*Bang!*
With a muffled rumble, the vast cloud mist that had long blanketed Mount Liuyun suddenly dispersed.
The many low-tier cultivators across the mountain stared blankly at the spectacle.
Soon enough, someone realized what had happened.
"The Clouds Obscure Whereabouts Formation is broken!"
"Could Martial Uncle Kang have cracked the Supreme Elder's formation?"
"It must be him!"
Figure after figure began converging toward True Person Liuyun's cave abode.
Meanwhile, at the entrance, an aged figure had already eagerly slipped inside.
Having visited before, he had a general idea of the layout.
Bypassing room after unimportant room, Kang Ledao finally arrived at the study.
After searching for a long time, his steps came to a halt before a bookshelf.
In plain view sat a jade slip.
*The Wine God Art!*
Kang Ledao was overjoyed. This was none other than the secret Nascent Soul formation method of the Dieyun Sect, and it was indeed stored within the Supreme Elder's cave abode.
With this secret art paired with the cultivation techniques of the Dieyun Sect's cultivators, the success rate of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm would surely be far higher.
His years of perseverance had not been in vain!
His nose stung, his heart swelling with a tumult of emotions.
He felt joy at retrieving his sect's secret art and happiness that his years of hard work had borne fruit, tinged with a measure of sorrow that he was already too old to attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough himself.
"Never mind. As long as the sect has a future, it is a tremendous blessing."
Sighing, Kang Ledao carefully put the *Wine God Art* away and turned to leave.
Yet the moment he turned, his peripheral vision caught something, and his gaze froze.
"Huh? Why is there a jade box beneath where the *Wine God Art* was?"
He had not noticed it earlier, having been entirely absorbed in the *Wine God Art*, and only now did he spot the jade box.
Curious, Kang Ledao picked it up and swept his divine sense over it, finding no restrictions whatsoever.
Unprotected?
Then it must not be anything particularly important.
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he had already opened the box.
Inside lay three longan-sized pills, resting quietly.
Beside them was a small scrap of paper with three scribbled words:
[Nascent Soul Formation Pill]
Kang Ledao felt as if struck by lightning.
Nascent Soul Formation Pills?
The legendary pills that could vastly improve a Golden Core cultivator's chances of forming a Nascent Soul?
Could it be real?
How could such precious treasures be left so casually, without even a single restriction placed over them?
Countless questions flooded his mind under the staggering shock.
Yet when he looked at the three words in that familiar, scrawled hand, Kang Ledao recognized his own Supreme Elder's writing.
Then again, the Supreme Elder had always been nonchalant by nature. Aside from his love of wine, he cared little for cultivation itself, so why would he care about Nascent Soul Formation Pills?
Yet for the current Dieyun Sect, whose line of True Persons had been severed, three Nascent Soul Formation Pills were worth more than anything in the world!
"Our Dieyun Sect... has hope of reviving!"
Kang Ledao murmured in a daze.
...
Luo Chen had left behind three Nascent Soul Formation Pills.
Merely as a small compensation.
The batch of spirit wine the Black King had stolen from the Dieyun Sect was of immense value, arguably the sect's greatest and most substantial foundation.
If utilized well, Luo Chen would reap endless benefits from it.
He had previously entertained thoughts of looking after the Dieyun Sect's disciples.
Yet seeing the sect's bleak plight with his own eyes this time, he realized that no amount of care could match helping them produce another Nascent Soul True Person!
With a Nascent Soul True Person, the Dieyun Sect would not fall from the ranks of upper sects and would not be driven from the Dieyun Domain.
With a Nascent Soul True Person, they could hold down their territory, keeping petty villains from coveting their heritage.
With a Nascent Soul True Person and united hearts from top to bottom, they might even return to their peak.
Thus, Luo Chen had personally uncovered the *Wine God Art*—the secret art aiding Nascent Soul formation hidden deep within the restrictions—and left behind three Nascent Soul Formation Pills.
"I may still owe the Dieyun Sect a great deal, but for now, this is the best I can do."
Luo Chen sighed softly. Transforming into a streak of red light, he crossed the border between the Dieyun Domain and the Fenghua Domain.
On this day.
Upon Mount Jihua, a figure had remained concealed for quite some time.
Suddenly, the mountain's formation opened, and the figure drifted inside.
"Brother Luo, you've returned!"
Seeing the newcomer, Fenghua Fairy smiled warmly.
Luo Chen gave a Daoist salute. "Three years since we last met. Congratulations on your great progress in cultivation, Fellow Daoist!"
Fenghua Fairy laughed and waved her hand. "It hardly counts as great progress. I merely found some free time to reflect on myself and make a few minor adjustments. But you, Brother Luo..."
A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes. For some reason, she felt an unsettling pang of dread radiating from him.
It was as though he had grown significantly stronger once again.
Yet Luo Chen had already been absurdly strong before. Could he really have advanced further in a mere three years?
Combat was like that. Nascent Soul cultivators tended to avoid it when possible, as excessive fighting disrupted their cultivation.
Yet without undergoing the trial of blood and fire, how could the flaws in one's methods ever be unearthed?
Over these three years, Luo Chen had not only restored his magic power and physical body to peak condition, but had also created a fire escape technique tailored specifically to himself.
In him, this translated to even greater confidence and effortless poise in every gesture.
Luo Chen skirted the topic and instead asked after the situation of the Luotian Sect.
Fenghua Fairy recounted it in detail, her tone full of praise.
"Though your sect has few members, every single one possesses an unyielding will and yearns for the Great Dao. In time, these tempered cultivators will surely become the pillars of the Luotian Sect!"
"If a few more Nascent Soul True Persons emerge among them, even my Fenghua Palace would likely fall far short by comparison."
Luo Chen smiled modestly. "You flatter us."
Inwardly, however, he was thoroughly pleased.
These two hundred or so members of the Luotian Sect were the sifted remnants of nearly ten thousand disciples from its peak, possessing fierce loyalty to the sect.
A century of exile had not swayed their resolve, nor had living under another's roof broken their ambition.
Twenty years of fierce warfare had tempered their skills and cultivation to the limit.
According to Fenghua Fairy, in just three short years of respite, the Luotian Sect had already gained two more Golden Core cultivators.
One was Yao Mingyue, and the other, somewhat unexpectedly, was an Ice Fort female cultivator brought along by Fairy Jueqing.
This was after only three years; given more time, matters would undoubtedly improve even further!
After reflecting on this, Luo Chen turned his attention to the broader situation.
The voice transmission jade token was limited by its material and could not carry extensive information, leaving much of what Fenghua Fairy wanted to say unspoken.
Now, upon Luo Chen's inquiry, she detailed everything for him.
"The battle at Lingtian Pass three years ago lasted nine days and nine nights, and its brutality far exceeded anything we imagined."
"Over ten million cultivators fought, and the post-battle tally revealed that less than sixty percent survived! Our sects were truly fortunate to have avoided that clash."
"Perhaps put that way, Brother Luo, it feels somewhat abstract. So let us speak of the Nascent Soul cultivators of our realm!"
"First, the Five Lingtian Domains. The mountain gate of the Wan Jian Pavilion was destroyed, and its sole surviving Nascent Soul sword cultivator perished together with the enemy. Fellow Daoist Qin Baixiang of the Hundred Beasts Sect survived, but his Tier 4 spirit pet, the Dusk Monkey, which he had meticulously nurtured for centuries, was smashed to pieces by an enemy Demon Emperor. The one dispatched to guard Mu Prefecture was an elder from the Dongyang Sect, who fled heavily wounded. Among the five domains, only our Fenghua Domain and the White Crane Domain suffered relatively light losses, but I hear the Crane Emperor of the White Crane Sect is not in good condition either."
"As for Lingtian Pass itself, as far as I know, seven Nascent Soul cultivators fell in battle. One of them you should know—Fellow Daoist Ye Lan, the newly appointed sect master of the Divine Talisman Sect."
Hearing the name Ye Lan, Luo Chen froze.
That was the junior Old Fu had placed such high hopes on.
The future hope of the Divine Talisman Sect!
For his sake, Old Fu had spared no expense to trade for a Nascent Soul Formation Pill from Luo Chen.
A young man once bound for boundless heights, fallen just like that?
He could hardly imagine Old Fu's state of mind right now.
In the silence, Luo Chen asked after the Mingyuan Sect.
A smile reappeared on Fenghua Fairy's face.
"It turns out cultivators from a sacred ground aren't as invincible as everyone thought! Of the seven Nascent Souls who fell at Lingtian Pass, fully five were from the Mingyuan Sect."
Luo Chen was surprised at first, but soon understood.
Such a result seemed counterintuitive on the surface—how could cultivators from an exalted Soul Transformation sacred ground be so vulnerable?
Yet having personally interacted with cultivators from another sacred ground, Luo Chen knew this was entirely natural.
Benefiting from their supreme status in the cultivation world, lavish resources, and top-tier techniques, sacred ground cultivators typically cultivated swiftly, reached high realms, and possessed numerous methods.
However, their excessively comfortable environment meant they rarely underwent the trials of life and death.
To counteract this, almost all Soul Transformation sacred grounds encouraged internal competition and hosted tournaments large and small.
Yet when all was said and done, those competitions could never compare to the tempering of blood and fire.
Furthermore, the Mingyuan Sect had dispatched a massive number of Nascent Soul cultivators this time—over thirty in all!
With such a large base, losing five was only natural.
Yet Luo Chen was well aware that those who survived could no longer be treated as greenhouse flowers.
They had experienced war and witnessed death. As their combat experience deepened, their techniques would become tempered and cohesive.
And backed by the sacred ground's profound heritage, these surviving Nascent Soul True Persons would surely far surpass ordinary Nascent Souls of the cultivation world.
Losing five seemed like a heavy blow in sheer numbers, but for the Mingyuan Sect's overall strength, it was actually a tremendous elevation.
Luo Chen shook his head inwardly, though he did not refute Fenghua Fairy's schadenfreude.
After all, across this human-monster war, the Nascent Soul True Persons lost by the Eastern Desolation's various sects far exceeded five.
It was only right to gloat!
It was only right to kick them while they were down!
Steadying his emotions, he spoke slowly: "Tell me about the Soul Transformation figures."
The smile on Fenghua Fairy's face gradually faded.
"Back then, seeing that the monster forces could not conquer the pass after a protracted siege, the Ancient Demon Di Tian took the field personally to assault Lingtian Pass, attempting to reclaim his ghost minion. It was Patriarch Heize of the Mingyuan Sect who stopped him."
"The two clashed for a single exchange, ending in a draw."
"Afterward, Ancient Demon Di Tian ordered the monster forces to withdraw, falling back hundreds of thousands of li in a single breath and leaving behind nine empty domains as a buffer zone."
"According to reliable word, the humans and monsters may sign an armistice treaty—the first since antiquity!"
An armistice treaty?
Luo Chen took a deep breath. "Is the news truly reliable?"
"Reliable. I got it from Jiuling Yuanjun." Fenghua Fairy spoke with utter certainty, then hesitated before lowering her voice: "Furthermore, when Castellan Lingtian visited last time, I sounded him out."
"How did he answer?"
"'The Eastern Desolation will welcome peace once again!' That was what he said."
Luo Chen nodded. Castellan Lingtian had an impeccable reputation and was unlikely to lie.
Moreover, beyond his high cultivation realm, his seniority within the Mingyuan Sect was exceptionally high, hailing from the same generation as the Alchemy Saint.
He was sure to possess the most core, insider information.
If an armistice treaty were concluded, the Eastern Desolation might truly obtain tranquil peace for the first time since ancient times.
This peace was something the various sects and countless cultivators had longed for.
"Did he mention the general terms of the treaty?" Luo Chen asked.
Fenghua Fairy shook her head. "Castellan Lingtian did not go into detail, but it should involve negotiating the ownership of the fifteen lost domains, the conditions for launching opening wars, and how the two races will coexist in the future."
"And the timing?"
"Likely very soon."
Luo Chen frowned. "Very soon?"
"Yes!" Fenghua Fairy affirmed, a look of wonder crossing her face. "That is also why they want you to meet the Mingyuan Patriarch. After all, you enslaved the Ancient Demon's son."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "You mean my spirit pet, Di Tu, might be part of the negotiations?"
Before Fenghua Fairy could answer, Luo Chen chuckled to himself.
"Indeed. How could the son of the Ancient Demon be reduced to a human's mount?"
Fenghua Fairy hummed in agreement. She had only learned later that the Demon Emperor Luo Chen enslaved was actually the son of the Ancient Demon.
With that revelation, the magnitude of his feat in that battle had grown even more astonishing.
Fighting five Demon Emperors single-handedly!
Slaying three demons, capturing the Ancient Demon's son, and routing a Great Demon Emperor!
Such an illustrious record of battle was not in the least inferior to that of Lei Daozi, who had roamed the battlefield of Lingtian Pass unchecked, coming and going as he pleased!
Naturally, she also understood why Luo Chen had left in such a hurry three years ago.
It was solely because he did not want to drag others down, shielding the cultivators of the Luotian Sect and Fenghua Palace from the Ancient Demon's wrath.
The principal offender had left while the Ancient Demon's son remained behind.
Even if Di Tian came in person, with the dignity of an Ancient Demon, he surely would not vent his fury needlessly on low-tier cultivators.
*Not only is Alchemy Master Luo Chen extraordinarily powerful, he is a man of honor and loyalty!* Fenghua Fairy mused to herself.
...
Luo Chen did not go to meet the members of the Luotian Sect, returning alone to Mount Daqing.
Amid Di Tu's surprise, he said only three words:
"Come with me!"
Then, Luo Chen ordered the tiger to manifest a shrunken true form and carry him toward Lingtian Pass.
For this journey, Luo Chen made no effort to conceal his tracks.
Instead, he openly rode astride the golden tiger, soaring through the sky.
Wherever they passed, the immense pressure of the Demon Emperor threw countless returning low-tier cultivators into terror and panic.
Yet the moment they caught sight of the figure atop the golden tiger's back, their hearts eased, filled with profound reverence.
Some well-traveled cultivators, familiar with the rumors of the past three years, even recognized Luo Chen.
From afar, they bowed in greeting to the Alchemy Master.
Luo Chen wore a smile, continuing his ostentatious procession.
For three years, Di Tu had kept him on edge, even forcing him to flee ten thousand li away.
Now, using the soon-to-be-returned Di Tu to bolster his prestige once more could be considered making good use of waste.
As for whether Di Tu would resent Luo Chen over this "humiliation" once he returned?
Heh. Whether he hated him or not, one more slight would hardly make a difference!
Moreover, Luo Chen was acutely aware that a summons from a grand figure was surely not just about the armistice treaty.
It meant that one of the three supreme patriarchs of the Mingyuan Sacred Ground was extending an invitation to him.
Would Luo Chen accept?
The answer, in truth, went without saying.
"Master, Lingtian Pass is ahead!"
From beneath him came Di Tu's exceedingly deep voice.
Luo Chen looked out into the distance. The once majestic and boundless ancient stronghold now had collapsed walls and rugged, jagged ruins everywhere.
And this was the Western District, which had fared relatively well.
With Luo Chen's terrifying vision, he could even see into several other districts.
The horrific aftermath of the battle was truly shocking to behold.
One could well imagine just how staggering the intensity of that nine-day, nine-night siege had been.
"To have missed that battle is both a blessing and a regret!"
Luo Chen murmured softly, patting the golden tiger.
"Enter the city!"
Man and tiger advanced slowly.
Countless gazes followed closely behind.
"Is that the Alchemy Master?"
He who slew demon emperors, repelled Qi Xi, and swept across the world invincible.
Astride a golden tiger, entering Lingtian, welcomed by myriad eyes.
This scene, laden with countless tales, was destined to be remembered by many cultivators for the rest of their lives!
Chapter 858