Shouyang Mountain.
It was one of the few fourth-tier spirit mountains within Lingtian Pass.
Previously, it had always been the cultivation dwelling of Elder Lu of the Dongyang Sect. Under his guidance, some of Lingtian Pass's harsher rules had been relaxed, and transactions between cultivators had grown far more open and legitimate.
At one point, Shouyang Mountain had flourished beyond measure.
Elder Lu had even earned the revered title of the Mount Shouyang Hermit because of it.
Unfortunately, following a fierce battle, the Mount Shouyang Hermit suffered grievous wounds and had no choice but to return to the Dongyang Sect to recuperate.
Even after the Dongyang Sect later dispatched another Nascent Soul elder to take his place, Shouyang Mountain steadily and inevitably fell into quiet neglect.
Recently, however, Shouyang Mountain had once again begun to bustle with activity.
All because the Master of Alchemy had sent out widespread invitations to the True Persons of the Eastern Desolation, intending to revive the Shouyang Dao Discourse!
On this day.
Elder Jiao of the Dongyang Sect stood atop a mountain crest, watching low-tier cultivators scurrying about all across the slopes.
A Dongyang Sect disciple remarked indignantly, "What gives the Master of Alchemy the right to borrow Martial Uncle Lu's prestige to invite all those True Persons? Does Mount Danluo lack the space?"
Elder Jiao gave a slight twitch of his lips. "Mount Danluo is certainly spacious enough, but how could its name ever rival the reputation of Shouyang Mountain—or that of our Dongyang Sect?"
The disciple remained perplexed. "Must we really hand over the prestige of the Shouyang Dao Discourse Gathering that Martial Uncle Lu worked so hard to build?"
Elder Jiao's expression darkened. Then, as if recalling something, his countenance softened slightly.
"Let them make their noise for now. In the end, they are nothing more than clownish buffoons!"
With a dismissive wave of his sleeve, he vanished into the mountain mists.
***
Different people naturally held different attitudes toward Luo Chen.
After all, he could not please everyone.
Yet with these invitations, the Master of Alchemy's reputation had met with an overwhelming response!
Year 3630 of the Mountain-Sea Calendar, the ninth day of the ninth month.
Autumn chrysanthemums filled the gardens, and sprigs of dogwood were donned all around.
Shouyang Mountain was packed with bustling crowds, as streaks of escaping light wove through the sky like ribbons.
Figure after figure arrived at the discourse gathering right on schedule.
They had not come alone; many had brought along the proudest disciples of their respective sects.
"Wait outside for now, and take the opportunity to mingle with the others. Fengyue, you will be taking charge of Fenghua Palace in the future, and forging broad connections is your first duty," Fenghua Fairy instructed.
Fengyue nodded firmly, a mature sense of solemn responsibility etched across her face.
Once her master stepped into the grand central hall, Fengyue surveyed her surroundings before making her way toward a relatively unfamiliar cultivator.
"Might you be Fellow Daoist Yu?"
***
Setting aside the exchanges among the juniors, the moment Fenghua Fairy stepped into the grand hall, she sensed the remarkable caliber of this Shouyang Dao Discourse.
Compared to before, the number of attendees was slightly smaller, but the forces represented were not diminished in the least!
Beside her, Lin Qingxuan of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was conversing with Ye Lan of the Divine Talisman Sect.
Glancing across the room, she saw Lingfengzi of the Piaomiao Sect sitting entirely alone, his expression desolate.
Master Xianhe of the White Crane Sect and the Crane Emperor walked side by side, having just entered the hall.
In a secluded corner sat Daoist Kuxiang of White Deer Grotto. Rumor had it that Daoist Kuxiang was Daoist Tieguan's senior brother and possessed formidable strength; he too had accepted Luo Chen's invitation.
True Person Taiyue of the Taishan Sect was quietly speaking with Sovereign Jiuling of the Nine Spirits Sect. Their lips moved, but no sound could be heard, as they had evidently cast an isolation art.
Even Mr. Yao of Seven Caves Mountain, who was rumored to have rather strained relations with Luo Chen, was conspicuously present.
The only ones missing were the cultivators of the Mingyuan Sect.
As Fenghua Fairy surveyed the entire gathering, she suddenly felt two gazes fall upon her.
She looked up and saw Luo Chen and Tianduzi smiling at her from the raised dais above, silently gesturing for her to join them.
Without hesitation, Fenghua Fairy glided forward.
"Fairy, you have arrived."
"Tianduzi, Master of Alchemy!"
After exchanging brief pleasantries, Fenghua Fairy asked curiously, "What were you two discussing?"
Luo Chen smiled faintly, but the words that followed made her expression shift slightly.
"We were discussing Gao Chang!"
Fenghua Fairy was taken aback. "Could you have already found news of that demon?"
Luo Chen remained calm and countered, "Right now, Lingtian Pass is being rebuilt. Ordinarily, the gates should be wide open to facilitate traffic, yet security is tighter than ever. Such an anomaly arose solely because of Dao Child Lei's arrival. Tell me, could it be that he captured Gao Chang and has imprisoned him within the city?"
Fenghua Fairy parted her lips, clearly recognizing the likelihood of that possibility.
Luo Chen turned to Tianduzi. "Regarding this demon Gao Chang, Fenghua knows more than I do. If you have questions, you may ask her directly."
Tianduzi did not stand on ceremony and took the initiative to inquire.
Fenghua Fairy held nothing back, recounting everything she had previously told Luo Chen.
Tianduzi had evidently come prepared, his questions precise and targeted.
"Does he truly lack a physical body?"
"Indeed. At first, he was parasitic upon another Demon Emperor named Bai Lan, which misled our judgment and ultimately cost the lives of three Daoists from your sect. Furthermore, while fleeing along the road, when targeted by Dao Child Lei's fatal strike, he possessed Huang Fengke to evade certain death."
"Are his offensive methods truly that simple?"
"Though exceedingly bizarre, his attacks are straightforward—he simply pounces. Most notably, he can bypass protective qi barriers, and ordinary defensive magic treasures cannot block him. Moreover, he seems able to penetrate the barriers of our Purple Mansions as though they were nothing, attacking the Nascent Soul directly!"
"Does he possess illusory abilities?"
"Well... come to think of it, he seems to. One Daoist from the Mingyuan Sect seized an opening and nearly struck him down, only to freeze at the critical moment. Not only that, he turned and injured his own sect brother, allowing the demon to escape once again."
With each question answered, Tianduzi's eyes grew brighter, yet his expression turned increasingly grim.
Seeing this, Luo Chen could not resist asking, "Senior, you have always been exceptionally well-read. Do you know this demon's true origins?"
Tianduzi pondered deeply before finally nodding.
"Based on your descriptions, this demon is identical to the chang ghosts of legend."
"A chang ghost?"
Luo Chen paused. "Like the chang ghosts from folk tales?"
"Precisely!" Tianduzi nodded. "In mortal lore, it is said that all tiger demons possess the art of claiming the souls of their victims as chang ghosts, giving rise to the saying 'acting as a chang for the tiger.' But in truth, that is a misconception. It is just like how mortals believe all cultivators possess the power to move mountains and overturn seas, yet everyone knows only the absolute strongest have the strength to bridge oceans. The method to bind a chang ghost is by no means something an ordinary tiger demon can accomplish."
Luo Chen furrowed his brow. He fully believed Tianduzi's comparison.
Moving mountains and overturning seas sounded simple, yet only Nascent Soul True Persons could pull it off with ease, while ordinary Golden Core cultivators usually had to combine their efforts.
As for the legendary power to span the seas, even Luo Chen had yet to master it.
Therefore, the technique of binding a chang ghost, much like the Black King's spirit-absorbing talent, was definitely far from ordinary.
"The Ancient Demon Di Tian, whose Daoist name is Lord Pingshan, is a tiger demon in his true form. Moreover, he is bound to be the mightiest tiger demon in all of the Eastern Desolation—and perhaps the entire Mountain-Sea Realm!"
Tianduzi spoke with immense gravity, his face heavy with dread.
"And an existence of that stature would never bother using such a method on an ordinary creature. That Gao Chang's original identity must be extraordinarily remarkable. That is why Di Tian bound him as a chang ghost and assigned commander-grade Great Demon Emperors to protect him."
Shock washed over Fenghua Fairy's features.
The possibility that Gao Chang was Di Tian's chang ghost was staggering enough on its own.
For Tianduzi to suggest that his true form might be even more extraordinary made the situation even more alarming.
"Then according to your reasoning, Senior, if Gao Chang has truly been captured by Dao Child Lei, could it provoke Ancient Demon Di Tian to strike in person?"
Tianduzi took a deep breath. "The entire city is under martial law. Why else do you think that is?"
"What should we do then?" At the thought of an Ancient Demon intervening personally, even a Nascent Soul cultivator like Fenghua Fairy could not maintain her composure.
Luo Chen sighed softly, his gaze sweeping across the lively hall.
"When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. If the Mingyuan Sect dares to take such a perilous gamble, they must have some reliance. Our gathering today is precisely to see where their confidence lies."
"In a moment, I will disclose this matter to all our fellow Daoists!"
Tianduzi hesitated. "Master of Alchemy, could this move offend the Mingyuan Sect?"
Luo Chen curled his lips into a smirk. "Who knows?"
***
As more Nascent Soul True Persons filed into the hall, culminating in the arrival of True Person Shenhuo of the Five Elements Divine Sect and the lingering Old Ghost Motian, Luo Chen formally declared the discourse gathering underway.
Departing from tradition, Luo Chen bypassed the usual opening rounds of barter and cultivation exchanges, stepping forward directly.
Under the watchful eyes of the assembly, he spoke in a heavy, measured tone:
"The Double Ninth Festival ought to be a joyful reunion of cherished friends.
"Yet over a century of fierce warfare has mired us in a quagmire of bloodshed, and our companions fall one by one. I recall our last gathering here, presided over by the Mount Shouyang Hermit... Pavilion Master Li, Celestial Master Hua, and True Person Mu seemed just before our eyes...
"When another hundred years pass, how many of the Daoists present today will still remain?"
At these words, the once-bustling atmosphere turned somber.
Pavilion Master Li, Celestial Master Hua, the three True Persons of the Dieyun Sect... which of them had not been figures of legendary renown?
The Mount Shouyang Hermit and Daoist Tieguan were likewise anything but hollow names.
Yet swept up in the torrential tide of war, their foundations had been ravaged, forcing them to retreat from the front lines.
If this war dragged on, how many of those present could guarantee their own survival?
Someone called out, "Master of Alchemy, isn't that being far too pessimistic and alarmist? Now that the Mingyuan Sect has taken the field, the day this war concludes is just around the corner!"
Luo Chen glanced at the speaker; it was Manor Master Miaoyin of Shenyin Manor.
Shenyin Manor shared an exceptionally close relationship with the Mingyuan Sect, second only to the Dongyang Sect's intimacy with them.
Luo Chen showed no anger, merely countering, "May I ask Manor Master Miaoyin, how many True Persons and how many disciples has Shenyin Manor dispatched to reinforce Lingtian Pass this time?"
Manor Master Miaoyin frowned. "Only myself as True Person, and three thousand disciples."
Luo Chen let out a chuckle. "I have heard that Shenyin Manor boasts three great True Persons and eighty thousand disciples. Since you are so optimistic about this campaign, why not commit your full strength? Could it be that you do not truly trust the Mingyuan Sect?"
"You!"
Luo Chen shook his head, refusing to debate her further.
"We are not like you. We have no sect gates to fall back on, no homes to return to. We can only stake everything on Lingtian Pass with our backs to the wall, and thus we give our all.
"For this battle, countless disciples and descendants of our bloodlines have thrown themselves into the maw of death, wave after wave!
"Yes, the Mingyuan Sect has entered the war now. Yet they remain aloft and unapproachable. Whatever schemes they harbor, they are too arrogant to deign to explain them to us.
"I find it hard not to wonder: when the grand battle erupts, will they simply treat us as cannon fodder?"
The hall stirred violently at his words, every face turning pale.
Manor Master Miaoyin's expression darkened to iron. "Master of Alchemy, that is pure slander designed to poison people's minds!"
"Is it?" Luo Chen offered a half-smile, his gaze sweeping the room.
Mr. Yao of Seven Caves Mountain pressed his lips tightly together; Fenghua Fairy wore a look of deep grief; Qin Baixiang of the Hundred Beasts Sect clenched his fists so hard his knuckles popped.
Even Tianduzi at his side could not help but let out a soft sigh.
Their sects had all suffered devastating blows.
And these were merely the surviving sects.
Looking back further, those wiped out—Blade Hegemon, Azure Sky, Fire Ridge, Lake Tai Palace, and more recently the Void Sovereign Sect and the Dieyun Sect—no longer had anyone left to speak on their behalf.
"Ha!"
Luo Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Let us set that aside for now. I bring forward one specific matter today, hoping someone can grant me an answer."
Amidst the curious silence of the crowd, he recounted the entire matter concerning Gao Chang in clear detail.
Rumors regarding Gao Chang had actually begun circulating during the century-long war between humans and demons.
This time, there were finally surviving eyewitnesses.
With both accounts aligning, the veracity of the claim was beyond dispute.
Even True Person Shenhuo, who had always clashed with Luo Chen, showed burning fury upon hearing that his senior brother Jinling had been slain by Gao Chang.
Yet upon hearing that Gao Chang might be Ancient Demon Di Tian's chang ghost, that rage and resentment instantly curdled into terror.
"According to the information I have obtained, the Mingyuan Sect has already captured Gao Chang.
"The Dao of Thunder possesses supreme dominion over yin wraiths and fiends, so that comes as no surprise.
"What is surprising, however, is why the Mingyuan Sect did not destroy this chang ghost or escort him back to the Mingyuan Sacred Land, but instead chose to imprison him right here within Lingtian Pass.
"What are they trying to do?"
Faced with Luo Chen's question, every heart present began to sink.
The recent martial law imposed on Lingtian Pass served as undeniable proof of his deduction.
What was the Mingyuan Sect planning?
To provoke an all-out assault by the demon army?
Or perhaps to draw out Ancient Demon Di Tian in a fury?
If it truly reached that point, what would become of the Mingyuan cultivators remained unknown.
Yet their own forces would undoubtedly suffer catastrophic losses!
Just as dread seized the hearts of the assembly, an overbearing voice boomed into the hall from outside.
"When my Mingyuan Sect acts, what need is there to explain anything to the likes of you!"
*Boom!*
The shut grand doors burst open with a deafening roar.
A towering, commanding figure abruptly strode into plain view.
Luo Chen remained seated upon the high dais, making no move to rise, his eyes fixed on the newcomer.
The face looked familiar.
With a single glance, he recognized the man: it was the powerhouse he had seen cultivating amidst heaven's lightning high in the azure vault when returning to the Eastern Desolation.
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, this man was none other than the Mingyuan Sect's most prominent figure today—Dao Child Lei.
Luo Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the restless surge within, and spoke slowly, "I demand an explanation!"
Those words resonated deeply in the hearts of everyone present.
In an instant, the oppressive aura that Dao Child Lei had brought into the hall began to rebound, giving rise to a shared sense of defiance.
Dao Child Lei furrowed his brow, his gaze locking straight onto Luo Chen.
"You want an explanation?"
"Yes!"
"Very well. Let me see if you possess the qualification!"
Before anyone could make sense of what was happening, Dao Child Lei abruptly raised a hand. A beam of lightning erupted from his palm, striking straight toward Luo Chen.
The strike came so suddenly that none of the onlookers had time to react.
No one had imagined that this man would act with such brazen arrogance, attacking the renowned Master of Alchemy without a second thought.
For a moment, not a single person moved to intervene.
Only Tianduzi, seated right beside Luo Chen, had been on guard beforehand.
With a soft sigh, his magic power surged outward.
Yet just as Tianduzi was about to act, he let out a sudden gasp of surprise.
Before his eyes, Luo Chen pushed forward with a slow, deliberate palm, terrifying magic power coiled within.
It was his signature Qingyang Great Handprint!
Yet unlike ordinary times, faint wisps of an eerie, teal-and-white flame swirled along the face of that handprint.
Lightning and fire collided in an instant.
Then, vanishing into thin air, they dissolved into utter silence.
Only Luo Chen's calm, indifferent voice echoed out once more.
"Now, can your esteemed sect offer us an explanation?"
Chapter 846