"Who does it look like?"
Inside a quiet room aboard the Tianhe Void-Soaring Ship, Luo Chen casually brushed ink across a sheet of pure white xuan paper.
Standing beside him, Sima Huiniang slightly knitted her delicate brows as she watched the outline gradually take shape.
Wrinkles crisscrossed the face like sprawling tree roots.
The flesh was withered and emaciated, resembling decrepit, rotting wood.
What had originally been a fairly kindly face had turned dark and sinister the moment Luo Chen added the finishing touch—a pair of cold, brooding eyes.
Facing Luo Chen's question, Sima Huiniang hesitated for a moment before her red lips parted.
"It does feel somewhat familiar. A bit like a senior from the Five Elements Divine Sect who used to look out for us."
Luo Chen set down his writing brush and glanced at her profile as she racked her memory.
Suddenly, her eyes brightened.
"Right! This face is indeed sixty to seventy percent similar to True Person Linmu!"
"So it really is him?" Luo Chen muttered under his breath.
When he had spoken privately with Old Fu earlier, Old Fu had said the very same thing.
Before stepping down as sect master of the Luotian Sect, Sima Huiniang had dealt extensively with the Five Elements Divine Sect. Naturally, she had met True Person Linmu, who was renowned for his gentle disposition and praised as an all-around good person.
Now, even she thought so!
Hearing Luo Chen's murmur, Sima Huiniang felt puzzled. "Husband, logically speaking, when you returned, True Person Linmu's physical body had already been destroyed by a Demon Emperor, and his Nascent Soul was in secluded cultivation nursing his injuries. You shouldn't have ever seen him! Why draw his portrait now out of the blue?"
*Why indeed?*
Luo Chen wanted to know as well.
For a cultivator who had not yet reached the God Transformation realm and condensed an origin soul, the destruction of one's physical body was a catastrophic wound second only to damage to the Nascent Soul itself!
Yet there were ways to remedy such trauma.
One could seek out suitable materials to reshape a physical body, or resort to the lowliest method of soul possession.
In any case, a Nascent Soul cultivator would resolve the matter as swiftly as possible.
Yet True Person Linmu had been nursing his injuries for decades without ever showing his face in public.
Even when the great war at Lingtian Pass reached its most perilous moments, and even when True Person Jinling of the Five Elements Divine Sect died in battle, he had still never appeared.
Could anyone truly remain so patient and composed?
Looking back now, it was probably not that True Person Linmu had been keeping his composure, but that an accident had befallen him.
And that accident had very likely been orchestrated by his senior martial brother, Perfected Shenyuan!
Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Perfected Shenyuan would reveal that true countenance.
"Fusion and assimilation? Absorption and devouring?"
Luo Chen did not know what methods Perfected Shenyuan had employed, but he knew the man was by no means as kindly as he had appeared before his departure.
After all, could someone capable of harming even his own junior martial brother's Nascent Soul be kindly in any sense?
Not to mention the deep malice he had previously harbored toward Luo Chen himself...
As Luo Chen pondered, he suddenly gave a soft laugh and shook his head.
*Forget it!*
Once he tied up the loose ends here, he would journey far away to the Mingyuan Sect. An old codger like Perfected Shenyuan, who did not have many years left to live, would likely cross paths with him never again.
Why dwell on it so much?
Judging from the sudden shift in the man's attitude, he had clearly feared the Mingyuan Sect, which was why he had proactively wiped the slate clean.
With a flick of his fingers, Luo Chen sent forth a small fireball, instantly reducing the portrait to fine powder.
Luo Chen turned and walked out. Huiniang accompanied him at his side, casually chatting about the recent developments in carving out the new territory.
It was mostly Huiniang speaking and Luo Chen listening, occasionally offering a word of advice.
"The Motian Domain has a large fourth-order spirit vein spanning over three thousand li. Wang Yuan has already led disciples to sweep it clean, leaving no roaming demon beasts behind. Right now, disciples of the Tiandu Sect are clearing the blocked conduits of the spirit vein, setting up formations, and attuning the spirit nodes."
"In the future, the three-thousand-li expanse centered on Motian Cliff will serve as our sect's main mountain gate."
"According to the advice of Old Fu and Fairy Fenghua, the territory of a Nascent Soul upper sect must span at least ten thousand li. Even if we cannot use it all right now, the scale and prestige cannot be compromised."
Luo Chen nodded. A three-thousand-li core sect perimeter and a ten-thousand-li territory was indeed the standard scale of a Nascent Soul upper sect.
Only such a foundation could support the cultivation of the tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands to millions, of disciples that a future Nascent Soul upper sect would inevitably harbor.
As for a grand feat like that of the Medicine King Sect, which dominated an entire domain all to itself, that required not only overwhelming might but also immense financial resources.
Otherwise, one simply could not control such a vast territory, and it would be better left to smaller factions to manage.
As for whether the Nascent Soul upper sect would lose too many benefits in the process?
There was an alternative solution for that.
Namely, building immortal cities jointly with the smaller factions. For every immortal city, the Nascent Soul upper sect would hold the largest share, and the subsequent revenues would naturally see the lion's share flow back to the upper sect.
Accumulated over time, the resources a Nascent Soul upper sect could reap were staggering.
As long as subsequent leadership was not utterly foolish, its growth would never fall behind those large Golden Core sects.
Thus, over the past three thousand years, virtually every Nascent Soul upper sect capable of pioneering a domain grew progressively stronger, with very few ever tumbling from the ranks of upper sects.
Even if exceptional geniuses like Perfected Shenyuan, Perfected Jade Cauldron, or Han Zhan emerged within the large Golden Core sects under their jurisdiction, they could never contend with the local Nascent Soul upper sect in the short term. Constrained by the prevailing rules, they could only seek external development and take the risk of embarking on new opening wars.
"Additionally, several resource-rich locations across the Motian Domain are being cataloged one by one as Elder Lingfengzi leads patrols through the region."
"The other smaller factions are aggressively pushing forward, sweeping away the surviving demon beasts in the Luotian Domain."
"However, things are far from peaceful among them. They often come to blows over claiming low-tier spirit veins with abundant spiritual energy."
"It isn't like during the war between humans and demons anymore. Without the rules and constraints of Lingtian Pass, several factions have already flared into genuine fury within just a few days, suffering considerable casualties."
Huiniang spoke with a wistful sigh in her eyes.
Years ago, she had also lived through the opening war in the Howling Moon Mountain Range.
Back then, the opponents of the Golden Core forces were demon beasts.
Even if several factions took a liking to the same piece of spiritual ground, each relied on their own abilities to conquer the summit.
It was unlike now, where few formidable demon beasts remained in the Luotian Domain, and the discovery of unowned spiritual grounds instantly devolved into human infighting and sectarian conflict.
"Although it's all petty squabbling in our eyes, this is, after all, the prime era of our Luotian Upper Sect opening a domain. Such friction reflects poorly on the overall situation."
"Husband, should we intervene?"
Luo Chen was just about to say there was no need, but the words caught in his throat.
After a moment of thought, he nodded.
"Once Wang Yuan frees up his hands, have him take people to mediate!"
"Bring Min Longyu along as well. Whenever they encounter larger third-order spirit veins, let him assess the situation and divide them between two, or even three, factions to cohabitate."
At first, Sima Huiniang did not grasp what Luo Chen meant.
Yet the moment she heard the phrase "between two, or even three, factions to cohabitate," she instantly understood her partner's underlying intention.
"Husband, this scheme of yours is truly venomous!"
"Hmm?" Luo Chen smiled gently as he looked at her.
Sima Huiniang pursed her lips into a smile. "Yet it couldn't be better for our Luotian Sect's future!"
The two exchanged a knowing smile, well aware of the poison hidden beneath this seemingly peaceful and benevolent mediation.
The Golden Core factions participating in this war had seen their strength severely depleted after over a century of war between humans and demons.
Even when two or three of them combined, they only matched the strength of a single large Golden Core sect at its peak in the past.
Yet all things moved inexorably forward with time.
Sects would develop, and disciples would multiply, but spirit veins were only so large, and land was limited.
Once their strength recovered, how could one or two third-order spirit veins possibly accommodate everyone's needs?
It was just like the Luotian Association back then. When they had first occupied Danxia, they were quite content.
Later, as their strength expanded and their reach lengthened, they had taken over several nearby first-order and second-order spiritual grounds one after another.
That process had been accompanied by slaughter and conquest.
Would these smaller factions beneath the Luotian Domain remain peaceful forever?
The answer was certainly no!
Even if they exercised restraint, the Luotian Sect would secretly fan the flames from behind the scenes, ensuring they fought among themselves.
Luo Chen walked out of the room, looking up at the cloud-piercing Motian Cliff, and let out a faint sigh.
"In the end, it's because our Luotian Sect has too few members and lacks sufficient power that we must resort to such underhanded little tricks!"
Sima Huiniang took his arm, using her other hand to brush aside a stray strand of hair, her eyes filled with yearning.
"Things will get better!"
"In the future, whenever Husband has leisure to return from the Mingyuan Sect, the Luotian Sect will surely burn with flourishing incense, gathered disciples, and become a sacred immortal land sung of by mortals."
***
"Let's choose this mountain!"
Standing before the Pingshan Sea, Sovereign Jiuling offered his suggestion with a touch of melancholy in his eyes.
Luo Chen nodded. "Its terrain is magnificent, gathering wind and harboring qi. It is indeed a fine third-order spirit mountain. Relocating it to the Luotian Domain will perfectly fill the void in the spirit veins left by the Demon Emperor's devastation. Furthermore, removing this mountain will open a gap, allowing a portion of the water from the Pingshan Sea to be channeled into the Taihu Domain, fostering recovery for mortals in the future."
Sovereign Jiuling gave an affirmative hum. How could he not know the virtues of this mountain?
Years ago, the Nine Spirits Sect could not bear to part with it, yet because it was too far from the sect's heartland to easily occupy, they had specially entrusted it to one of their subordinates to manage.
Now, however, the mountain was to be moved to the Luotian Domain, becoming part of the Luotian Sect's foundation.
Luo Chen patted his shoulder in consolation, then turned to the other two.
"Old Fu, Brother Deng, I'll trouble the two of you."
Old Fu squeezed out a smile. "It's no trouble, just a matter of a single talisman. Please step back a few paces."
Once Luo Chen and the other two had retreated several paces, Old Fu tucked away his smile and produced a dark yellow talisman.
Before their eyes, he formed hand seals and chanted an incantation under his breath.
Suddenly!
He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of pure magic power.
The dark yellow talisman drifted lightly toward the Pingshan Sea before them.
A boundless power erupted from the talisman. As it pressed downward, the seawater below began to boil like a kettle.
Colossal waves thousands of feet high surged continuously backward.
Just as the crest of the waves was about to crash down again—
"Suppress!"
The dark yellow talisman stood firm before the terrifying surge, completely motionless in a magnificent display.
Old Fu lowered his hands, concealing them inside his sleeves. "It is done."
"A talisman calms the sea—what a marvelous technique!" Deng Taiyue strode forward with a hearty laugh.
"Now, leave the rest to me!"
He leaped directly from the high mountain, landing squarely upon the exposed seabed.
Facing the peak they had chosen earlier, he thrust both palms forward, striking the ground.
Drawing a breath, he gave a low shout.
"Rise!"
The next instant, deafening rumbles echoed continuously.
The sound began slowly, but grew faster and more ferocious by the moment.
Luo Chen and the other two felt their positions continually elevating, until the mists high in the sky seemed within arm's reach.
Sovereign Jiuling showed a look of astonishment. "Crushing mountains and sundering peaks is effortless for us, and uprooting a mountain to quell a sea isn't exceedingly difficult either. But to accomplish it as effortlessly as Fellow Daoist Deng is truly formidable."
Luo Chen smiled beside him. "You might not know, but Brother Deng primarily cultivates Earth-attribute arts, so he has always excelled at such matters. Years ago, he came within a hair's breadth of comprehending the true intent of Earth laws. Though he fell short by that final step, the insights he gained were immensely beneficial. For him, this technique is truly nothing extraordinary."
Sovereign Jiuling raised his brows, falling into deep contemplation.
*The true intent of laws?*
He had previously maintained only a passing acquaintance with Deng Taiyue of the Taishan Sect.
It was only because of Luo Chen that the two of them had grown closer, leading to Deng Taiyue being invited to assist in the Nine Spirits Sect's upcoming opening war.
His evaluation of Deng Taiyue had been neither high nor low.
He had seen him merely as an ordinary sixth-layer Nascent Soul cultivator, equal in cultivation realm to himself, modest in combat strength, lacking murderous edge, and gentle in temperament.
He had never expected that Deng Taiyue had once nearly stepped into the realm most coveted by Nascent Soul cultivators.
To comprehend the true intent of laws!
Sovereign Jiuling believed that stepping into the late Nascent Soul stage would not be difficult for him; so long as he settled down and cultivated diligently for several decades, it would happen naturally.
Yet when it came to comprehending the true intent of laws, he was utterly clueless.
Even if he sought to strive for God Transformation in the future, he would likely have to follow the conventional path of raising his cultivation realm and condensing his origin soul.
Yet that path was the most arduous of all—how could it compare to the swiftness of comprehending the true intent of laws?
At this thought, he could not help looking at Luo Chen beside him.
When Luo Chen had repelled the Seven-Rhino Great Demon Emperor and tied with Shenyuan in a single exchange, the divine abilities he had displayed were surely the manifestation of some true intent of laws as well.
*Ever since I mastered the Great Nine Firmaments River, I looked down on everything beneath Great Cultivators.*
*Looking at it now, I was truly somewhat arrogant.*
*Pengxiang's magical arts surpass mine, Deng Taiyue came within a breath of soaring to the azure clouds, and Luo Chen, despite his lower realm, has already walked ahead of me.*
*The heroes of this world must never be underestimated!*
Just as he was lost in sighing contemplation, a great shout came from beneath the mountain.
"Off we go!"
Deng Taiyue rose into the air, his magic power sweeping across the void as he hoisted the towering mountain in one hand, soaring eastward.
A spirit mountain that, back when Luo Chen was in the Golden Core stage, had required five Golden Cores, numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even the aid of formations to uproot, was now effortlessly supported in Deng Taiyue's casual stride.
As the spirit mountain moved eastward and the talisman was recalled, the suppressed boundless seawater collapsed at once.
It turned into colossal waves, rolling into the terrifying crater left behind on the earth.
After gradually filling it to the brim, a vast torrent of lake water flowed through the breach, surging backward toward the parched Taihu Domain.
***
In the domain that had not yet officially changed its name, but was already destined to be renamed the Luotian Domain.
Upon a small third-order spirit vein.
An aged Tao Yisheng looked at the glamorous woman before him with dissatisfaction written across his face.
"Sister, did Luo Chen only grant our Azure Pill Valley such a modest foothold?"
At some point, Tao Wan had removed the veil concealing her face.
She walked through the rugged valley, her gaze falling upon the low-tier cultivators of the Azure Pill Valley who were enthusiastically constructing dwellings.
Beneath the moonlight, her expression was serene, free of the pride she had possessed in years past.
"Is it not good?"
Tao Yisheng spoke with indignation. "Back then, our Azure Pill Valley held five spirit peaks, capable of accommodating several Golden Core lords in their cultivation. Squeezing in a bit, even a dozen would have been no problem. But what is this territory of barely fifty li in circumference supposed to be?"
"It counts as our home, and it counts as the Azure Pill Valley's mountain gate," Tao Wan said indifferently.
"You are being too narrow-minded! Our Azure Pill Valley will surely need to expand in the future. With such a tiny territory, where can we possibly expand to? That Luo Chen is truly ungrateful—"
"Hmph!"
Seeing that her younger brother was about to utter even more outrageous words, Tao Wan let out a cold snort.
With just that single sound, her brother, whose cultivation had already reached the Golden Core stage yet whose temperament had drastically changed, fell as silent as a cicada in winter.
She said coldly, "For our Azure Pill Valley today, this territory is more than sufficient. Moreover, we have it all to ourselves, unlike the Heavenly Wolf Association and the Monolith Gang, who are crammed together. What else are you dissatisfied with?"
"B-but..."
"There are no buts! Furthermore, Luo Chen's name is not something you can address directly. You will either respectfully address him as Senior Danzong, or honor him as a True Person!"
Tao Yisheng opened his mouth, but under his sister's stern glare, he could only fall silent in embarrassment.
He could not understand why his once-haughty sister was now compromising so meekly.
Clearly, their Azure Pill Valley had shared a good relationship with Luo Chen, possessing considerable ties in the past. He had even personally gone to the Luotian Association to instruct low-tier cultivators in pill refinement.
How could Luo Chen be so heartless now?
What happened to his gentlemanly conduct? What happened to treating others with sincerity?
Seeing him like this, Tao Wan sighed softly. Over these years, her brother's temperament had changed far too much.
She felt she needed to explain the crucial dynamics to him in detail, as well as her speculations regarding the Luotian Sect's future trajectory, lest his loose tongue cause a catastrophe down the road.
Just as she was about to speak, the bright moonlight suddenly dimmed.
She looked up. Beneath the moon, a towering mountain was slowly flying through the night sky.
Someone was carrying a mountain beneath the moon, heading straight for Motian Cliff.
Tao Wan's slender frame trembled slightly. Pointing at the ethereal figure beneath the mountain, she said with a shaking voice, "Are you hoping to reason with a Nascent Soul True Person?"
Chapter 873