Wind-Thunder Gorge!
Since ancient times, it had been a perilous region within the Southern Border.
Here, the earth veins were chaotic, and vast quantities of turbid earth qi leaked out amid constant confluence and conflict, churning into biting, bone-scraping astral winds within the long, narrow gorge.
Because these astral winds were forged from turbid earth qi, they possessed terrifying destructive power against a cultivator's protective qi barrier. Acting like razor-sharp blades, they could tear an unwary cultivator to shreds in an instant, earning them the moniker of "blade wind."
Above, as the earth qi rose and rubbed against the void, a lightning field perpetually gathered and hummed.
It was precisely due to these year-round blade winds and lightning fields that the place earned the name Wind-Thunder Gorge.
Ordinary people would never dream of coming here to cultivate.
It was not until several centuries ago, when a cultivator fled here to escape pursuit and settled for an extended stay, that the secrets of this place were gradually unraveled.
Whether it was the blade wind or the falling lightning, both existed only in the open reaches of the gorge.
So long as one did not recklessly fly through the open air and instead scaled the perilous cliff walls along both sides, the risk of being struck was drastically reduced.
Over time, more and more desperate cultivators gathered here.
They carved out cave dwellings along the cliff faces on either side of the gorge to serve as their cultivation abodes.
Later on, vast numbers of rogue cultivators flocked here drawn by its reputation, solely to claim the free, scattered spiritual veins.
Every person who carved out a cave dwelling could be called a cave master.
And the thirty-six most powerful among them were hailed by the outside world as the Thirty-Six Cave Masters of Wind-Thunder Gorge.
At this moment, guided by Cheng Bai, Luo Chen strolled along a crudely hewn trail between the mountain walls.
Under Cheng Bai's steady narrative, Luo Chen gained a rudimentary understanding of everything concerning Wind-Thunder Gorge.
"Blade wind?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Chen grew greatly intrigued.
Under Cheng Bai's horrified gaze, he casually stretched out a hand, reaching beyond the edge of the path.
*Chhh...*
As if sensing prey, a gust of violent wind surged forward.
"Senior!!!" Cheng Bai shrieked.
Yet in the next instant, Luo Chen merely flexed his outstretched hand in the air and slowly drew it back.
Luo Chen chuckled softly. "Tingles a bit, actually."
Cheng Bai was struck dumb.
The blade wind, which struck terror into countless cultivators and kept them from venturing even a hair's breadth into it, had merely felt "tingly" to this senior?
For a fleeting second, his perception was so distorted that he almost felt tempted to test it himself.
Fortunately, Luo Chen's subsequent words shattered his delusion.
"No need to dawdle. Take me straight to Cave Master Minglei. I imagine he has waited long enough."
As he spoke, he shot a knowing, half-smiling glance at Cheng Bai.
The other man swallowed hard. "Senior Tyrant Cultivator... did you know I secretly notified the Cave Master?"
Luo Chen smiled without answering.
The man's petty little tricks had not escaped his notice, but he simply did not care in the least.
Suddenly!
A powerful aura erupted from a protruding stone terrace along the steep cliff face.
The momentum was astonishing, drawing the attention of numerous cultivators along both cliff sides.
"What happened to Cave Master Minglei?"
"Could his cultivation have broken through again?"
"No, that looks like an intentional display of his presence."
Amid the buzz of discussion, Luo Chen looked up.
A middle-aged man was gazing toward him from over ten li away.
His aura was overwhelming, churning the clouds and winds and causing dense crackles of lightning to cascade down.
Yet in Luo Chen's eyes, this was nothing more than an empty, hollow display of bravado.
A mere first-layer Nascent Soul cultivator had managed to stir the winds and alter celestial phenomena solely because of the gorge's unique geographic environment.
He let out a fierce grin, and the source power throughout his body surged.
*Boom!*
A towering beacon of vital blood qi soared into the heavens.
Beneath that colossal majesty, the astral winds parted and the thunder fell silent, tearing straight through Cave Master Minglei's Nascent Soul domain by brute force alone.
Then, Luo Chen took a single step forward.
*Thump!*
The void detonated. In the next breath, Luo Chen's figure shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, landing squarely on the massive protruding rock terrace on the mountainside.
"Minglei, is this your way of welcoming a guest?"
With those words, the towering Luo Chen looked down upon the diminutive Cave Master Minglei before him.
A predatory, voracious aura crashed down like a tidal wave!
Cave Master Minglei subconsciously retreated two steps, pulling back from the shadow cast by Luo Chen's stature.
His lips parted slightly, his eyes clearly tinged with horror.
The man before him had not revealed a shred of magic power or cultivation base, yet that ferocious aura gave him the terrifying illusion of facing a primordial ferocious beast from the ancient wilderness!
He took a deep breath, cupping his fists in a salute to Luo Chen.
"My apologies. That was merely to probe Fellow Daoist Qitian's capabilities."
Luo Chen sneered in disdain. "And what is the result of your probe?"
"Naturally above mine!" Cave Master Minglei candidly conceded his inferiority.
After all, a prepared Nascent Soul domain had been shattered by the mere impact of the man's momentum, showing the immense gulf between them.
However...
Cave Master Minglei shook his head. "Yet Feng Buyan, the Feng clan Supreme Elder who covets this Wind-Thunder Gorge, is a veteran Nascent Soul cultivator. He will not be so easy to deal with!"
Luo Chen scoffed. "If he were truly that formidable, could you have held him off?"
Cave Master Minglei answered frankly, "Out in the open, I am indeed no match for him. But within this Wind-Thunder Gorge, even he can do nothing to me."
As he spoke, his abdomen puffed slightly like a frog.
In the next moment, a crack of thunder echoed from inside his body.
As if responding, the world resonated, and lightning crackled violently across the void, silver-white bolts dancing wildly like dragons and serpents.
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, shedding his disdain to gaze out with a solemn look.
What method had he used to harmonize his Nascent Soul domain with the world, even channeling the power of heavenly thunder?
Then he pulled his gaze back, focusing on Cave Master Minglei's lower abdomen.
"A gu insect?"
Cave Master Minglei made no attempt to conceal it, speaking candidly. "Indeed! I happen to possess a rather special lightning spiritual root. A century ago, I refined a Thunder Frog Gu, relying on it to advance to the Nascent Soul realm. With the geographical advantage of Wind-Thunder Gorge, I dare do battle even against a mid-Nascent Soul powerhouse! And that is precisely why the old fellow Feng Buyan remains wary of me."
So that was it!
Luo Chen could not help but view the man in a new light. To fight above one's realm, even if relying on a specialized gu insect and geographic advantage, was no small feat.
Yet Cave Master Minglei took no pride in this. Once he left Wind-Thunder Gorge, he was merely an ordinary newcomer to the Nascent Soul realm.
Even if his offensive means were slightly sharper, they still remained confined to early Nascent Soul.
"Fellow Daoist Qitian, you may not know this, but the Feng clan is determined to seize Wind-Thunder Gorge. Feng Buyan is even now gathering fellow cultivators, aiming to take it by storm in a single decisive strike. Are you certain you want to wade into these muddy waters?"
Luo Chen countered, "Do you not want this seat's assistance?"
Cave Master Minglei shook his head. "It is not that I do not want it; in fact, I desire nothing more. But I fear even more that you might withdraw at a critical juncture, leaving me to fight alone. Rather than that, it is better to understand your intentions early on. At worst, I will abandon this place where I attained the Dao and find another spot to cultivate."
He had attained the Dao as a rogue cultivator.
Abandoning a fine cave dwelling was a pity, of course.
Yet so long as his life was preserved, someone of the Nascent Soul realm could roam anywhere under heaven.
Thus, there was truly no need to forfeit his life over a cultivation abode that was not particularly exceptional.
The aid of an unfamiliar powerhouse like Tyrant Cultivator Qitian was certainly an unexpected boon, but if it turned into shackles dragging him under, it would be a disaster.
Having once been a rogue cultivator himself, Luo Chen naturally detected the sincerity in the man's words.
Without hesitation, he said with supreme confidence, "No matter how many people they summon, so long as they are not Soul Formation mighty figures, this seat can take them on for you."
Cave Master Minglei's pupils constricted. Could he truly be so confident?
Or rather... arrogant?
Luo Chen clasped his hands behind his back and strolled toward the edge of the cliff, gazing down into the bottomless abyss below.
"Provided, of course, that you offer compensation that satisfies this seat."
Cave Master Minglei pondered for a moment before replying, "Then it depends on what Fellow Daoist desires, and what I possess."
Luo Chen gave a faint smile. "Not difficult at all!"
...
As the sole Nascent Soul True Person in Wind-Thunder Gorge, Cave Master Minglei's cave dwelling was naturally the finest among them.
A tier-four spiritual vein ran through the earth beneath, its misty spiritual aperture located right within his abode.
As a visiting guest offering assistance, Luo Chen received preferential treatment and was arranged into the finest chamber that very day.
In the dead of night, Luo Chen gradually withdrew from his meditative state.
His brow furrowed slightly, wearing a deep look of bewilderment.
"Strange!"
"While this cave dwelling does possess a tier-four spiritual vein, it cannot be considered superior by any measure—merely the most ordinary of tier-four veins."
"Moreover, due to the chaotic earth qi in Wind-Thunder Gorge, the spiritual energy drawn into the abode is rather impure. Refining it during cultivation demands constant, unwavering focus."
"A spiritual vein of this caliber might be the dream of Core Formation cultivators seeking to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, but to those of us who have already attained the Dao, it falls far short of exceptional."
"Feng Buyan is a veteran Nascent Soul cultivator; why would he set his sights on a place like this?"
After experiencing it firsthand, Luo Chen found it quite puzzling.
Based on what Cheng Bai and Cave Master Minglei had described, the Feng clan to which Feng Buyan belonged was the paramount faction within a ten-thousand-li radius.
In terms of heritage, their lineage dated back over a millennium!
Such a faction was bound to possess deeply rooted, superior spiritual veins. Why would they covet a place like this?
After pondering it for a while, Luo Chen still found no answer.
He did not dwell on the matter. This place was merely his initial springboard into the Southern Border. By obtaining introductions from local powerhouses, he could gradually integrate into the Southern Border cultivation world's higher circles.
When the time came, inquiring about the whereabouts of the Demonic Heart Gu Emperor would become far easier.
With a flick of his hand, a jade box appeared before him.
Opening it revealed a sleeping little insect.
"Strength Gu!"
In ancient times, body cultivators had flourished across the Mountain and Sea Realm.
In the Southern Border, there had likewise been a unique path of body cultivation.
By harnessing specialized gu insects, they augmented a cultivator's purest physical strength.
This tier-one Strength Gu was the most common and representative of them.
Once refined by a cultivator, it slightly boosted their strength, lending greater potency to their strikes.
After inspecting it thoroughly and confirming that Cave Master Minglei had not tampered with it, Luo Chen enveloped it in source power and slowly swallowed it into his stomach.
Channeling his cultivation technique, he refined it in an instant!
Luo Chen clenched his fist. No noticeable difference!
Yet he could indeed sense a minuscule improvement.
"It is likely because my body cultivation realm is too high, rendering low-tier gu insects of little use to me."
Reflecting on the process of refining the Strength Gu, he deduced the principle behind how it boosted strength.
Qi cultivation followed two paths: one was breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to absorb it from without, and the other was refining essence into qi, as Wang Yuan had done in his early days, extracting spiritual energy and magic power from his own potent vital essence.
And this Strength Gu was clearly an insect packed with dense spiritual energy.
Upon refining it, a cultivator did not convert it directly into spiritual or magic power; rather, relying on a body cultivation art, they refined qi into essence.
Refining essence into qi was qi cultivation, while refining qi into essence was body cultivation.
It was reversed!
"A pity it is useless to me!"
Though Luo Chen called it a pity, an expression of anticipation clearly lingered on his face.
Since someone could produce such gu insects and they still circulated in the world today, it proved that the path of body cultivation in the Southern Border had not been completely severed as it had in the Eastern Desolation.
A cultivation system that remained intact was the finest objective he could hope for!
If a tier-one Strength Gu was ineffective, what about higher tiers?
"And then there is that secret art Cave Master Minglei mentioned!"
Luo Chen recalled a piece of information Cave Master Minglei had shared during their candid conversation earlier that day.
After attaining the Nascent Soul realm, Cave Master Minglei was naturally unwilling to cultivate behind closed doors in ignorance.
Hence, he frequently traveled abroad, seeking to befriend other Nascent Soul True Persons in the Southern Border to exchange cultivation insights.
It was during this process that he drew the attention of the nearby Feng clan Supreme Elder.
Setting aside the grievances between the two, a Nascent Soul gathering Cave Master Minglei had attended previously held great significance.
At that gathering, as a rogue cultivator suffering from a lack of Nascent Soul cultivation methods, Cave Master Minglei had paid a steep price to purchase several arts and secret techniques useful to him.
The *Flashing Thunder Art* was one of the fruits of that endeavor.
According to him, someone at the gathering had offered a high-tier body cultivation art, but because the cultivation requirements were extraordinarily harsh and perilous, no one ultimately claimed it.
If Luo Chen wished to advance further along this path, Cave Master Minglei believed that body cultivation manual might be of use to him.
At the very least, it could provide valuable reference.
So long as Luo Chen helped him resolve this crisis, he promised to introduce Luo Chen into that circle and aid him in obtaining the high-tier body cultivation art.
"I will enter that circle. And I will obtain that high-tier body cultivation art as well!"
Luo Chen pressed his lips together, slowly closing his eyes to resume cultivation.
Even if the spiritual energy density here was mediocre and refining it proved cumbersome, cultivation was a matter of steady, cumulative effort over time, not something to be neglected for a moment.
...
In another chamber not far away, Cave Master Minglei gently set down the box in his hands.
Cheng Bai, who had been full of anticipation, felt his heart sink at the sight.
"Cave Master, will this Formless Gu not do?"
Cave Master Minglei sighed. "It is not that it will not do. If stimulated with a secret method, it could indeed aid me in cultivating the *Flashing Thunder Art*. But in terms of time, there simply is not enough."
Cheng Bai started, then quickly recalled the deadline agreed upon between the Feng clan and Cave Master Minglei.
It was indeed drawing near!
When the time arrived, if Cave Master Minglei did not willingly surrender Wind-Thunder Gorge, the other party would resort to force.
In such a brief window, relying on a Formless Gu forced by secret arts would make it hard enough to achieve initial mastery of the *Flashing Thunder Art*, let alone great accomplishment.
Cheng Bai asked cautiously, "With the assistance of Senior Qitian whom I introduced, we should be able to weather this tribulation, right?"
"I fear it will be difficult!" Cave Master Minglei held little optimism for the impending clash.
If he could find reinforcements, how could Feng Buyan, a veteran Nascent Soul cultivator, lack connections?
Had Qitian not exaggerated so wildly and boasted that he could handle anyone short of Soul Formation, Minglei might have harbored some confidence.
Yet with such boastful claims, his impression of the man suffered greatly.
In combat between cultivators, cultivation realm was one aspect, magic treasures and secret techniques another, and combat experience could not be overlooked either.
Qitian was a body cultivator, a lineage that had long since declined.
His magic treasures were bound to be deficient as well.
Moreover, with such an arrogant temperament, he would easily fall into an opponent's traps during battle.
*I must reach out to the fellows I met at the last gathering and see if they can spare the time to lend a hand!*
With this thought, Cave Master Minglei caught sight of Cheng Bai's eager, anxious expression from the corner of his eye.
He offered a faint smile. "You began following me before I formed my Nascent Soul. Thinking back, it has been a hundred years now, has it not?"
Cheng Bai nodded vigorously.
A century was long, yet short as well.
In the blink of an eye, it felt just like yesterday.
Cave Master Minglei chuckled. "Over this past century, you have contributed much for me. And now, you have found the Formless Gu and introduced a helper; you have truly been devoted."
Cheng Bai said earnestly, "This is only what this lowly one ought to do. Were it not for the Cave Master, I never could have broken through to Foundation Establishment."
Cave Master Minglei accepted this gratitude as his due, but then turned the conversation.
"If Wind-Thunder Gorge cannot be held, what will your choice be when the time comes? Will you join the Feng clan, or flee into exile with me?"
Without hesitation, Cheng Bai declared, "Naturally, I shall follow you, Cave Master!"
"You must think it over carefully. Currently, winds and clouds surge across the Southern Border. The Life and Death Gate has sealed its mountain gates and pays no heed to worldly affairs. Within, the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance stirs trouble, and without, the Tianyuan Dao Sect is poised to make a move. I am a solitary man drifting through the world; following me will be fraught with peril!"
Cheng Bai's gaze flickered, wavering slightly.
Cave Master Minglei waved his hand. "Enough. Go back and think on it more! I must employ a few more methods as well. Wind-Thunder Gorge is, after all, where I attained the Dao. How could I bear to hand it over lightly?"
After dismissing Cheng Bai, Cave Master Minglei took out several message gu insects. Yet after dispatching them, they were like stones sinking into the sea, met with absolute silence.
In the end, he was merely a rogue cultivator without deep backing. Who would be willing to help him?
His wandering, blank gaze fell upon the solitary jade box resting on the table.
Inside, the larval Formless Gu lay quietly prone.
In a flash, a streak of ruthlessness flashed through Cave Master Minglei's eyes.
"Cheng Bai, come back here!"
Chapter 936