Back when his cultivation had been low, Luo Chen might have believed the rumor that Soul Formation almighty experts were unable to make a move.
Yet after living through the battle of Mount Cangwu, he ceased to believe it entirely.
Back then, when Demon Emperor Qingshuang oversaw Mount Cangwu, even the arrival of three late Nascent Soul great cultivators had been powerless to breach it.
It was the personal intervention of that almighty expert from the Mingyuan Sect that ultimately forced Mount Cangwu to flee into the void.
That single incident was enough to prove that Soul Formation almighty experts could indeed take action.
And such examples were hardly rare!
How had the Yuan Demon Sect of the North Sea fallen?
Those two ancestors of the Yuan Demon Sect were also Soul Formation experts. Who could have slain them if not peers of the same realm?
Li Canghai, the grandmaster of the Dao of Formations, had likewise stepped in before the eyes of the crowd to seize the Ice Polar Sect's spiritual mountain and forge a spirit treasure.
All these incidents proved that the rumor was flawed.
Or perhaps not entirely false, but merely incomplete!
Ever since comprehending the Wither-Bloom True Intent, Luo Chen had felt a faint, inexplicable resonance between himself and this heaven and earth.
It was very slight, but unmistakably real!
At first, Luo Chen had thought it was the lingering effect of heaven and earth assimilating his Nascent Soul, compounded by his unstable foundation. Because of that, he had refrained from cultivating recklessly during that period, dedicating himself entirely to consolidating his realm.
Later, once his realm was completely stabilized, he realized that resonance remained.
Only then did Luo Chen understand that it was no assimilation by heaven and earth. Rather, he had acquired a subtle degree of authority resembling that of heaven and earth itself, which produced that elusive sensation.
Law True Intent!
The answer lay in Law True Intent.
Luo Chen deduced that once a cultivator comprehended a Law True Intent, it was equivalent to seizing a fragment of worldly authority.
Under such circumstances, even if they were not assimilated by heaven and earth, their nature was almost indistinguishable from it.
Yet Nascent Soul cultivators capable of mastering Law True Intent were exceedingly rare. Even within the Tianyuan Dao Sect, only two or three such prodigies emerged every five hundred years.
Those who truly wielded such profound mysteries were found among the ranks of Soul Formation cultivators!
They were akin to heaven and earth. While their personal magic power was finite, having both a Primordial Spirit and an understanding of Law True Intent allowed them to draw upon the world's primordial qi at will during combat, effectively granting them endless energy.
Figures of boundless might, masters of supreme divine abilities—these were the finest descriptions for them!
If such beings waged war against one another without restraint, the catastrophic devastation they could unleash would be utterly horrifying!
It would never be confined to a single mountain or domain across a mere thousand li, as was the case with Nascent Soul cultivators.
The most likely outcome would be the sinking of whole continents and the overturning of mountains and seas!
Yet heaven and earth possessed their own spiritual nature; how could they sit idly by while the parasites dwelling within casually tore their vessel apart?
Consequently, there had to be restrictions imposed upon Soul Formation experts in certain respects.
This was the true origin of the rumor that Soul Formation experts could not lightly act.
This conclusion was merely a deduction drawn by Luo Chen, informed by his broad experience and personal insights.
Though parts of it might not be entirely accurate, it adequately explained why decisive powers like Ancient Demon Di Tian and the Mingyuan almighty experts did not take the field directly during this racial war. Instead, they dispatched their subordinates to slaughter one another, settling supremacy through indirect means.
It was not that they had no desire to fight directly; rather, certain constraints prevented them from intervening lightly.
Yet if pushed to the absolute brink, what would stop them from tearing those restrictions to shreds?
As things stood, had the Eastern Desolation's demon race truly pushed the Mingyuan Sect to that brink?
Weighing the situation in his mind, Luo Chen reached a conclusion: on the surface they seemed unhurried, but deep down, they were already growing anxious.
Why did they seem unhurried?
The Mingyuan Sect's foundational strength remained virtually untouched, perched securely high above the clouds.
The leisurely manner in which they issued orders showed no signs of panic.
However!
The eight great commanders had previously mobilized in unison, leading hundreds of millions of demons to invade the thirty-six domains, even penetrating deep into the rear lines. In certain places, the devastation was nothing short of an utter catastrophe.
The intensity of this conflict had already exceeded the Mingyuan Sect's initial estimates.
If this continued, the entire Eastern Desolation would be reduced to ruins. If a few more lands like the Spiritless Domain were created, even if the Mingyuan Sect eventually unified the Eastern Desolation, they would inherit nothing more than an unsalvageable mess.
Thus, they too were beginning to grow restless.
The fact that the Mingyuan Sect had deployed six late Nascent Soul great cultivators and nearly forty Nascent Soul True Persons in one breath made this abundantly clear.
"So, as long as Ancient Demon Di Tian—the leader of the Eastern Desolation's demon race—is slain, the current demon army will completely collapse!"
Confronted with Luo Chen's deduction, Fairy Fenghua could not bring herself to agree.
"A Soul Formation being—how could one be so easily killed?"
Luo Chen let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Even if he cannot be killed, as long as Ancient Demon Di Tian is forced to strike first, wouldn't the Mingyuan almighty experts seize the upper hand in the broader situation? At that point, whether to wage war or sue for peace, the initiative will rest in their hands. In certain matters, the banner of righteousness is of paramount importance!"
Fairy Fenghua frowned. "The banner of righteousness?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Luo Chen strolled along the quiet path on Mount Danluo, methodically laying out his perspective on the war.
"After the antiquity era, the human and demon races forged an armistice treaty forbidding large-scale racial warfare. Only minor campaigns such as opening wars were permitted, and those were typically confined to the scale of individual sects.
"Yet during the opening war of the Howling Moon Mountain Range, the human side was the first to breach that covenant when Han Zhan invited four experts from other sects to besiege and slay Demon Emperor Ao Xiao.
"Not only that, the newly ascendant Hehuan Sect intervened as well, attempting to join forces with the Luoyun Sect to open two domains simultaneously.
"All of these actions were betrayals of that ancient armistice!
"Most crucially, a Mingyuan almighty expert appeared at Mount Cangwu, the sacred land of the avian tribes, and took action in person!
"Precisely because he held the moral high ground, Ancient Demon Di Tian had a valid justification to stir the fury in the hearts of the demon race's powerhouses. Seizing that momentum, he unified the demons across the Million Mountains. At his call, countless mighty experts ran at his behest and served under his command. Even a supreme expert like Wolf Lord Ao Kuang, who once vied with Ancient Demon Di Tian for supremacy, could not defy him.
"All of these are the immense advantages brought by the banner of righteousness!
"And the results are plain to see. Out of the thirty-six domains, a full fifteen have fallen. Even the twenty-one domains in the rear suffered catastrophic losses. Fenghua Palace was breached, the Seven Caves Mountain was ruined, the Dieyun Sect was cast into the dust, and a force as mighty as the Tiandu Sect has visibly withered.
"And those are merely the tragedies we witnessed with our own eyes. Elsewhere, the reality is only more brutal: the Xuhuang Cult, the Taishan Sect, the Wan Sword Pavilion, the Hundred Beast Sect, the Mu Prefecture...
"If one compares this war to a game of chess..."
At this point, Luo Chen inexplicably thought of the Tianyuan Dao Sect.
Yet it was only a fleeting thought.
He shook his head and continued with flowing eloquence.
"All living beings like us are merely chess pieces, while the Soul Formation beings of both the human and demon races in the Eastern Desolation are the players holding the stones.
"The outcome of the clash between chess pieces decides the victory or defeat of this war.
"However, if a player refuses to abide by the game and personally steps in to obliterate the opposing pieces, that is tantamount to flipping the board. Naturally, the other player will no longer adhere to the rules.
"Tell me, could Ancient Demon Di Tian alone prevail against the three ancestors of the Mingyuan Sect?"
Fairy Fenghua's brow knitted tighter. "Rumor has it that the demons of the Eastern Desolation also possess three ancient demons. They might not necessarily fear the three ancestors of Mingyuan."
Luo Chen chuckled faintly.
He had heard of the Eastern Desolation's three ancient demons.
The most prominent among them was undoubtedly Lord Pingshan, Di Tian.
The other two were Sovereign Qixia, master of Mount Cangwu, and an elusive entity known as Qinghe Xian.
It was only with the backing of these two mighty beings, coupled with favorable timing and terrain, that Di Tian dared to ignite this war.
Yet as things currently stood, the support from one of them seemed distinctly lacking in follow-through.
Sovereign Qixia!
At the thought of this almighty figure whose name he had heard countless times, Luo Chen's smile grew somewhat strained.
Yet the heavy weight in his heart did not impair his strategic judgment.
"Out of the nine commanders, eight have taken the field.
"Only Demon Emperor Qingshuang, who represents the lineage of Mount Cangwu, has undertaken no substantive action beyond rescuing the Thunder Prison Divine Peng back then.
"Is she truly offering full support to Ancient Demon Di Tian?"
Faced with this counterquestion, Fairy Fenghua hesitated.
"Are you suggesting that the demon race's interior is not nearly as unified as it appears on the surface?"
Luo Chen continued smoothly, "At the very least, Sovereign Qixia's current support for this war is insufficient. Otherwise, if Demon Emperor Qingshuang under her command entered the fray, who could stop her? Would it be the renowned Lei Daozi, Tianduzi who wields the Twelve Dutian God-Fiend Banners, or those bitter ascetics within the Mingyuan Sect?
"As for that Qinghe Xian, having cultivated in seclusion across the Million Mountains for thousands of years without renown, there is no guarantee that being has any genuine interest in seizing territory.
"Therefore, in my view, Di Tian has simply been manipulating the banner of righteousness from start to finish, gambling with the accumulated heritage built by the Million Mountains over thousands of years. Once he grows impatient and personally takes action, it will signify that this war is beginning to draw to its close."
When a chess player stepped onto the board as a piece, they would either surpass the heavens by half a move or wither away upon the grid.
Luo Chen did not look favorably upon Di Tian, just as he had never looked favorably upon this grand war between humans and demons from the very beginning.
The ultimate victors would never be minor sects like theirs, nor would they be the demon beast tribes; it would only be the sacred land of Mingyuan!
The sole variable was perhaps Sovereign Qixia, the mastermind who might have orchestrated the annihilation of the Yuan Demon Sect of the North Sea.
Having heard Luo Chen's thorough analysis, Fairy Fenghua stood frozen in place.
After a long silence, she looked at Luo Chen's profile with a complex expression, her tone subdued.
"This palace master does not know what the future holds, but your sweeping, visionary insights, Brother Luo, could never have come from an ordinary person.
"Fenghua has truly been enlightened today!"
The way a person addressed another often revealed their underlying attitude.
At first, she had called him "Fellow Daoist Luo" out of polite formality.
Later, she addressed him as "Alchemy Master" out of respect for his skill in the Dao of Alchemy, tinged with a desire to curry favor.
Now, she called him "Brother Luo," just as Sovereign Jiuling and the others did—a proactive gesture of intimacy, seeking to draw closer.
This shift in their relationship had unfolded over a long period, yet it was only today, swayed by Luo Chen's words, that she was truly won over.
Luo Chen smiled, privately enjoying the recognition.
In truth, it was not that figures like Fairy Fenghua were foolish; rather, they had been trapped inside the game from the outset, their thinking circumscribed by it.
Though Luo Chen was inside the game now, at the very beginning, he had stood outside it!
In particular, his travels across the North Sea and the Central Continent allowed him to take a macroscopic view of this greatest conflict in the Eastern Desolation since ancient times, enabling him to draw so many conclusions.
Even so, he understood clearly that he was not a Soul Formation expert and could not truly stand at that height to oversee the entire board.
His thoughts and deductions might well harbor flaws.
"First Palace Master, you flatter me!"
Fairy Fenghua smoothed back the stray hairs disheveled by days of rushing about, her tone tinged with desolation.
"My junior sister is dead. With me as the sole Nascent Soul True Person remaining in Fenghua Palace, what distinction remains between a first or second palace master? Brother Luo, just call me Fenghua, as you did earlier."
Luo Chen parted his lips, seeing how closely her current expression mirrored his own from days past.
He could only offer solace just as he had comforted Tianduzi before. "Fenghua Palace's foundation still remains, and you possess outstanding disciples like Fengyue and Xia Lan. With proper nurturing, producing another Nascent Soul True Person or two will not be out of reach."
"Those girls..." Fairy Fenghua shook her head, murmuring instinctively, "If they were truly exceptional, they would not have remained stranded in the late Core Formation stage for three to four hundred years, with nascent soul formation still nowhere in sight. Speaking of which, among the juniors, the only one with real hope of reaching the Nascent Soul realm is Meng Qin'er, whom that fine disciple of yours abducted into the Luotian Sect."
As she spoke, she cast a half-smiling, pointed glance toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen cleared his throat twice.
"Those two youths share a deep affection as husband and wife. Let us not break them apart! We shall see in the future; we shall see in the future!"
Laughing it off, he brushed the matter aside.
Yet inwardly, he took note of Meng Qin'er.
The woman's aptitude was indeed remarkable. She had advanced to the Core Formation stage in under a century, and at such a young age, she already possessed mid Core Formation cultivation.
Although she had benefited from Qu Lingjun's pills along the way, the ability to consume large volumes of pills without suffering from pill toxicity was a talent in its own right!
If she could remain permanently in the Luotian Sect, she would prove to be a tremendous asset in the future!
After Fairy Fenghua took her leave, Luo Chen muttered under his breath,
"Speaking of which, it's about time I paid a visit to that useless disciple of mine."
...
The reconstruction of Lingtian Pass was the top priority at present.
The Mingyuan Sect provided materials and resources, while the other sects supplied manpower, throwing the entire grand city into a state of bustling activity.
Any cultivator possessing even a shred of talent was put to significant use.
During one of his patrols, Luo Chen even caught a glimpse of a Core Formation cultivator from Mount Ailao of the former Jade Cauldron Domain.
Regrettably, they were hardly acquaintances, so he did not greet the man, merely watching from the shadows as the fellow was excitedly selected by a Mingyuan Sect Nascent Soul True Person.
Luo Chen could not help but sigh with emotion.
In the past, the six great Core Formation sects of the Jade Cauldron Domain had seemed unimaginably towering in his eyes.
Yet times had changed: the Flame Alliance had been destroyed by his own hand, the Luoyun Sect had shattered, the Ice Fort existed in name only, the Hundred Flowers Palace had long vanished, and now Mount Ailao, renowned for its spiritual architecture, was reduced to a mere handful of survivors.
"What of Azure Pill Valley?"
Luo Chen's mind inadvertently wandered to that minor sect with which he shared deep ties.
Its last sect master had likely been Tao Wan, whom he had expended considerable effort to push into the position!
He wondered whether any disciples of Azure Pill Valley still survived in the world, and whether anyone had inherited the sect's legacy.
Carrying these idle thoughts, Luo Chen made a trip to the Castellan's Manor to request leave from Castellan Lingtian.
"No matter. In the last battle at Lingtian Pass, we suffered heavy losses, but the demons fared no better. In the short term, no new conflict will erupt. If you have personal matters to attend to, go and handle them first!"
Castellan Lingtian remained gentle and accommodating as always.
He even took the opportunity to inquire after Luo Chen's injuries.
Luo Chen had no injuries to speak of; it had merely been an excuse to decline invitations from others.
Having obtained free time, he departed Lingtian Pass and quietly returned to the Luotian Sect.
...
"Eighth level of Foundation Establishment already?"
Standing in a secluded courtyard, Luo Chen gazed quietly at a rock wall, as though looking straight through the thick stone to see the middle-aged man sitting cross-legged in meditation within.
Meng Qin'er, dressed in the modest attire of a young matron, stood respectfully behind him.
Hearing his murmur, she gathered her courage to speak up for her husband. "Lingjun has worked very hard. In just over a decade, he has crossed two minor realms."
Indeed, when Luo Chen had first returned to the Eastern Desolation, Qu Lingjun's cultivation had hovered near the latter half of the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.
Over the past dozen years, ignoring all mundane affairs and casting aside every attachment to focus solely on cultivation, he had finally stepped into the late Foundation Establishment stage and narrowly broken through to the eighth level.
Sensing the worry in the woman's tone, Luo Chen smiled and waved his hand.
"Do not fret. I am not reprimanding him, but feeling gratified. The fact that he can understand my painstaking intentions and devote himself to cultivation shows that his Dao heart has not been entirely clouded."
Meng Qin'er let out a breath of relief, though she soon held it again.
"A pity..."
Luo Chen sighed. "In the end, it is still too slow!"
In this lifetime, Qu Lingjun had experienced few battles and bore no grievous internal wounds, meaning he should theoretically reach the natural limit of his lifespan.
Yet no matter how long a Foundation Establishment cultivator could live, their limit was merely two hundred and fifty or sixty years!
He had only twenty to thirty years left.
With four-spiritual-root aptitude, the difficulty of advancing from the eighth level to the ninth level within twenty to thirty years, and then attempting to strike for the Core Formation stage at peak perfection, was readily apparent.
One had to remember that back then, Luo Chen had spent a full thirty years taking that final step!
He possessed five spiritual roots, while Qu Lingjun had four; both were talents crippled by nature.
Meng Qin'er bit her lip and said, "Even if it is slow, he must still make the gamble! My husband said he does not seek peak perfection. When the time comes, even if he is only at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, he will attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage before his lifespan runs out!"
"A commendable Dao heart!" Luo Chen praised, before adding with quiet pride, "However, how could a disciple of mine be left in such dire straits?"
Then, amid Meng Qin'er's pleasant surprise, he handed over a storage bag.
"Inside are the auxiliary cultivation resources I prepared for Lingjun!
"There is the Tier 3 Miaoshen Leaf from the Piaomiao Sect. Burning it in a censer and inhaling the smoke will keep the altar of the mind clear and the spirit relaxed.
"There is the Ice Silkworm Mat from the Ice Fort, a treasure-tier artifact. Sitting cross-legged upon it allows external spiritual energy to undergo icy tempering, rendering it far less turbulent and much easier to absorb.
"That ointment is a specialty of the Taishan Sect. Before cultivating, remember to have him apply it over his entire body; its effects are miraculous...
"The Tongyou Pill is likely useless to him now, but I have concocted the Tier 3 spiritual medicine of the Medicine King Sect, the Soul Soothing Powder. Its efficacy exceeds that of the Tongyou Pill.
"Lastly, inside these jade bottles are the Fanxing Pills I personally refined! Containing the spiritual energy of all five elements, they are suitable for cultivators of any attribute and will be of immense benefit to Lingjun. Considering the difference in cultivation realms, I deliberately adjusted the medicinal potency. Take one every half-month, melting it in the mouth and absorbing it gradually!"
Listening to Luo Chen's descriptions, Meng Qin'er's hands trembled faintly.
This complete suite of auxiliary cultivation resources was extraordinarily precious even to a Core Formation cultivator!
Yet Luo Chen had bestowed them so generously, giving the impression that he had prepared them well in advance.
For a moment, the words her husband had once shared with her surfaced unbidden in her mind.
*"Master has always treated me with great generosity!"*
It was truly so!
Yet what puzzled her was that if Luo Chen cared so deeply for Qu Lingjun, why had he not bestowed these items sooner?
It was a question she did not dare voice.
Instead, she bowed deeply to Luo Chen. "This disciple offers heartfelt thanks on Lingjun's behalf for Master's immense benevolence!"
Luo Chen smiled and raised a hand to lift her up.
"No need for such ceremony."
Then, he produced another storage bag.
"You have stayed by Lingjun's side without stepping away all these years; you have worked hard as well. Here are some leftover resources from my own Core Formation days. If you do not disdain them, take them!"
Meng Qin'er froze.
Who was Luo Chen?
A Nascent Soul True Person, a generational Alchemy Master!
The resources he had used during his Core Formation period were treasures that any Core Formation cultivator could only dream of.
How could she possibly disdain them?
Sure enough, after Luo Chen departed, she cautiously retrieved a single jade bottle.
With just a glance, her eyes lit up.
A Tier 3 high-grade pill!
Clutching the jade bottle, the young matron murmured softly,
"Could it be that Master cares for me simply out of love for his disciple?"
...
Leaving Qu Lingjun's cultivation abode, Luo Chen did not return directly to the mountaintop palace, heading instead to Xiaoshiping.
This place had originally been Sima Huiniang's cultivation ground. After she left for Lingtian Pass, she relinquished this spiritually rich location to her disciple, Yao Mingyue.
Yao Mingyue was, after all, the second-generation sect master in the Luotian Sect's history; having returned, Luo Chen naturally would not overlook her.
After a sweep of his divine sense, a look of satisfaction crossed Luo Chen's face.
Yao Mingyue's aptitude was decent; in her early years, she had simply been weighed down by administrative burdens.
Having stepped back from those duties in recent years, her cultivation had progressed steadily, bringing her just a step away from peak Foundation Establishment perfection.
All that stood between her and forming a core was patient, incremental effort, along with mastering the Luotian Sect's core formation secret technique, the *Microdust Primordial Art*.
"May everything go smoothly for her!"
Luo Chen merely offered a silent blessing, leaving behind no cultivation resources as he had with Qu Lingjun.
Everything Yao Mingyue deserved had long since been provided by the sect,
including the Tier 3 Fluid Condensation Pill required for core formation.
She was a meritorious contributor, and the sect would never mistreat her.
The difference in treatment toward Qu Lingjun was entirely intentional.
As his only formal disciple, Qu Lingjun had never been enthusiastic about cultivation due to his poor aptitude, and years of frustration had only weakened his determination toward the Dao.
Luo Chen's earlier deliberate coldness had been meant to temper the man's temperament.
Now that Qu Lingjun had come to his senses, Luo Chen naturally would not hold back his rewards.
With the full support of a Nascent Soul True Person, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator seeking to form a core was almost guaranteed to succeed, barring extraordinarily bad luck.
"The passing of the two elders, Fu Jiusheng and Chu Kui, dealt a noticeable blow to the Luotian Sect.
"If Lingjun and Mingyue can fill the void, it will help bolster the morale of the sect."
Luo Chen sighed softly, then made his leisurely way up the mountain.
Arriving at the mountaintop palace that had long stood quiet and cold, he cast a Cleansing Art upon the chambers—which were already swept daily—leaving them pristine and refreshed.
Then, he tapped the armrest of his seat.
"Come out!"
As if responding to the call, the earth trembled faintly.
This prompted many Luotian Sect cultivators below to glance toward the ground, though none displayed much surprise.
Following the previous battle against the demon emperor's assault, they had all learned that their sect possessed its own mountain-guarding spiritual beast.
Moreover, unlike those of other sects, their mountain-guarding beast was extraordinarily formidable. According to the sect master, its strength was on par with a Nascent Soul True Person!
This slight tremor was, nine times out of ten, merely that "Black King" rolling over in his slumber.
One simply grew used to it!
Yet contrary to their assumptions, the Black King had not merely rolled over this time; he had awakened.
A figure emerged from the ground and bowed respectfully to Luo Chen.
"Master, what are your orders for Xiao Hei?"
Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Spit out the things you swallowed earlier!"
"Yes!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Black King's belly bulged, heaving upward in a continuous wave. Then, amidst a cascade of slick fluids, item after item was gently disgorged.
Filling the hall before Luo Chen's eyes were neatly arranged vintage jars holding various millennium-aged fine wines.
And alongside them lay a corpse, long devoid of life!
Chapter 843