice Polar Sect."
"We will be passing by shortly; should we pay them a visit?"
"Better not. The Ice Polar Sect is quite insular. Even when the Yuan Demon Sect extended an olive branch back then, they flatly refused."
"Such great confidence? That is a Soul Formation sacred ground—how did they dare?"
"Heh, I happen to know a thing or two about that. Back when the Mountain Sea Realm was first pioneered, various sects contributed together, including Soul Formation sacred grounds and Nascent Soul superior sects; everyone lent their strength. The Ice Polar Sect was one of them. The covenant explicitly stipulated that sacred grounds must not use force against these meritorious sects. In fact, it is not just the Ice Polar Sect; across the five provinces, excluding the Central Plains, there are several other sects like it."
The last speaker was Fu Chaosheng.
He explained why the Ice Polar Sect held such a transcendent status among the various Nascent Soul factions.
Suddenly!
The expressions of everyone present shifted one after another.
Without hesitation, they hurried out of the palace, casting their divine senses toward the blue, frigid waters nearby.
The scene they perceived left them pale with shock.
"The allied demon army... they aren't even sparing the Ice Polar Sect?"
"What a massive mobilization! So many demon beasts!"
"That is... Guixianlou!"
Chapter 734