"Since you have returned, Fellow Daoist, why not come into the manor for a chat?"
It was Castellan Lingtian's voice.
Luo Chen's expression shifted slightly, and he instinctively glanced at his surroundings.
At this moment, his magic power was reined in and his aura was nearly nonexistent. His facial features had been altered as well; even someone familiar with him would not recognize him at a glance face-to-face.
How did Castellan Lingtian know he had returned?
A formation?
No, the grand formation of Lingtian Pass had suffered severe attrition across countless fierce battles. How could it possess such keen detection capabilities now?
His gaze fell onto the oblivious Lingfengzi. Had Lingfengzi been discovered?
Luo Chen shook his head inwardly.
No!
Lingfengzi's ability to conceal his aura surpassed even Luo Chen's. Otherwise, Luo Chen would not have sent him out to gather intelligence and skate along the edge of danger in earlier years.
Suddenly, Luo Chen raised a hand to touch the space between his brows.
There lay the marking of a water droplet. Even though Luo Chen had deliberately concealed it, it still remained.
"What a cunning method!"
Luo Chen let out a cold snort.
Hearing the snort, Lingfengzi looked at Luo Chen in confusion. "What's the matter?"
With a sullen face, Luo Chen waved his hand. "It's nothing. Go back to Fenghua Palace first. I need to make a trip into the city."
"Oh."
Lingfengzi nodded. Although he felt slightly puzzled by how Luo Chen had been hesitating just moments before only to make a sudden decision, knowing Luo Chen was alive meant his mission was complete.
Once Lingfengzi had departed, Luo Chen wiped a hand across his face. Muscles rippled, and his features instantly restored to their original form.
His dark expression was quickly adjusted, and he even managed to muster a faint smile.
Abandoning any disguise, he openly entered Lingtian Pass.
Many experts within the city recognized Luo Chen's face. After he revealed himself, gaze after gaze followed him wherever he passed.
The emotions behind them were complex, mostly envious.
As for what they were envying, everyone knew full well.
Ignoring all of their eyes, Luo Chen flew straight to the Castellan Manor.
The moment he landed, the low-tier Mingyuan Sect cultivators stationed there came forward to greet him.
The man leading them was Ye Hong. Luo Chen had met him several times before and knew he was a direct descendant of Castellan Lingtian.
Upon seeing Luo Chen, Ye Hong greeted him without hesitation: "Ye Hong greets Martial Uncle Luo! My grandfather has been waiting for quite some time. Please, this way!"
He had changed his form of address quite quickly!
His deference and humility bore no trace of the aloof arrogance typical of a sacred ground's disciples in the past.
Then again, was Luo Chen not considered part of the Mingyuan Sacred Ground now?
Luo Chen gave a smiling nod and, guided by the young man, stepped deeper into the Castellan Manor.
They did not head to the usual assembly hall, but arrived at an exceptionally secluded courtyard guarded by layers of formations.
"My grandfather is inside," Ye Hong said respectfully before stepping aside.
Luo Chen nodded slightly and walked in without hesitation.
Beneath a pavilion stood a stone table with a weiqi board resting quietly upon it.
Black and white stones formed an endgame whose outcome remained unclear.
Castellan Lingtian sat to one side, holding a stone without playing it.
The instant he saw Luo Chen, a smile appeared on Castellan Lingtian's slightly pale face.
"I knew that with Junior Brother's abilities, you would return safe and sound."
Luo Chen stepped into the pavilion and remarked with a half-smile, "I suspect you didn't have faith in me, but rather in Old Ancestor Heize's protective divine ability!"
Between his brows, the water droplet mark was vividly distinct.
Castellan Lingtian did not deny it, speaking candidly: "Indeed. The Old Ancestor went to great lengths to place our sect's great divine ability, the Water of Heavenly Unity, upon you, all out of fear that an accident might befall you. With this divine ability protecting you, few below the Soul Transformation realm could ever kill you."
So candid?
Did this also acknowledge that his ability to sense Luo Chen's arrival was due to that very divine ability?
Luo Chen subconsciously touched the droplet between his brows.
Now he knew the name of this divine ability—the Water of Heavenly Unity!
Exhaling a soft breath of turbid air, Luo Chen walked up to the board.
"Castellan..."
"Since you have agreed to join Mingyuan, let us address each other as martial brothers!"
"Senior Brother Ye!"
Luo Chen did not insist and switched his form of address.
His gaze fell onto the unfinished game on the board, and he voiced his concern: "I heard you suffered rather severe injuries. Instead of resting well, why are you calculating this endgame and straining your mind?"
"The injuries are indeed heavy, but they cannot be healed in a short time." Castellan Lingtian did not conceal his condition, even coughing softly as he spoke. "By comparison, meeting Junior Brother in person is far more important."
"Cough, cough..."
After coughing a few times, Castellan Lingtian pointed at the board.
"Junior Brother Luo once visited the Central Plains, even entering Heaven and Earth Peak and becoming a guest elder of the Star Gate. You must be skilled in weiqi. Can you tell where this endgame is headed?"
Luo Chen glanced over the board and said calmly, "When it comes to weiqi, I am merely a novice; I cannot claim any mastery. To me, the outcome of this endgame is like gazing at flowers through mist. If Senior Brother Ye has something to say, please feel free to speak plainly."
Castellan Lingtian looked slightly regretful that Luo Chen was not a fellow enthusiast. He could only point at the board and explain:
"This endgame is a classic passed down from the Central Plains. Black established an advantage early on, taking the shape of a great dragon, and formed a multi-ko cycle at the crucial nexus. An ordinary player would find it difficult to unravel."
"It is just like the earlier situation in the Eastern Desolation: the demon race came charging with overwhelming momentum, and humanity could not stand against them. Even erecting Lingtian Pass only served to drag them into a quagmire of war."
"Yet this endgame was solved long ago by that Weiqi Sage of the Central Plains. The method used was striking specific points to influence the entire board, using localized pressure to dismantle the whole, resolving the ko while simultaneously slaying the great dragon."
"The method our Mingyuan Sect used to resolve the crisis in the Eastern Desolation this time was the very same—only far more violent."
It had indeed been violent, striking directly at the head!
Of course, the results were excellent.
From that point on, the tide of the Eastern Desolation had completely turned in humanity's favor.
Yet as Castellan Lingtian placed stones to demonstrate the progression of the game, Luo Chen caught his breath.
Black stones were removed one by one, but white stones also perished alongside them, until only a relatively intact portion of the white stones remained in the end.
Castellan Lingtian looked up, gazing earnestly at Luo Chen.
"Junior Brother, the situation is clear and simple now. You should understand it, yes?"
Luo Chen parted his lips, then gave a gentle nod.
In the current state of affairs, even a beginner could grasp it at a glance.
The major sects of the Eastern Desolation were either crippled or ruined. Even the Dongyang Sect, which enjoyed the closest ties with the Mingyuan Sect, had its Nascent Soul cultivators heavily wounded.
Under such circumstances, only the Mingyuan Sect stood tall and unshakeable!
Displaying this state of affairs through a game of weiqi was nothing less than a subtle warning to Luo Chen.
He could not be half-hearted!
Since he had agreed to join the Mingyuan Sect, he could not sit on the fence; otherwise, his end would be just like those white stones that perished alongside the enemy, exiting the stage in bleak defeat.
Castellan Lingtian observed Luo Chen's expression. This task had been assigned by Old Ancestor Yuming.
Old Ancestor Heize had coerced Luo Chen with absolute power, so resentment was inevitable. Since Castellan Lingtian had a decent relationship with Luo Chen, he was now using reason to persuade him, hoping he would let go of any lingering bitterness.
"I know you still have friends and old acquaintances to arrange for, so I can give you some time."
"The situation is clear now. With the Eastern Desolation's demon race left leaderless, they are bound to scatter like loose sand. Furthermore, without the treaty to restrict us, our human race can act freely."
"Next, I will announce the restart of the opening war in the name of the Mingyuan Sacred Ground!"
"Anyone with the ambition to establish a sect and make their mark may accept the sacred ground's decree to reclaim lost territories, expand our borders, and press into the Million Mountains."
"The Luotian Sect does not have many cultivators, and you will be cultivating in the Mingyuan Sacred Ground in the future, so I would not advise the Luotian Sect to choose overly vast territories."
"Simply pick one from among the fallen ancient human domains!"
"Once everything is arranged, I will return to the Mingyuan Sect with you. By then, I will no longer be Castellan Lingtian, while you will become the master of the Alchemy Saint Hall—holding a status beneath only the three Old Ancestors, yet standing above hundreds of millions of people!"
Luo Chen listened quietly, pursing his lips without a word.
Sacred grounds truly seemed to share an affinity with him!
In the North Sea, he had once been mistaken for a remnant of the Yuan Demon Sect.
When he went to the Central Plains, he had been recruited by the Tianyuan Dao Sect. Yet their attitude toward him at the time was indifferent; they accepted him without truly caring. Even after he outmatched all rivals in the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven, the Tianyuan Dao Sect had maintained an aloof, towering stance, allowing him to come and go as he pleased.
By comparison, the sacred ground here in the Eastern Desolation was rather hard to describe.
They valued him, yet did not respect him!
The water droplet mark between his brows was like a collar around the neck of a house dog.
They treated him to fine food and drink, yet the collar served as a constant reminder that he was powerless to resist.
In the end, he had overestimated the magnanimity of a Soul Transformation expert!
At the same time, he had underestimated his own importance to the Mingyuan Sect following the Alchemy Saint's departure!
"Cough, cough... Junior Brother Luo, let us leave our talk here for today!" Castellan Lingtian coughed a few more times, his magic power fluctuating uncontrollably with the exertion.
Luo Chen nodded. "Take care, Senior Brother Ye. Once I have settled my sect members and old acquaintances, I will return to the Mingyuan Sacred Ground with you."
"Very well. If you have any difficulties, come directly to me."
Castellan Lingtian smiled faintly. At least on the surface, Luo Chen did not seem very resistant to the Mingyuan Sect, so his task could be considered reasonably accomplished.
Besides, what reason did Luo Chen have to harbor resentment?
How many great cultivators, such as Shenyuan and Hehuan, wished to enter the Mingyuan Sacred Ground for secluded cultivation but could not!
Old Ancestor Yuming had truly worried over nothing.
Watching Luo Chen's departing back, Castellan Lingtian lowered his head to gaze at the clear board, mentally calculating his recuperation regimen for the coming days.
Suddenly, a question came.
"Senior Brother Ye, what became of Immortal Qinghe?"
Castellan Lingtian froze, looking up to meet Luo Chen's inquisitive eyes.
He truly dared to ask anything!
***
Immortal Qinghe!
Her name was Qinghe, and her true form was also a Qinghe!
This piece of intelligence had left Luo Chen thoroughly astounded.
He was no stranger to Qinghe demon spirits.
Back when he was still at Dahe Mill, nearby in the Guyuan Mountain Range lay Mount Qinghe, teeming with Tier 1 Qinghe demon spirits. Like wild weeds, they grew frail yet stubbornly resilient.
Such things possessed no lethality and served very little purpose.
Their only use had been discovered later by cultivators: firewood!
Once processed with magic arts and ignited, they released immense heat, making them ideal for refining pills and forging weapons.
When low-tier cultivators hunted in the mountains, many would conveniently harvest some mature Tier 1 Qinghe demon spirits to sell to the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, supplementing their livelihoods.
Luo Chen himself had once used inexpensive Qinghe demons to replace costlier spirit wood when refining pills.
Strictly speaking, such things were not even considered demon beasts.
Only because they possessed a tier and emitted faint wails when burned, as if possessing sentience, had people bestowed upon them the name of Qinghe demon spirits.
With Luo Chen's current knowledge, he would categorize them as flora spirits.
Never could Luo Chen have imagined that Immortal Qinghe, one of the three great ancient demons of the Eastern Desolation, had originated as a humble Qinghe demon spirit.
After all, no one could have dreamed that such an ordinary, weak existence could develop sentience and cultivate all the way to Tier 5!
Yet in truth, the name had proclaimed it all along!
It had truly been a case of a single leaf blinding one's view of the mountain!
However miraculous it sounded, Immortal Qinghe's ceiling had ultimately been constrained by her feeble roots.
With shallow origins, she possessed no offensive might.
Having attained the Dao for only a short time, even upon reaching Tier 5, her strength was completely inferior to an ordinary Soul Transformation expert.
When faced with the Mingyuan Sect's ambush—especially with the true meaning of the Lightning Law, which naturally countered plant spirits—her fate had been sealed.
Immortal Qinghe had struggled fiercely, inflicting heavy injuries upon thirty-six Nascent Soul cultivators of the Mingyuan Sect. Yet once Old Ancestor Yuming, one of the three Old Ancestors, freed himself from the battlefield of the Nether Underworld Chart, she could no longer resist.
"The White Tiger has fallen, Qinghe has been defeated; two of the Eastern Desolation's three ancient demons are gone."
"Now, Immortal Qinghe has been escorted back to the Mingyuan Sacred Ground by the three Old Ancestors, where she will serve as one of the foundations for our sect's future rise!"
"Cultivate well, Junior Brother. In the future, you might even use Immortal Qinghe's true form to concoct pills and medicine."
Recalling Castellan Lingtian's parting words, Luo Chen sighed with emotion as he left Lingtian Pass.
A dignified Tier 5 spirit creature, an existence comparable to Taisui, had now been reduced to a prisoner, treated merely as a resource.
By comparison, did his own circumstances seem vastly better?
Of course, such self-consolation was nothing more than psychological victory. Luo Chen merely entertained the thought for a moment before setting it aside.
Next, he needed to attend to proper business.
***
Ever since Lingfengzi had brought back news of Luo Chen, the restless Luotian Sect had settled down.
That night, Luo Chen returned openly to Fenghua Palace.
Wang Yuan, Sima Huiniang, Gu Caiyi, and the others had long been waiting for him.
Amidst the joyful gazes of the crowd, Luo Chen brought out the Soul Nourishing Banner before everyone.
"Look who this is," Luo Chen said with a smile.
*Whoosh...*
A ghostly breeze swept through as a giant python slithered out from the banner.
Everyone was startled.
Gu Caiyi was especially taken aback, as her lifebound magic treasure, the Nether Python Whip, which she nurtured constantly within her qi sea, trembled for an instant.
Bai Meiling looked excitedly at the crowd. "It's me!"
Everyone was stunned. Gu Caiyi hesitated, "Xiao Ling?"
Bai Meiling nodded vigorously, slithering over to Gu Caiyi's side and nuzzling affectionately against her.
Initially, her relationship with Gu Caiyi had been lukewarm, but after the changes of time and fate, they had grown closer.
The others still found it hard to believe.
Bai Meiling, who had long been presumed dead, was actually alive. The formidable aura radiating from her even declared a cultivation comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Sima Huiniang could not help asking, "Xiao Ling, where have you been all these years? And how did you return with my husband?"
Bai Meiling hesitated, glancing toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen nodded. He trusted that she knew what to say and what to keep to herself.
What followed was a lively scene of old friends catching up.
Luo Chen sat in a chair, sipping Five Temples Immortal Brew, his heart warm and a smile on his face.
Was this scene not precisely what he had fought so hard to see?
As long as he settled everyone properly, he could depart for the Mingyuan Sect without any lingering worries.
Within that sacred ground, he would devote himself to cultivation and strive to advance to the Soul Transformation realm!
When that time came, every problem would be resolved effortlessly!
Amidst the laughter and merriment, a guest arrived.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say the host had arrived.
When Fenghua Fairy arrived atop Mount Qingping, what met her eyes was this harmonious scene.
"Brother Luo has returned safe and sound. I can finally put my heart at ease."
Luo Chen smiled. "I made you worry."
Fenghua Fairy swept her gaze over the crowd, lingering particularly long on Bai Meiling, before engaging in casual conversation with Luo Chen.
After chatting for a while, not wishing to interrupt their reunion, she took her leave.
Luo Chen personally saw her off.
Upon parting, Luo Chen brought up the matter of the opening war.
Fenghua Fairy visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"When the Luotian Sect launches its opening war, my Fenghua Palace will certainly lend our full support!"
Only after giving this promise did Fenghua Fairy depart in high spirits.
She naturally had reason to be glad.
Though the Luotian Sect still had few disciples, its high-end combat power completely outmatched Fenghua Palace.
Luo Chen, their Supreme Elder, went without saying.
There was also their newly joined Lingfengzi, who was a Nascent Soul cultivator.
And now, a Ghost Emperor like Bai Meiling had inexplicably emerged!
On top of that, Luo Chen had two Tier 4 spirit beasts...
Little Mount Qingping could no longer accommodate the Luotian Sect.
She had feared it would be easy to invite a deity, but difficult to see one off!
Now that Luo Chen had taken the initiative to propose leaving Fenghua Palace, Fenghua Fairy was naturally more than eager to help.
Luo Chen did not decline either. The Luotian Sect had many preparations to make to find suitable spiritual grounds and establish their sect. If Fenghua Palace was willing to support them, that was all the better.
***
With the ancient demons fallen, the demon race of the Eastern Desolation was left leaderless.
Under these circumstances, Castellan Lingtian, despite his unhealed wounds, made a personal appearance to announce the commencement of a full-scale counteroffensive.
Not only that, he promised that every Nascent Soul upper sect could receive an edict from the Mingyuan Sect to wage opening wars.
Whether veteran sects or newly risen factions from the past century, all could participate.
In an instant, countless cultivators across the Eastern Desolation were fired with excitement.
New factions rolled up their sleeves, eager to establish their sects.
Old factions were thrilled, seeking to reclaim their ancestral lands.
The ancient sects situated far in the rear, relatively untouched by the conflict, also plotted how to claim a share of the spoils in the postwar division of interests.
It was at this very moment that the Luotian Sect, nestled within Fenghua Palace, spread word that it was recruiting vassals to join their opening war.
The moment the golden brand of the "Alchemy Grandmaster" was unveiled, countless cultivators flocked to offer their allegiance!
Chapter 866