Neither Shark Emperor Liu Jun's covetous glare nor the brutal clash of the Nascent Soul combatants had caused Luo Chen to lose his composure to such an extent.
Even the abrupt arrival of Soul Formation Almighty Li Canghai had made logical sense, given the long-standing personal friendship between Jihanzi and Li Canghai that the observers had spoken of.
Yet it was Li Canghai's effortless collection of Ice Soul Spirit Mountain into that small seal adorned with a faint pattern of mountains and seas that had left Luo Chen's heart churning in turmoil even now.
Among Nascent Soul cultivators, Luo Chen was nowhere near top tier when it came to formations.
Even though he could now set up certain Tier 4 arrays, doing so required complete formation blueprints, abundant preparation time, and favorable conditions of heaven and earth to lay them out with composure.
Nevertheless, Luo Chen's foundation in the Dao of Formations was exceptionally solid!
He considered his foundational grounding in formations to be outstanding among peers of the same tier.
He had begun studying array theory back during Foundation Establishment and officially taken up the craft in the early Golden Core stage.
Whether it was the seven basic restrictions of formation theory or the principles of the mutual generation and overcoming of the five elements, he knew them like the back of his hand.
On top of that, he had received personal guidance from figures like Min Longyu and Han Zhan.
Most importantly, foundations were built on proficiency, and bolstered by his panel, the firmness of his array foundation had naturally reached an exceptional standard.
Thanks to this bedrock, when faced with arrays that were not overly convoluted, he could work from simple to complex, stripping away unnecessary frills to quickly comprehend and apply them.
He had once acquired a copy of the island-linking array formation technique.
After studying it, he had found it quite innovative. Its defensive power was secondary; its true brilliance lay in linking heaven and earth to mutually exchange the qi of subterranean earth veins.
Because of that, he had even contemplated searching out Azure Pill Valley's Five Peaks Valley-Enclosing Art and the Mountain Shifting Art of the Medicine King Sect's Golden Core elders once he returned to the Eastern Desolation, combining them with this array technique to establish a blessed cultivation ground for his sect.
Yet just moments ago, all of his preconceptions had been shattered.
Li Canghai's method of uprooting Ice Soul Spirit Mountain had been no Soul Formation supreme art or almighty divine ability!
Other Nascent Soul True Persons might have been fooled, but the fundamental principles of formation theory did not lie.
That was a foundational array!
An array concealed beneath the majestic display of an almighty!
Luo Chen had seen it with absolute clarity: at that moment, an immense number of restrictions had emerged from the Seal of Mountains and Seas, resonating in tandem with Ice Soul Spirit Mountain, with mountain restrictions, water restrictions, and void restrictions shining the strongest among them.
It was precisely that array resonance that had plucked the entire Ice Soul Spirit Mountain up without the slightest damage, seamlessly integrating it into the Seal of Mountains and Seas.
Once he grasped this truth, Luo Chen's entire body began to tremble slightly.
There was fear and awe, but also an inexplicable thrill and anticipation.
"The island-linking array formation technique swept through the North Sea cultivation world within two centuries. Virtually every sizable human territory has this array installed."
"There are likely many others who, like me, fancied themselves clever, believing they had seen past the primary defensive layer to realize that its greatest function was nurturing spiritual lands."
"Over the course of long years of evolution, this array has practically fused into the myriad spiritual lands of the North Sea, large and small."
"If Li Canghai harbors malicious intent and sweeps every single spiritual ground into that small Seal of Mountains and Seas, just like he did earlier..."
Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen's trembling gradually subsided.
Clearly, there was no 'if' about it—Li Canghai had undoubtedly harbored such malice all along!
In fact, the moment this array technique spread from his hands, the root of today's calamity had already been planted.
Otherwise, how could the formation of an esteemed Soul Formation almighty have so easily fallen into the hands of an enemy force like the Moluo Sect?
At Molan Pavilion, the restrained presence of the island-linking array technique could not be hidden from discerning eyes.
One had to remember, that was the lair of Blood Nightmare Moluo, the titular banner of the Moluo Sect!
Even there, a similar array had been established!
"Disseminating a single array across the North Sea to gather myriad spiritual lands into a treasure seal... Li Canghai wants to fuse every spiritual mountain and sea in the North Sea cultivation world into a single magical treasure, refining it into a spirit treasure."
Ultimately, Luo Chen arrived at this astounding conclusion.
Though spirit treasures seemed plentiful within the Land of the Fallen Demon, that was solely because it had been the palace grounds of Demon Lord Heaven Refiner, a Void Refining master craftsman.
In truth, before setting foot into the Land of the Fallen Demon, Luo Chen had never even heard the names of any formidable spirit treasures.
The closest thing to a spirit treasure he possessed was the Yuan Tu Blood Sword in his hands.
What constituted a spirit treasure?
Only magical treasures that had birthed self-awareness, that could inhale and exhale the world's origin qi, and that even embodied the true intent of laws could be called spirit treasures.
Did that description, especially the latter part, not sound remarkably similar to a certain cultivation realm?
Yes, the Soul Formation realm!
A mighty spirit treasure was an existence that inherently corresponded to the Soul Formation tier.
Achieving the Soul Formation stage was already fraught with unimaginable difficulty for a cultivator; where would they find the boundless energy to nurture another 'Soul Formation entity'?
Consequently, across the vast Mountain and Sea Realm, named spirit treasures were exceedingly rare.
Even if any existed, they resided only within the Five Great Sacred Grounds.
Now, Li Canghai intended to commit this outrage against the heavens: refining every renowned grotto-heaven and blessed land in the North Sea into a single seal to forge the might of a spirit treasure.
If this truly succeeded, Luo Chen had no idea how powerful the Seal of Mountains and Seas would become, but the North Sea cultivation world would surely plummet into ruin, leaving behind no spiritual grounds fit for Nascent Soul cultivators to cultivate.
"*Sigh...*"
A heavy sigh escaped Luo Chen's lips, his surging agitation ultimately dissolving into wistful reflection.
Even if he had seen the signs and deduced Li Canghai's true purpose, what good did it do?
He could neither expose it nor profit from it.
All he could do was bury this secret deep within his heart.
Yet, an idle thought unbiddenly crossed his mind.
*If one day I achieve Soul Formation, under the right circumstances, would I be unable to resist emulating Li Canghai's actions?*
The answer was unknowable.
***
The Jianji continued forward.
This time, with no demon beast forces trailing them, their journey proceeded smoothly, drawing ever closer to Sun Moon Island.
Cultivators of lower realms aboard the vessel had been unable to directly witness the battle at the Ice Polar Sect; they could only piece together what had transpired from the demon beasts arrayed outside the ship and the oral accounts of their seniors.
A top-tier Nascent Soul sect had vanished like smoke.
Meanwhile, the high-level cultivators gathered with increasing frequency.
The following day, inside Fu Chaosheng's Bichao Palace, an intense discussion regarding the battle of the Ice Polar Sect was underway.
Seven Nascent Soul True Persons were present, with only Luo Chen absent.
Yet as the grand doors swung open and every gaze turned toward them, the missing True Person stepped into the hall.
"Desolate Hermit, Luo Chen!"
Fu Chaosheng offered a brief introduction.
Luo Chen nodded to the group and calmly took a seat.
Afterward, he served as a silent listener while they vigorously debated the previous day's clash.
"To think an ancient monster like Demonic Monk Kongchan would appear. It seems the North Sea demon beasts are dead set on retaking our human territories!"
"Now, without the Yuan Demon Sect to suppress the North Sea, and with Almighty Li being largely indifferent to mundane affairs, the North Sea is in mortal peril!"
"Does your esteemed sect truly have no intentions regarding this matter?"
The so-called 'esteemed sect' was naturally the Tianyuan Dao Sect.
To this, Fu Chaosheng merely smiled without speaking.
Unable to glean any insight from the perennial smile plastered on his face, the others could only press on in frustration.
"In all my years, I have never witnessed a Nascent Soul battle of such scale—five renowned human True Persons, seven demon cultivators of the Nascent Soul realm..."
Luo Chen glanced at Fu Chaosheng's smile, a clear picture forming in his mind.
It wasn't that the Tianyuan Dao Sect had no intentions; rather, they had likely laid out clandestine preparations long ago, methodically arranging their corresponding contingencies.
The Tianyuan Commerce Alliance was their overt arrangement, while the Penglai Immortal Sect was the hidden card kept dormant for millennia, only surfacing during the war between righteousness and demonic sects.
However, exactly when the Tianyuan Dao Sect would formally intervene in the North Sea cultivation world remained unknown.
"I know Guixianlou is formidable, but it remains merely within the ranks of Tier 4 desolate beasts, equivalent to our Nascent Soul realm. Why was a dignified great cultivator like Jihanzi so utterly powerless before it?"
"A single roar! With just the power of a single roar, Jihanzi was captured without resistance!"
"Indeed. That scene nearly shook the conviction in my heart. Late Nascent Soul great cultivators are peerless existences among our kind; how could he be vanquished so easily?"
What the crowd discussed most was neither Demonic Monk Kongchan leading his troops nor the fleeting appearance of Soul Formation Almighty Li Canghai.
It was that extreme, fleeting clash!
The desolate beast Guixianlou against Jihanzi, Supreme Elder of the Ice Polar Sect.
The latter's defeat had been far too gruesome!
So crushing, in fact, that they dared not dwell on it, terrified it would shake their conviction in the Nascent Soul Dao.
This time, Fu Chaosheng let out a faint, quiet sigh.
"Jihanzi was already extraordinary. He did everything within his power."
He then shook his head. "Do you know what kind of existence is truly the strongest within the Nascent Soul realm?"
The crowd instinctively wanted to answer 'late Nascent Soul great cultivators,' but recalling the outcome of the battle, their mouths clamped shut.
Stroking his beard, Fu Chaosheng said, "Indeed, it is not the great cultivators we commonly imagine, but rather those who have grasped the true intent of laws!"
Zhou Yunshen could not resist asking, "Can one truly grasp the true intent of laws in the Nascent Soul realm without losing oneself to the vast heavens and earth?"
Fu Chaosheng countered, "If one does not grasp it, how can one ever achieve Soul Formation?"
Zhou Yunshen froze.
Opinions had always differed regarding such cultivation essentials.
Some claimed one had to first form the primordial spirit, using its immense power to firmly guard one's original mind so that one could safely comprehend the laws of heaven and earth. In other words: first attain Soul Formation, then comprehend the Dao.
Others argued that comprehending the laws of heaven and earth came first, and only by crossing that threshold could one become a true Soul Formation almighty. This was: first comprehend the Dao, then break through the realm.
The divergence between the two subtly outlined two distinct paths of cultivation.
From the six North Sea Nascent Soul True Persons, Luo Chen had received the former answer.
Yet from Fu Chaosheng, a disciple of a sacred ground, the answer was the latter.
The former was a smooth, well-trodden highway for those with outstanding aptitude but average comprehension, carrying relatively little risk.
The latter placed extreme demands on one's innate comprehension, yet it was the path most revered by the disciples of the sacred grounds.
"The reason I say Jihanzi did his best is that there is precedent for this."
"You may not know, but not long ago, a similar battle took place in the Eastern Desolation cultivation world."
"There is a peerless Demon Emperor whose true form is the divine bird Qingluan. At merely the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage, she routed five Nascent Soul cultivators in an instant and swept through the human heartlands as if entering an uninhabited land. Even Daoist Zhang Che, the eighth-level Nascent Soul prodigy of the Mingyuan Sect, dared not make a rash move before her, watching helplessly as she struck down her foes."
"And what that Demon Emperor relied upon for all of this was none other than the true intent of spatial laws, comprehended ahead of her realm!"
"In comparison, Jihanzi shattered Guixianlou's skull from a distance with a single finger, and ultimately forced his Nascent Soul to escape, preserving a thread of life. How could anyone say he was inept?"
The listeners wore expressions of sheer amazement.
As individuals standing at the very pinnacle of the Mountain and Sea Realm, none of their intelligence networks were lacking.
Yet compared to the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance, which conducted business across four great continents, the difference was night and day.
They all knew bits and pieces about the war in the Eastern Desolation, but only now did they catch a glimpse of the true internal details.
Consequently, they eagerly pressed for the actual circumstances of that confrontation.
Luo Chen was equally intrigued.
Back then, he had been merely in the early Golden Core stage and had long since become a prisoner, knowing nothing of the outside world.
Only now, hearing it from Fu Chaosheng, could he view that battle from a higher vantage point.
"That divine bird Qingluan is named Qingshuang."
"Qingshuang's might surpasses your wildest imagination!"
"Routing five Nascent Soul cultivators in an instant and intimidating Zhang Che were merely minor footnotes among her numerous exploits."
"To deal with her, the Eastern Desolation's sacred ground, the Mingyuan Sect, assembled three great cultivators to storm into the Million Mountains, yet beneath Mount Cangwu, all three were still no match for Demon Emperor Qingshuang."
"Not one of those three great cultivators was weak. In terms of true capability, they were on par with Jihanzi, lacking only the advantage of geographical terrain."
"Even they were defeated. From that, you can imagine what kind of monster a Nascent Soul cultivator who has grasped the true intent of laws ahead of time truly is."
"Later, the Mingyuan Sect was even forced to dispatch a Soul Formation almighty in person."
At that point, Fu Chaosheng abruptly fell silent.
Those present felt an itch in their hearts, as if clawed by a cat, and could not help but press further.
What happened afterward?
Fu Chaosheng shook his head. "The finer details are beyond my clearance to know. I only know that Demon Emperor Qingshuang did not perish in that battle, though Mount Cangwu, the sacred ground of the Feathered Race, mysteriously vanished."
The crowd felt somewhat unsatisfied.
Luo Chen displayed a similar look of disappointment, yet his inner thoughts were as clear as ice.
In that final battle at Mount Cangwu, Demon Emperor Qingshuang had indeed demonstrated the peak of her prowess, holding her ground for several rounds even against a Mingyuan almighty.
Later, she had even triggered Monarch Qixia's methods—the Nirvana Holy Flame—forcing the Mingyuan almighty to withdraw.
Thinking of this, he could not help but compare Demon Emperor Qingshuang with the desolate beast Guixianlou.
Who was stronger?
Demon Emperor Qingshuang wielded spatial laws, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. Her body refinement achievements were utterly shocking, even to the present Luo Chen, who had reached Tier 4 of the Ancient Desolation path.
The desolate beast Guixianlou appeared physically formidable, but judging from how Jihanzi had pierced its skull with a single finger, it did not seem to specialize in that area.
Its true terrifying strength lay elsewhere, somewhat unexpectedly.
In the Dao of Soul Refinement!
Whether it was the ghostly phantoms surrounding it that disrupted cultivators' spiritual consciousness, or that soul-shattering roar which rattled the Nascent Soul, both pointed to this conclusion.
If the two were to truly clash, would the latter prove stronger than... No, Qingshuang had verifiable achievements; she had held out for several exchanges against a Mingyuan almighty, whereas Guixianlou's roar against Li Canghai had been brushed aside like a gentle breeze.
Subconsciously, Luo Chen placed Qingshuang, despite her relatively lower realm, as the superior of the two.
Perhaps it was her combat record, perhaps it was his experience of being captured alive by her, or perhaps it was his lingering awe of Mount Cangwu—Luo Chen intensely dreaded facing those women from Mount Cangwu again.
Yet if he truly returned to the Eastern Desolation, could he really avoid them?
If they truly clashed, what foundation would he rely on to avoid repeating the humiliation of becoming a prisoner?
Luo Chen set his pale, handsome features and offered his farewells to the gathering.
This caught everyone somewhat off guard. He had just arrived without speaking a single word, and now he was leaving?
However, considering his consistently aloof and eccentric nature, no one tried to dissuade him.
Fu Chaosheng merely offered a word of comfort: "We will reach Sun Moon Island shortly. At that point, we will take the teleportation array back to the Central Plains. The turmoil of the North Sea will have nothing more to do with you. Do not dwell on it too much."
Luo Chen smiled and nodded, his taut expression seemingly relaxing.
***
The moment he returned to the secluded chamber of Kunxiao Palace, Luo Chen threw himself into cultivation without delay.
Through frequent pill concoction, he had already raised his proficiency in the Hongyuan Pill to the mastery level, enabling him to refine medium-grade Hongyuan Pills.
Utilizing them to aid his cultivation had directly boosted his progression by a significant margin.
By his estimates, if he used high-grade Hongyuan Pills, he could surely compress the time needed to advance to the second layer of Nascent Soul from seven or eight years down to four or five.
Such a speed would sound unbelievable to outsiders.
Yet this was the genuine cultivation pace achieved by combining monstrous aptitude with monstrous alchemy—swift to the point of feeling like a dream.
However, when Luo Chen concluded his cultivation deep in the night, no joy or ease showed on his face.
"Not enough. It's still not enough!"
"Relying on this alone is far from enough for me to catch up to those women!"
A quantified cultivation speed brought reassurance, yet it also gave Luo Chen an unsparingly clear realization of the colossal chasm between himself and the foremost supreme experts.
That was not a gap that could be bridged in a mere few years or decades.
"I need more powerful methods!"
"Sword, cauldron, armor—with these three treasures safeguarding me, I have nothing left to seek in external objects."
"The Dao of Formations is formidable, yet it is convoluted and slow to deploy, far too sluggish to react during sudden combat."
"The White Tiger Puppet can serve as a trump card, yet even genuine late Nascent Soul great cultivators were powerless before Demon Emperor Qingshuang. The White Tiger likely won't suffice either."
"I cannot rely entirely on external objects. I must master a true lethal art."
"Techniques!"
Luo Chen's restless heart seemed to find an anchor, instantly settling into calm.
Only the spells that had accompanied him through every battle, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice, gave him sufficient confidence when confronting any opponent.
Even Han Zhan, who had invaded his sea of consciousness back then, had been vanquished beneath his Dragon Slaying Art.
Yes, soul techniques!
Luo Chen felt as though he had found his direction, or perhaps grasped a lifesaver.
Emotionally, he felt Qingshuang was stronger, yet rationally, he believed Guixianlou could contend with her.
His faith in Guixianlou stemmed precisely from that soul attack.
*If I can master a similar supreme technique, could I achieve victory through surprise?*
Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, constantly replaying every movement Guixianlou had made during the battle at the Ice Polar Sect within his mind.
Beneath his long eyelashes, Mirror Flower, Water Moon stirred into motion, accompanied by layers of ghostly silhouettes swirling and phantoms of immortals taking flight.
Eventually, as his spiritual power surged, malevolent qi coiled about him.
Even the source power lurking deep within his flesh began to circulate of its own accord.
The illusions within his eyes gradually rippled outward from within.
In a daze, Luo Chen murmured to himself,
"Is it... like this?"
Chapter 736