Fellow Daoist, Let's Talk Reasonably!

"Who is that?" The moment before Luo Chen appeared, Castellan Lingtian was the first to sense the disturbance. When the explosive boom shattered the air and that silhouette manifested out of thin air, he could not help but fix his gaze upon it. It was not a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Eastern Desolation he recognized. Just as he was about to ask True Person Shenhuo beside him, he saw the other man's expression change drastically. Shenhuo pushed his escape technique to its limit, transforming into a wind-fire wolf and hurtling toward the Battle Arena. Castellan Lingtian paused, then his lips curved slightly. "A good show is about to start!" Under the gaze of ten thousand onlookers, someone had forcefully breached the isolation formation and barged onto the Battle Arena. Before most people, save for the spectating Nascent Soul True Persons, could even process what was happening, a man's clear, mocking laugh rang into everyone's ears. "If you refuse to show martial honor, do not blame me, Luo, for paying you back in kind!" The crowd could not fathom what he meant. Yet in the very next instant, the white-robed Daoist held Motian Cliff aloft with one hand while flicking his other outward. A small mountain spun out through the air. It expanded with the wind, transforming in an instant into a precipitous peak. Crisscrossing the mountain were all manner of broken sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, resembling defective scraps of diverse magical treasures. Yet these weapons were beside the point. The point was that the moment this mountain emerged, it bore down straight upon the other man on the stage, just as Motian Cliff had done moments before. Yin Sixiang felt fierce gales buffet his face. He could hardly breathe, and even circulating his magic power became excruciatingly arduous. With great difficulty, he managed to summon his natal magic treasure, the Four Symbols Banners. Yet after holding out for less than a breath, the four banners abruptly snapped. "Fellow Daoist, let us talk reasonably!" A shrill cry echoed from outside the arena. Having hurtled over with his fire escape technique like wind and lightning, True Person Shenhuo did not even wait to steady his footing before unfurling his Nascent Soul domain in an attempt to drag back that bizarre mountain. Not only that, he opened his mouth and spat out a beam of red light, desperate to rescue his fellow sect member. A sharp glint flickered in Luo Chen's eyes. "Reasonably? I have always been very reasonable. Let Yin Sixiang talk to me himself!" Within those deep, dark eyes, the Mirror Flower Water Moon seemed to bloom in an instant. True Person Shenhuo froze. It was merely a fleeting moment of distraction, but the outcome was already sealed. "Ah!" Only a bloodcurdling scream had time to sound. When Shenhuo looked again, no trace of Yin Sixiang remained where he had stood on the Battle Arena. There was only a slowly shrinking mountain. And! A pool of crimson fluid burbling outward. Seeing this scene, True Person Shenhuo's eyes filled with utter disbelief. Beneath the Nascent Soul True Persons of their Five Elements Divine Sect, Yin Sixiang possessed the highest combat strength and cultivation stage. At the same time, he held the greatest influence among both the younger generation and the mid-generation. In the future, he was bound to advance to the Nascent Soul stage and become either a Sect Master or an Elder. Dead, just like that? Originally, the Divine Sect had been reluctant to let Yin Sixiang fight, intending only to see him through this current phase before attempting a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm. It was Shenhuo who had stubbornly insisted on inviting him to take the field. Now, Yin Sixiang had been crushed to death like an ant by this unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator. How could he answer to the sect? Shenhuo's lips quivered. His trembling finger pointed at Luo Chen, eyes blazing with monstrous fury. "Villain! How dare you bully the weak like this! Where is your grace as a True Person? Where is your..." "Bully the weak? Hahaha!" His words were cut short by Luo Chen's uproarious laughter. Standing upon Wang Yuan's shoulder, Luo Chen held fast to Motian Cliff with a giant hand formed of magic power, suppressing the cliff as it shook frantically in an attempt to break free and flee. "I, Luo, have never seen a magical treasure continue to operate on its own after its owner has perished." "Have any of you seen such a thing?" "Old Ghost Motian, have you?!" That final line struck like a bolt from the blue, crashing heavily upon a tall building several hundred meters away from the arena. Countless spectating cultivators turned their gazes toward it. Upon that high building, an aged cultivator with hair slicked completely back was sweating profusely, his face contorted into a snarl as he pinched hand seals. Seeing this bizarre spectacle and combining it with the white-robed cultivator's words on the arena, everyone grasped the truth. The one truly bullying the weak, the one who had acted despicably first without a shred of a True Person's grace, was precisely Old Ghost Motian! That Motian Cliff was not Yin Sixiang's magical treasure at all! In fact, during the battle, it had not even been Yin Sixiang controlling it! Earlier, Wang Yuan had not merely been fighting Yin Sixiang alone—he had been enduring the crushing pressure of a Nascent Soul True Person driving his natal True Artifact! In an instant, an uproar broke out, and scornful glances turned toward Old Ghost Motian. If glares could kill and doubts could pierce hearts, Old Ghost Motian would already be riddled with holes. Yet the man himself had no care for their thoughts right now. Circulating his entire cultivation of magic power with frantic desperation, he manipulated his natal True Artifact from afar, trying to pull it back by force. Yet for some reason, that towering cliff seemed rooted by something. No matter how he strained with every ounce of his might, he could not recall it by even a fraction. Old Ghost Motian panicked. "Fellow Daoist, let us talk reasonably!" Talk reasonably again? A sneer touched the corner of Luo Chen's mouth. This time, he did not waste his breath. Instead, he opened his mouth and exhaled gently. *Huuu...* A wisp of shifting green and white flames drifted out from his mouth in slender threads. Drifting into midair, the fire transformed completely into an eerie, bone-white hue. The bone-white flames crept along Luo Chen's giant hand of magic power, spreading onto Motian Cliff. *Chzzzz...* Without a sound, under the horrified gazes of countless onlookers, the towering cliff melted into a pool of golden liquid. "How is that possible!" Castellan Lingtian's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "What manner of wondrous flame is that, melting metal and severing steel, refining it in an instant!" blurted the First Palace Master of Fenghua Palace, utterly shaken. *Hiss...* *Hiss!* The other Nascent Soul True Persons watching this battle drew in sharp breaths, their hearts shuddering. A natal True Artifact tempered by a Nascent Soul True Person over hundreds of years had been reduced to a puddle of molten liquid in a mere instant? "Pfft!" With his natal True Artifact destroyed, the severing of several centuries of soul connection inflicted grievous trauma upon Old Ghost Motian, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood on the spot. The monumental fury in his mind overwhelmed his senses. Transforming into a streak of light, he staggered toward Luo Chen, desperate to avenge the destruction of his True Artifact. Halfway there, another figure barred his path. "Calm down, Old Ghost, calm down!" It was True Person Shenhuo. Those urgent words acted like a bucket of freezing water, instantly dousing Old Ghost Motian's raging fury. Only now did he recover his senses. He stared like he was looking at a monster at the young man who had lightly drifted down from the giant's shoulder onto the Battle Arena. A being capable of refining his natal True Artifact in a breath was absolutely not someone he, severely wounded and without his natal True Artifact to protect him, could contend with. He could only hold the coppery taste of blood in his mouth, glaring at Luo Chen with venomous hatred. "Who are you?" True Person Shenhuo's expression was equally grave. Yet with suspicion and a brewing conjecture in his eyes, he demanded loudly: "This battle is an internal affair of the Luotian Sect. What right do you have to interfere?" Faced with this interrogation, Luo Chen chuckled. Behind him, Wang Yuan shrank back to his normal stature and stepped up to his back. Without the slightest hesitation, in front of myriad onlookers, he bowed deeply to Luo Chen. "Wang Yuan greets the Supreme Elder!" Luo Chen was slightly surprised by this formal bow. Yet upon meeting Wang Yuan's eyes, he understood implicitly. Below the arena, several figures were rushing over like madmen. Luo Chen raised his eyes to look. Though a hundred years of wind and frost had changed many of their appearances, he could still recognize most of them. Especially the one leading the way—her face bathed in tears, her disbelief mingled with the overwhelming joy of reclaiming what had been lost. It was Caiyi! Luo Chen gave a soft sigh, reaching out to wrap an arm around her waist and draw her halfway into his embrace. Meanwhile, Qu Lingjun, Min Longyu, and the others dropped to one knee. "Greetings, Master!" "Supreme Elder, you have finally returned!" "Yilong greets Martial Uncle!" Meng Qin'er, who had originally been scheduled to fight that afternoon, stood among them like a crane amidst chickens, looking somewhat awkward. Yet after Qu Lingjun tugged at her sleeve, she dropped to one knee without a second thought. "Junior greets True Person Luo!" Compared to the tens of thousands of spectators, the members of the Luotian Sect were few, nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Yet at this moment, the titles they shouted resounded through the crowd. And those titles made those with even a slight understanding of the Luotian Sect realize Luo Chen's identity. The Luotian Sect's Supreme Elder, and also its Founding Ancestor! The peerless prodigy of legend who had single-handedly guided a ragtag gathering of Qi Refinement cultivators step by step into the ranks of great Golden Core sects! Amidst the crowd, someone even cried out "Danchenzi"—a Daoist title so ancient that Luo Chen himself had almost forgotten it. "You... how did you..." The woman in his embrace was already sobbing uncontrollably. Luo Chen patted her fragrant shoulder, then gently pushed Gu Caiyi back. "The matters here are not yet finished." With those words, the woman wiped her tears and sensibly stepped behind him. Yet the gaze she fixed upon Luo Chen's back brimmed with tender affection that could not be unraveled. Luo Chen stepped down from the high stage, walking forward step by step toward True Person Shenhuo and Old Ghost Motian. "Now you know who I am!" "So do I have the right to meddle in the matters of the Luotian Sect?" True Person Shenhuo drew a deep breath and slightly lowered his head. "Since it is your domestic affair, it is not my place to question it. But you killed a member of my Five Elements Divine Sect, and an explanation must be given!" "An explanation?" Luo Chen's expression turned severe, and he struck without warning. "You are the ones who owe me an explanation!" A colossal palm print of magic power suddenly surged forth, catching both Nascent Soul True Persons off guard. "How audacious! Private fighting is forbidden within Lingtian Pass!" "Luo Chen, what are you doing?" Having witnessed Luo Chen's terrifying methods earlier, the two Nascent Soul True Persons already felt faint trepidation in their hearts. Confronted with his lawless, abrupt strike, they instinctively dodged to the side. As the two moved aside, a man who had tucked himself behind them was exposed. The palm print of magic power rushed forth like a galloping steed, blowing the man's hair high into the air and revealing an uneasy, utterly pale face. "Get over here!" Luo Chen barked a low shout. The giant palm abruptly morphed into an enormous claw, seizing the man and tossing him behind his back like a chick. Min Longyu vaguely remembered Luo Chen's style of doing things. Seeing him strike, he roughly grasped his intent. Without hesitation, he moved, planting restrictions upon the man. Finally, he let out a melancholy sigh. "Wenjie, did you ever foresee this day?" Sima Wenjie ground his teeth, not daring to look at that man's back, yet refusing to show weakness as he closed his eyes. "Alas..." Min Longyu sighed, then froze. A voice transmission from Luo Chen echoed in the ears of every Luotian Sect member. Exchanging glances, they pushed through the crowd and departed. Yet unlike the decades of uneasy trepidation and living day to day on a thread, their hearts felt extraordinarily grounded at this moment. Even when Gu Caiyi looked back at that man, a smile broke through her tear-stained face. Luo Chen smiled and waved to her. "Go on back. This time, I will not disappear." *** Luo Chen did not linger before the public eye for long. In his view, this was no show of might, merely airing domestic dirty laundry. From the White Crane Domain to Lingtian Pass, he had ascended straight into the azure skies, pushing his flight speed to the absolute limit. Only thus had he been able to traverse an entire domain in a single day and arrive at the front line. Had he not needed to obtain a token to enter the pass from the White Crane Sect, he would have arrived even sooner and cleaned up this mess faster. Nevertheless, the decisive speed with which he had cut through this knot had thoroughly stunned everyone in the fortress. Including the gathering of Nascent Soul True Persons currently assembled within the Castellan Manor! In a secluded courtyard, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan stood opposite each other, then exchanged smiles. Luo Chen asked, "How long has it been?" With a touch of wistfulness, Wang Yuan said, "One hundred and ten years, exactly! Since you left, every day for the people of Luotian felt like a year." Luo Chen parted his lips. Thousands of words ultimately condensed into a single sentence: "You have suffered." Wang Yuan truly had suffered. Most of the news he had learned from Zhaowu, the eldest disciple of True Person Xianhe, had been fragmentary. Yet from those scraps of information alone, Luo Chen knew how much heart and blood Wang Yuan had expended to protect the Luotian Sect. When the Luotian Sect had teetered in the storm following Luo Chen's disappearance, their ally Diwu Qi had attempted to swallow the sect whole. Wang Yuan had fought a fierce battle against him, expelling him from the original Luotian Alliance and restoring the Luotian Sect's independence. Not only that, when Diwu Qi later schemed in secret, Wang Yuan had charged into the enemy camp alone and forcefully slain him. All of it had been to deter petty scoundrels and stabilize the sect's morale. Had anyone else performed such deeds, Luo Chen would have assumed they were coveting the supreme authority of the sect. Yet the one who had done it was Wang Yuan! It was the very Wang Yuan who had once instructed Luo Chen with words like: *Do not let power blind your eyes, and do not let sect or clan forces fetter your personal cultivation.* He had never held any interest in sect power. That he could achieve so many heroic feats to protect Luotian under such circumstances was clearly because he was upholding the loyalty and brotherhood in his heart. He had fought for the bond of living and dying together with Luo Chen, of sharing honor and disgrace. He had fought for the memory of Luo Chen charging alone into Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks back then, willing to offend a Golden Core Master just to save him. Between men, many things needed no words, yet both kept them etched into their hearts. Luo Chen did not motheringly press for details. He merely asked with concern: "How did your path change?" He remembered that Wang Yuan had always adhered to the orthodox path of body cultivation, disdaining the beast-like body cultivation arts of the demon race. Back then, when a copy of the Heavenly Roc Transformation was laid before the two of them, Wang Yuan had only remarked with contempt: *"Transformations resembling beasts are not for me!"* Later, during his century of cultivation in the Northern Sea, Luo Chen had also come to realize that demon-like transformations were indeed ill-suited for the true human body. Thus, through repeated cultivation, he had gradually modified his Heavenly Peng True Form into a Human Giant Spirit form that better suited himself. Yet moments ago, on the Battle Arena, the form Wang Yuan had displayed was already on the verge of turning into the morphic shift of some demonic beast. Faced with this question, Wang Yuan waved his hand, his face calm. "Forced by circumstances, I had no other choice." Needless to say, during his century of defending the sect, he must have encountered some insurmountable obstacle, forcing him onto a shortcut he despised in exchange for formidable strength. Luo Chen hesitated, but in the end, he could only say: "From now on, I am here!" Only at this moment did a smile break across Wang Yuan's face. "Go on. They must be waiting impatiently by now." "Yes." Leading Wang Yuan, Luo Chen exited the side courtyard and walked toward the main hall of the Castellan Manor. Wherever he passed, cultivators fell as silent as cicadas in winter, greeting him with deferent bows. Evidently, Luo Chen's deeds on the Battle Arena—destroying the enemy's treasure and cleaning house—had already spread. In particular, his fiercely protective act of discarding all grace as a True Person to slay the junior Yin Sixiang in kind made those of low cultivation revere and fear him from the depths of their hearts. They dared not slight him in etiquette in the least. Before reaching the main hall, Luo Chen paused his footsteps. Outside the hall, an old acquaintance was looking at him with complex emotions. It was Fairy Fengyue, with whom he had interacted several times. Luo Chen said nothing, merely giving a nod before pushing open the heavy doors of the main hall. Amidst a deep rumble, gazes turned toward the tall man walking in against the light. At this moment, the sun hung high in the sky, blazing hot. Clad in white, his spine straight as a sword, amidst the dust motes drifting in the hazy light, the man broke into a brilliant smile. "Everyone, I have returned!" Though his voice was not loud, it landed in everyone's hearts heavy as mountains and vast as surging rivers. It was as if he were not merely speaking to the cultivators within the hall, but declaring his return to the entire Eastern Desolation.