In the cultivation world, there was actually a very intuitive way to judge a demon beast's rank.
Namely, to look at its size!
Those at Tier 1 measured around a zhang.
Tier 2 beasts ranged from two or three zhang to seven or eight zhang.
Yet once they exceeded ten zhang, they were almost invariably of the Tier 3 Demon King rank.
As for Tier 4 Demon Emperors, comparable to human Nascent Soul experts, their bodies often surpassed a hundred zhang—sitting or lying like mountains, walking with whipping gales.
Hence came the terrifying spectacles when a great demon stirred: demonic qi billowing and demonic squalls sweeping the land.
The reason demon beasts' cultivation realms were tied to their physical size had been meticulously researched by predecessors.
Three main conclusions had been drawn:
First, massive size intimidated their own kind and seized territory—a subconscious drive in all beasts to grow taller and grander.
Second, demon beasts had evolved from desolate beasts adapting to the cultivation path of humanity; fundamentally, demons and desolate beasts shared the same origin. Desolate beasts excelled at body refinement, foolishly striving to evolve their own forms into mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon. For instance, the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven Luo Chen had witnessed, and even that vast gravel desert within the Land of the Fallen Demon, were the petrified remains of formidable Tier 5 desolate beasts. Even after switching to the human cultivation system, demon beasts retained this ancient instinct.
The third point was rather derogatory.
According to that predecessor, demon beasts were inherently dull-witted and inept at mastering human methods, rendering their qi refinement crude in the extreme.
Unable to delicately hone and temper their magic power, they could not, like human powerhouses, store high-density spiritual qi within a tiny dantian sea of qi.
Thus, they had no choice but to take an alternative route—continually expanding their bodies to hold vast quantities of spiritual qi through pure physical bulk, thereby propelling their realm upward.
Roughly speaking, such was the analysis regarding the size of demon beasts.
Over time, it became a standard benchmark for cultivators when gauging a demon beast's realm.
Yet there were exceptions!
Most of those conclusions applied only to terrestrial beasts and sea demons.
When it came to winged beasts or bizarre alien species, the rule lost its universality.
For example, the Wuguang beast was both a winged creature and an anomalous species; consequently, its true form revealed after death measured just under a hundred zhang.
Even so, not a single person present doubted the veracity of Luo Chen's words.
The phenomenon of drawing upon the surrounding ambient spiritual qi of heaven and earth—unique to creatures of the Nascent Soul realm—could never be faked.
At this moment!
Beholding the carcass of the Wuguang beast Luo Chen had produced—and a relatively intact one at that—everyone felt their emotions churn, their eyes flickering with varied thoughts.
Instead of offering the pills he was proudest of to open the floor, this Alchemy Grandmaster had presented the remains of a Demon Emperor. What was his intention?
A display of martial might?
One had to admit, this Demon Emperor's corpse truly delivered a tremendous shock to many.
Among human Nascent Soul cultivators, many had defeated Demon Emperors.
Those who had slain Demon Emperors were not few, either.
Yet to slay a Demon Emperor and secure its intact remains like Luo Chen—that was exceedingly rare.
Throughout the century-long war between humans and demons, the Battle of Absolute Spirit was undeniably the grandest and most earth-shaking clash.
Yet during that clash, aside from Luo Chen, no one else had obtained an intact Demon Emperor carcass.
Only Daoist Tieguan, relying on that True Artifact, the Black Iron Daoist Abbey, had managed to secure half a corpse.
The gap between them showcased Luo Chen's combat prowess!
He was no frail, bookish high-tier alchemist, but a powerhouse of the Nascent Soul realm who commanded genuine martial might!
Luo Chen placidly swept his gaze over their expressions.
The batch of True Persons originally stationed at Lingtian Pass remained comparatively calm; after all, he had previously accomplished the feat of claiming the complete corpse of the Frost Eagle Demon Emperor.
However, the Nascent Soul True Persons who had arrived over the past five years from the ancient sects of the Eastern Desolation grew noticeably restless in their seats.
No matter how well-practiced their composure, directly confronting a Demon Emperor's carcass could not help but shake their equanimity to some degree.
Luo Chen was very pleased with this reaction!
This way, if anyone wished to ask favors of him in the future, they would have to weigh whether the remuneration they offered was sufficient.
Commissioning an alchemist was already a matter of personal favor.
And soliciting help from a powerful expert demanded an even steeper price.
In doing this, he was quietly raising the threshold for refining pills for others, sparing himself the endless nuisance of every Tom, Dick, and Harry knocking at his door.
Moreover, there was another consideration in his mind:
*These cultivators from ancient sects inherently look down upon newly risen figures from the Eastern Desolation's emerging factions. Since I possess astonishing alchemy skills, someone might harbor ill intent—attempting to coerce or force me to gain benefits.*
*The corpse of a Demon Emperor is more than enough to dispel any improper notions they might entertain!*
Just as he thought, after the bloodstained carcass of the Wuguang beast appeared, Celestial Master Hua of the Void Emperor Cult—who had earlier taken the initiative to make his acquaintance—went through several changes of expression.
Elder Lu of the Dongyang Sect, seated beside him, gripped his armrests tightly, glancing at Luo Chen with deep wariness.
As for Master Yao, his face was now ashen; he had instantly realized another monumental disparity between himself and Luo Chen.
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
Luo Chen suddenly chuckled softly. "What? Do you fellow daoists look down upon this Demon Emperor's carcass? Or do you not recognize the value of this beast?"
"Very well, allow this grandmaster to sing its praises!"
"These eyes of the Wuguang beast can discern the hidden and murky, and distinguish between life and death."
"These pitch-black wings may not offer peerless flight speed, but they possess the power of stealth and concealment, moving in utter silence without revealing spiritual light. Should a skilled craftsman use them as the primary material to forge a treasure, it would make an exceptional unorthodox dharma treasure."
"Especially this scorpion tail stinger! It was tempered through the Shape Transformation Heavenly Tribulation and already possesses the quality of a True Artifact. If supplemented with the potent venom from the Wuguang beast's poison sac, its killing power would rank among the finest of True Artifacts. I don't mind admitting, I suffered a setback beneath this stinger myself—it pierced right through my protective treasure."
"And this flesh and blood: if a spirit chef neutralizes its inherent toxicity with secret methods, a body cultivator consuming it over the long term might well gain substantial poison resistance."
Though framed as self-flattery, it sounded to everyone present like a master reciting his prized inventory.
Qin Baixiang of the Hundred Beasts Sect was the first to speak. "I had no idea the Alchemy Grandmaster was so knowledgeable about the anatomy and properties of demon beasts. Your breadth of experience is truly vast!"
Luo Chen smiled without answering. After all, he had earned a Seven-Star Demon Hunter license in the Northern Sea and had once crammed this kind of lore extensively.
Jiuling Yuanjun chimed in, though finding an entirely different angle of praise:
"It is impressive enough that Brother Luo understands these materials so well, but you are even clear on what dharma treasures each part can be forged into. Could it be that Brother Luo is also skilled in the way of artifact forging?"
Luo Chen nodded modestly. "A little, only a little!"
Having sung his own wares' praises, other people's compliments merely served to corroborate his claims.
That being the case, there was no need to delay further.
Soon, the gathering of Nascent Soul True Persons threw themselves into the carving feast for the Demon Emperor's remains.
Jiuling Yuanjun was the first to strike, purchasing the Wuguang beast's most precious scorpion tail stinger and poison sac in their entirety!
For this, he parted with a full thirty wisps of the firmament qi Luo Chen required.
At his generosity, Luo Chen was slightly taken aback.
Had this fellow not claimed earlier that he didn't have much firmament qi left?
Seeming to guess Luo Chen's thoughts, Jiuling Yuanjun transmitted a secret voice explanation:
"Deceiving Brother Luo last time was truly born of necessity. My Great Nine Firmaments River required an immense amount of firmament qi; only now that it is completed do I have this surplus."
"After my battle with the Thunder Prison Divine Peng, I felt lacking in external armaments. Yet under current circumstances, it is too late to forge a bespoke True Artifact. This scorpion stinger already possesses the quality of a True Artifact. If I refine it slightly, it can compensate for my deficiencies."
Luo Chen nodded slightly, accepting this reasoning without begrudging the earlier concealment.
Instead, he realized that powerhouses who had made a renowned name for themselves commanded wealth far beyond ordinary imagination.
If anything, his own asking prices in their prior dealings had been somewhat too modest!
Next, Xiao Shiniang, Mistress of Ancient Mist Isle, offered five wisps of Scarlet Firmament Qi to purchase the bat-like wings.
Her combat style was somewhat similar to the Wuguang beast's.
Having these wings as an enhancement could substantially bolster her prowess.
Though as for how to make use of them, she would have to consult an expert forgemaster.
Qin Baixiang was the third to make a move, purchasing all the Wuguang beast's flesh and blood for ten wisps of Crimson Firmament Qi.
With that, the prime spoils had been claimed, leaving only the leftovers.
Yet even these leftovers were from a Demon Emperor; their worth was by no means small.
"Fellow daoists, please allow Lu to have the Wuguang's pair of pupils!"
"Grandmaster, will five wisps of Purple Firmament Qi suffice?"
Elder Lu said with a chuckle.
Luo Chen did not haggle and nodded with an identical smile.
Inwardly, however, he was ecstatic!
Counting the eleven wisps of firmament qi he had already refined, together with what he had acquired today, the total reached a hundred wisps!
Once he refined them all, he would attain the stage of Middle Mastery in the *Thousand Firmaments Sword Scripture*!
And the pleasant surprises did not stop there.
"This celestial master will take that great sinew!"
"A pity the hide and fur did not survive, or I would have crafted a daoist robe from it. I shall settle for this pair of talons; forging a dharma treasure from them for my grandson will surely delight him."
"A heart preserved in such pristine condition? If treated with my sect's secret method and steeped in Thousand Gold Intoxication for a hundred years, it will yield a peerless spirit wine. Fellow daoists, grant this old man this item!"
"Deng will take the skull. I have heard the Wuguang beast wields soul-confounding power; perhaps this skull can unravel some perplexities in my cultivation."
One True Person after another acted swiftly, paying varied prices to purchase the materials of the Wuguang beast.
In less than half an incense stick's time, the carcass of the Wuguang Demon Emperor, once illustrious across the wilderness, was carved up and divided completely.
Were news of this to reach the demon race's stronghold, who knew what furious outrage it would spark?
Yet such was the cultivation world!
The weak fell prey to the strong; natural selection reigned supreme. How could there be any room for talk of cruelty?
The flesh and blood of Foundation Establishment cultivators and the golden cores of Golden Core cultivators were similarly potent tonics to demon beasts!
Back when Luo Chen was on Mount Cangwu, he had even seen Youquan use Tianyezi's Nascent Soul as the primary ingredient for the Shape Transformation Pill.
Indeed, even setting aside the racial divide between humans and demons, within humanity itself, were there not deeds such as plundering souls to cultivate demonic arts?
For the sake of cultivation, all things in the world could serve as nourishment!
After Luo Chen tossed out his giant brick to bait the jade, it was the others' turn to bring out resources for trade.
Before encountering anything he desired, he refrained from jumping in for the moment, simply watching from the sidelines.
Inwardly, he was delighted beyond measure by the dozens of wisps of firmament qi that had trickled into his hands one after another.
These ancient sects truly possessed profound foundations.
The firmament qi that had previously been so difficult to find was now plentiful as cabbages, yours for the taking!
*True enough. Once one achieves the Nascent Soul realm, who wouldn't want to ascend the Nine Firmaments to look around?*
*Who wouldn't want to see what lies beyond the world, or whether the Immortal Realm is merely a single step away from us?*
*Once one reaches the Nine Firmaments and the azure deep, gathering materials like firmament qi just takes some time and care. Over ages, the world naturally stockpiles large quantities of various firmament qis.*
As Luo Chen pondered this, he cast an imperceptible glance toward Elder Lu beside him.
Rumor had it that the Dongyang Sect possessed an art for commanding divine lightning known as the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning.
Divine lightning was difficult to harness and required firmament qi to control; judging by its name, the firmament qi used was precisely Purple Firmament Qi.
Perhaps the Dongyang Sect held a large hoard of Purple Firmament Qi within its vaults?
According to his physique and magic power, the *Thousand Firmaments Sword Scripture* he cultivated favored Crimson Firmament Sword Qi. Yet Purple Firmament Qi and Scarlet Firmament Qi could also be converted into Crimson Firmament Sword Qi. If he could obtain a substantial amount of Purple Firmament Qi from the Dongyang Sect, perhaps he would never have to worry about these resources again.
While Luo Chen was deep in thought, Deng Taiyue of the Mount Tai Sect below produced an item.
"Seven Po Jade, a Tier 4 mineral possessing the power to fuse spirits and guide souls. It is suited for crafting sect soul tablets to perceive the life and death of disciples and kinsmen."
"Deng wishes to exchange it for resources beneficial to the divine soul. I wonder if any fellow daoist is interested?"
These words immediately piqued the interest of many.
Top-tier factions generally invested immense effort into cultivating their disciples and sect members.
Especially talented individuals were showered with abundant resources.
Should such promising juniors perish, even Nascent Soul cultivators would feel heartache.
Consequently, premier forces typically crafted soul tablets, soul lamps, or employed various secret arts to monitor them.
Seven Po Jade was among the finest materials for crafting soul tablets.
Not only did it provide exceptional sensitivity, but its demand for soul blood was also remarkably low, ensuring it would not harm a genius disciple's spiritual foundation.
Regrettably, over countless years, the existing Seven Po Jade across the thirty-six domains of the Eastern Desolation had long since been mined out. Few great sects still crafted soul tablets; most were forced to resort to common soul lamps.
While soul lamps were widespread, the damage they inflicted on disciples' souls was self-evident.
Keeping a soul lamp burning required a comparatively large amount of soul blood, and the cultivator had to replenish it periodically—an enormous hassle.
Now that Seven Po Jade had appeared, the Nascent Soul True Persons instantly took notice.
Elder Lu was the first to speak. "True Person Taiyue, was your Seven Po Jade also gathered from the Misty Marsh of the Million Mountains?"
Deng Taiyue did not beat around the bush, replying candidly, "Indeed it was. A decade ago, taking advantage of the demon beasts mobilizing en masse and leaving the Million Mountains defenseless, I ventured into the mountains to gather herbs. Aside from capturing that Demon Emperor cub, this Seven Po Jade was my greatest harvest. Regrettably, there is not much—only enough to craft about a hundred soul tablets."
As he spoke, he patted his storage pouch, indicating that beyond the piece in his hand, there was more inside.
Hearing the figure of a mere hundred tablets, the others felt somewhat disappointed.
In ancient sects like theirs, the core direct disciples alone numbered in the thousands or tens of thousands; a paltry hundred was far from enough.
Furthermore, what Deng Taiyue sought were resources beneficial to the divine soul!
If anyone possessed such treasures, why would they trade them for Seven Po Jade, an item that only benefited low-tier cultivators?
For a moment, the True Persons who had shown interest fell silent one after another.
However, Master Yao, who had been quiet for some time, felt a stir of interest.
Seven Caverns Mountain had long been in decline; its disciples were not numerous, and outstanding talents were exceedingly few.
If brought back, this batch of Seven Po Jade would be just enough for the current generation.
"Ahem!"
After clearing his throat to draw everyone's attention, Master Yao said slowly, "Deng Taiyue, how about selling this batch of Seven Po Jade to this old man?"
Though Deng Taiyue was accustomed to Master Yao addressing him by his personal name, having it done in public still made his brow furrow.
"Master Yao, what will you exchange for it?"
Master Yao replied without hesitation, "I have researched the remnant recipe of the Enlightenment Pill for you for quite some time. As long as it is truly concocted, it will surpass ten million pills beneficial to the soul."
Hearing this, Deng Taiyue's brow furrowed even deeper.
*As long as it is concocted?* That meant it hadn't been concocted yet! Wasn't this the same as before—trying to pull something out of nothing with empty promises?
Luo Chen blinked. Seeing Elder Lu smiling beside him as if watching a good show, he could not help but ask via voice transmission: "What is an Enlightenment Pill?"
Elder Lu paused, instinctively asking back, "The Alchemy Grandmaster doesn't know of the Enlightenment Pill?"
Then he immediately remembered that Luo Chen had cultivated for less than three hundred years; it was only natural there were things he did not know.
He promptly explained, "The Enlightenment Pill was a pill recipe serendipitously developed by an ancient qi practitioner. Though ranked at Tier 4, it is hailed as a pseudo-Tier 5 divine pill. Its effect grants a Nascent Soul cultivator an epiphany, allowing them to comprehend the true essence of laws ahead of their time."
"Regrettably, such a divine pill was bound to draw heaven's envy. After ascending to Deity Transformation with its aid, that ancient qi practitioner ascended to higher realms and departed. The pill recipe he left behind was fought over by great powers and torn to tatters."
"Over several millennia, even after cultivators of the Eastern Desolation pieced together fragments, they could at most reconstruct fifty to sixty percent of the recipe, and it still lacked the names of the most critical primary ingredients."
"After spending enormous costs to research and concoct it to no avail, people gradually stopped coveting the recipe."
"I did hear that Alchemy Saint Chu Yan was once fascinated by this remnant recipe and researched it for many years. Sadly, before any fruit could be seen, she departed for the Central Plains; none know what became of her research."
"I hadn't expected True Person Taiyue to still be so fixated on this pill, searching far and wide for someone to concoct it."
At this point, Elder Lu suddenly recalled something.
"With the Alchemy Grandmaster's talent, perhaps you could restore this recipe?"
Luo Chen chuckled helplessly.
He waved his hand. "Even the Alchemy Saint failed to produce results; how could this grandmaster possess such ability? However..."
Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling upon that Seven Po Jade.
This thing was one of the prime materials for forging the Heart-Interrogation Mirror!
He spoke up:
"True Person Taiyue, how about selling this item to me?"
Chapter 825