A teal True Artifact sword pellet and three Flawless sword pellets floated in midair.
Intricate patterns wound across their surfaces, wrapping tightly around the spheres like threads of silkworm silk.
Luo Chen glanced over them one by one, then channeled magic power into the fire-attribute Flawless sword pellet.
Instantly!
*Hiss, hiss, hiss...*
The sword pellet spun whirringly, darting effortlessly through the grand hall like a shooting star.
With a single shift of his thought, the shooting star came to an abrupt halt. Like a blooming lotus, it unfurled streaks of sword silk.
Testing it with the pellet-wielding techniques from the *Thousand Firmaments Myriad Transformations Sword Scripture*, Luo Chen felt deeply satisfied.
It was indeed a pristine, unused Flawless sword pellet!
Pellets of such caliber were undoubtedly exceedingly rare even within the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect and Wan Jian Pavilion, likely reserved only for core disciples who showed genuine promise of ascending to the Nascent Soul stage.
Yet he had acquired three in a single stroke—and even a True Artifact tier pellet to boot!
Toying with the four sword pellets in his hand, the corners of Luo Chen's mouth curved upward slightly.
*As expected, my intuition at the Mount Shouyang Dao Discussion was spot on.*
*In the past, the prices I quoted for pill concoction seemed steep to me, but to wealthy Nascent Soul Zhenren, they barely amounted to anything at all.*
*In particular, after nurturing my reputation as an Alchemy Master for so many years, that prestige is more than enough to command an even higher price!*
His exorbitant demand during today's bargaining was a deliberate test of his reputation's true worth.
The final outcome was thoroughly gratifying!
As for why he hadn't asked for other treasures and had instead set his sights squarely on sword pellets?
First, the two great sword sects certainly had no shortage of such items, giving his request a clear, realistic target.
Second... Luo Chen's gaze dropped to the blood-red miniature sword etched onto his right arm like a tattoo.
After absorbing an immense quantity of demon blood and the Nascent Soul of a Fourth-Rank Demon Emperor during the Battle of Jueling, the Yuantu Sword had laid bare its true nature as a "demonic sword"!
Beneath its peerless sharpness lay a bloodlust instinct that could hardly be suppressed!
Although the sword spirit had grown increasingly acknowledging of him, allowing him to wield it with greater ease and freedom, the spirit's own autonomy had also expanded tremendously.
Remembering how stubbornly the Yuantu Sword had swallowed the Demon Emperor's Nascent Soul back then, and recalling how it had proactively released a sliver of its sharp aura earlier when his sword qi was overpowered during the spar, the delight on Luo Chen's face darkened.
Not being completely controlled meant not being controlled at all!
And an uncontrollable magic treasure, no matter how formidable, was never an implement a cultivator could truly rely upon.
It was precisely under such considerations that Luo Chen felt the urge to reconstruct his sword formation.
The modified Great Five Elements Sword Formation left behind by Han Zhan was described as immensely powerful.
Its sole prerequisite was five True Artifact sword pellets!
Assembling five such pellets was extraordinarily difficult. But now that Luo Chen possessed two True Artifact sword pellets and three Flawless sword pellets, he might just be able to attempt a makeshift deployment of the Great Five Elements Sword Formation.
*No rush, no rush!*
*First, I should use the techniques from the sword scripture to thoroughly temper and refine these sword pellets before worrying about the Great Five Elements Sword Formation.*
*Right now, the most urgent priority is to finish crafting the Heart-Interrogation Mirror. Canglong's condition cannot be delayed any longer.*
Luo Chen put away the sword pellets. After ordering servants to repair the damaged ceiling of the grand hall, he headed up to the mountain peak alone.
***
The Red Dog puppet, housing Luo Chen's soul clone, had dismantled and analyzed a great number of mirage-core magic treasures, unraveling the crafting principles behind the Ghost-God Heart-Interrogation Mirror.
Furthermore, it had drawn up a new blueprint for its creation.
With Seven-Po Jade as the foundation, a mirage core as the primary ingredient, and Return to Truth Liquid acting as an intermediary medium to stimulate and modulate the process, supplemented by numerous precious materials and various illusion arrays...
After being validated through the system, this blueprint was fully capable of being initiated!
After years of preparation, Luo Chen had finally reached the final step.
Standing before the glowing-red Hunyuan Cauldron, he carefully introduced each prepared material into the flames, moving with an uncharacteristic gentleness.
Such caution was only natural.
The materials used for crafting this Heart-Interrogation Mirror far surpassed anything he had employed in his previous artifact-crafting endeavors.
A mid Fourth-Rank mirage beast's core alone was something neither the Xuanchen Armor nor the Nether Python Whip could hold a candle to.
If he carelessly failed, there would be nowhere for him to weep.
"I seek no extraordinary grade for the finished treasure, only that it does not fail."
Luo Chen murmured to himself as he poured his entire focus into the forging process.
His repertoire of artifact-crafting techniques was quite eclectic.
Duan Feng had laid the foundation with the Duan family's techniques, which originally traced back to Tianfan City.
Later, Luo Chen had gathered numerous smithing texts of his own, experimenting and figuring things out as he went.
The artifact-crafting techniques of Baizao Mountain in the Northern Sea had brought about his first major breakthrough in the craft.
Later still, upon obtaining Feiyunzi's legacy, the numerous smithing arts from Feiyun Ravine broadened Luo Chen's horizons even further.
The Nether Python Whip he had forged for Gu Caiyi earlier had been an experiment.
The results of that experiment should have been even better, but a momentary lapse in concentration at the critical juncture had fallen short of perfection, leaving the treasure at medium grade.
Now, when forging the Heart-Interrogation Mirror, Luo Chen would never allow himself to be distracted.
Holding an array disc, the Black Ape puppet had completely sealed off Mount Danluo. Unless an absolute emergency arose, no outsider would be permitted to disturb Luo Chen.
Time slipped by quietly. The diverse materials gradually merged, generating delicate reactions with one another.
One day, two days...
One month, two months...
A year later, Luo Chen, his eyes webbed with blood vessels, let out a low cry.
"Come forth!"
A haze of white light slowly drifted out from the Hunyuan Cauldron. Luo Chen's amber-gold eyes pierced through the protective luminescence to observe it closely.
"It has indeed taken shape!"
"Time to carve the arrays."
Taking a deep breath, he retrieved the prepared array ink liquid. Driven by his magic power, his right hand instantly flushed bright crimson.
When it came to inscribing arrays onto a magic treasure embryo, Luo Chen possessed a unique method of his own.
Namely, Baizao Mountain's Iron Refining Hand!
Using this technique dipped in array ink liquid to draw arrays proved far more precise than ordinary talisman brushes or ink styluses.
After all, such implements were mere external tools; how could they ever match the intuitive feel and responsiveness of one's own hand?
The sole drawback of the Iron Refining Hand was the agonizing pain experienced during its execution.
This was also why very few cultivators in Baizao Mountain practiced this particular art.
Pain induced distraction, and once distracted at a critical moment during artifact crafting, the consequences were unthinkable...
Yet for Luo Chen, such minor pain did not even warrant a furrow of his brow or a clench of his jaw.
"First, nine basic illusion arrays, followed by six Second-Rank illusion arrays. For the Third-Rank illusion array, I should use my most practiced Mirror Flower, Water Moon—it is also the formation best suited to the Heart-Interrogation Mirror!"
"As for the Fourth-Rank array... let it be Dream Illusion Foam Shadow!"
When making this decision, Luo Chen felt a complex mix of emotions—anxiety, anticipation, and an underlying sense of taking a calculated gamble.
This illusion array was not something he had originally known, but rather a set recorded in the array text *Stone Chamber Immortal Secrets*, which Fu Chaosheng had gifted him.
It was complete, yet incomplete!
The reason it was incomplete was that this illusion array was originally meant to be of an even higher rank, highly likely originating from the Buddhist sects of the Western Desert, but for reasons unknown, the greater part of it had been ruined.
However, after a senior of the Tianyuan Dao Sect acquired the remnant array, he completed it according to his own understanding.
In the end, though its rank fell considerably to merely the fourth rank, the array became fully cohesive and whole.
Inscribing this formation onto the Heart-Interrogation Mirror showed that Luo Chen held extraordinarily high expectations for this magic treasure.
"I hope it will not disappoint me!"
As the perfect final stroke fell, a dreamlike, multicolored glow enveloped the fully formed, oval stone mirror, which slowly drifted back into the Hunyuan Cauldron.
The magic power lid resealed the cauldron. The faint Wither-Bloom True Fire flared up violently once more.
Luo Chen exhaled a long breath of relief.
"I leave the rest to you."
Luo Chen glanced at the Red Dog puppet, exchanged no unnecessary words, and took his leave.
Fire control was an art engraved into the very soul for a soul clone; even when operated through a puppet, no mistakes would be made.
Furthermore, the Wither-Bloom True Fire had now birthed a fire spirit that possessed sentience and understood Luo Chen's intentions.
Because of this, Luo Chen did not need to endure three years of solitary vigilance as he had when forging the Xuanchen Armor.
Returning to his quarters, Luo Chen indulged in a sound, restorative sleep.
Upon waking refreshed and energized, he immediately dismissed the protective array and summoned Gu Caiyi, Wang Yuan, Fairy Jueqing, and the others.
***
Under ordinary circumstances, a single year was nothing to a cultivator.
Yet the present situation was vastly different, shifting in the blink of an eye. Who could say what changes might unfold in the outside world over the span of a year?
Thus, Luo Chen urgently needed these active cultivators to brief him on the state of affairs.
"Because the array was active, outsiders knew that the Alchemy Master had no intention of receiving guests. As a result, few came to disturb the mountain this past year, save for two invitation letters from the Mount Shouyang Hermit," Fairy Jueqing reported.
Luo Chen requested the invitations, skimmed through them briefly, and set them aside.
They were still invitations to the Mount Shouyang Dao Discussion, only this time the scale was restricted to fewer than ten people.
Luo Chen gave a faint, mocking smile. While the scale was smaller, holding them so frequently merely cheapened the prestige of the Mount Shouyang Dao Discussion.
If he were organizing it, he would space them several years apart during wartime and every decade or century in times of peace to maintain an elite standing.
The Mount Shouyang Hermit was growing rather too eager for quick returns!
Amid these musings, Gu Caiyi presented her report.
"Thanks to Husband's fame, the Luotian Treasure Pavilion has developed well over these past few years, already gathering a large base of regular customers."
"The sect can steadily supply pills and talismans to the outside market..."
"Yet those make up only a minor fraction of our profits. The lion's share still stems from our partnership with the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance in purchasing demon beast carcasses. After every large-scale transaction, we collect a handsome commission."
"The issue now is that the Tianyuan Commerce Alliance is no longer satisfied with cooperating solely on demon beast resources. They wish to broaden the scope and use the Luotian Treasure Pavilion to sell specialty goods from Zhongzhou. Sect Master Li did not dare make that call on his own, leaving it for Husband to decide."
Specialty goods from Zhongzhou?
What specialties could there be other than various cultivation resources?
Perhaps their quality was superior, but those businesses were firmly in the grip of the sixteen outer domains and the Mingyuan Sect. How could Luo Chen dare infringe upon them?
After a moment's contemplation, Luo Chen reached a decision.
"We can broaden the scope of cooperation, but restrict it strictly to pills."
Gu Caiyi nodded and made a mental note.
Luo Chen had thought it through clearly. With his reputation as an Alchemy Master backing them, even pills hailing from Zhongzhou would not have their origins questioned. Nor would other factions bother picking a fight with an alchemy grandmaster at the height of his influence.
Yet if they traded in other resources, they would almost certainly invite massive trouble.
Right now, Luo Chen had no wish to invite trouble!
Finally, it was Wang Yuan's turn.
He was responsible for military affairs!
Under everyone's gaze, Wang Yuan spoke in a measured tone.
"The warfare has grown increasingly fierce. Four great commanders are glaring covetously at Lingtian Pass, harassing it daily without pause."
*Another one has joined?*
Luo Chen frowned and asked, "Which four commanders?"
"Huang Man, Baizu, Niu Gui, and Ao Kuang!" Wang Yuan enunciated each syllable, speaking names that struck terror into ordinary hearts.
Even having anticipated the worst, Luo Chen could not help swallowing hard.
"Ao Kuang arrived this quickly?"
This great Demon Emperor was no nobody.
He was the shared sovereign of the wolf tribes throughout the Million Mountains; even Demon Emperor Ao Xiao of the Howling Moon Mountain Range had merely been his junior.
It was rumored that he had ascended to the Demon Emperor realm over a thousand years ago, his age rivaling that of newly ascended Soul Formation cultivators among humanity.
His combat prowess was utterly terrifying as well.
He had once vied for dominance against the current sovereign of the demon race, Ancient Demon Di Tian, and managed to preserve his life despite defeat.
Even Demon Emperor Qingshuang, the demon most feared by human cultivators, had fought Ao Kuang for hundreds of rounds without either gaining the upper hand.
Based on these two feats alone, no one in the world dared look down on him.
And now, he had arrived so soon?
Wang Yuan's expression was grave. "It is precisely because of this great Demon Emperor's arrival that the demon race has gained immense confidence, launching frequent raids against Lingtian Pass. They do not assault Lingtian Pass directly, but instead gnaw away at the peripheral buffer zones step by step, attempting to form a pincer encirclement. Heavy casualties have mounted in repeated skirmishes, and I hear that even Nascent Soul Zhenren have suffered injuries and deaths."
Luo Chen asked at once, "Do you know which Zhenren specifically?"
Wang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Most are unverified rumors. But Old Ghost Motian having half of his body hacked off by a wolf-tribe Demon Emperor occurred in plain view of everyone—that cannot be fabricated!"
*Old Ghost Motian?*
Luo Chen was stunned at first, then broke into a hearty, gratified smile.
Constrained by the rules of the human alliance, the Five Elements Divine Sect dared not move against him, nor dared he openly strike against fellows like Old Ghost Motian.
Now that the demon race had served as the blade to gravely wound Old Ghost Motian, how could he not feel delighted?
*I suppose it also has to do with me forcibly destroying his True Artifact, leaving him short of powerful measures and susceptible to severe injury.*
The corners of Luo Chen's lips curled upward.
Wang Yuan cautioned, "Now that you have emerged from seclusion, even with your title of Alchemy Master, it will be impossible to remain detached. The next clash between Demon Emperors and Zhenren may very well involve you."
Luo Chen's smile faded, and he gave a slight nod.
"Do not worry about me. You all must take care as well, especially you, Wang Yuan."
Wang Yuan oversaw all the military operations of the Luotian Sect, and once battle erupted, he was always one to charge at the very forefront, with danger shadowing him at every turn.
With this thought, Luo Chen's mind stirred, and he opened his mouth to exhale.
A miniature wisp of a pale teal-and-white tree drifted out. Amid the others' puzzled looks, a small green twig snapped off the center, causing the tiny tree to sway as if profoundly displeased.
With a flick of Luo Chen's hand, the green twig flew over to Wang Yuan.
"This is derived from my Natal True Fire—teal governs blooming, and pale white governs withering. With this green twig, in moments of dire peril, you can vastly stimulate your physical potential and unleash greater power."
"Remember well, however, that this cannot be used lightly. Once used, you must retreat to a safe place immediately; otherwise, the moment the exhaustion sets in, you will be too weak to truss a chicken."
He described the risk in grave terms, but everyone present understood this was a life-saving trump card.
Wang Yuan did not refuse. Carefully wrapping the green twig in astral qi, he swallowed it into his abdomen.
After the three took their leave, Luo Chen sank into deep thought.
Under current circumstances, remaining an onlooker was no longer an option; entering the fray was inevitable.
He had already tested the potency of his Crimson Firmament Sword Qi through Lin Qingxuan.
At the minor mastery stage, its power remained at the Golden Core level.
Even with the augmentation of the Yuantu Sword pushing it beyond ordinary Golden Core might, it still couldn't pose a true threat to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Furthermore, this sword qi was consumable—every bit used was a bit lost, requiring constant refinement and replenishment. For that reason alone, it could not serve as a standard combat method.
The Yuantu Sword itself could be unleashed, but the sword spirit possessed thoughts of its own...
Therefore, he needed a more conventional, dependable means of combat.
"It is time to practice the Great Five Elements Sword Formation!"
Murmuring softly, Luo Chen waved his sleeve, sending four streaks of light flying out.
Immediately after, a strand of platinum-gold radiance surged forth.
Metal, wood, water, fire, earth—each corresponding to the five elements.
Two True Artifacts and three Flawless pellets still fell short of the basic threshold to deploy the sword formation, but with the system at his side, he might be able to force an initiation.
Luo Chen did not aim for the overwhelming might envisioned by Han Zhan to threaten Great Cultivators; he only sought for the deployed sword formation to hold its ground briefly against an ordinary Nascent Soul powerhouse.
"It shouldn't be too difficult."
Luo Chen muttered under his breath. Magic power surged forth at once, tightly enveloping the five sword pellets.
Chapter 830