Aboard the flying vessel, inside a quiet room.
Luo Chen read a book while taking small sips of Five Temples Immortal Brew.
This was his method of suppressing the agony within his body.
Though to outward appearances he had broken through to late Desolate Ancient Tier 4 in just a short year at Mount Mijie, the Hundred Poisons Body Refinement Technique was in truth no shortcut. It was a slow, painstaking art that relied on gradual accumulation over time.
Through toxins released by the Hundred Poisons King Gu, it tempered his entire body bit by bit.
In a ceaseless cycle of destruction and reconstruction, it fortified the hidden recesses of his flesh that ordinary cultivation could never reach.
And this tempering went on every single moment without pause.
Thus, pain was his constant companion!
Why had Marquis Ziyi said this art was arduous to cultivate? Marquis Ziyi practiced body refinement as well, so why had he not taken it up?
The crux lay precisely here. Such suffering was far more than simple physical ache; it also interfered with the normal cultivation of Qi.
With four souls in one body, Luo Chen could easily screen it off to some degree when breathing and refining Qi.
In daily life, however, it remained unavoidable.
Fortunately, he still had a reserve of spiritual wine obtained from the Dieyun Sect. Taking occasional sips, the pleasant warmth of fine wine numbed much of the discomfort.
Moreover, Five Temples Immortal Brew possessed exceptional nourishing effects on the five viscera. Otherwise, he never would have withstood that terrifying shockwave when fighting hand-to-hand against Demon Emperor Qingshuang back then.
*Now that I've reached the late stage of body refinement, I wonder if I can match Qingshuang in a head-on clash?*
The thought flickered across his mind, and Luo Chen set down the book.
Right at that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
*Thud!*
Luo Chen lifted his eyelids. "Come in."
The door opened, and a rather short, heavily wrinkled old man walked inside.
The corners of Luo Chen's mouth twitched slightly. "Meng Shentong, what brings you to my quarters?"
Meng Shentong chuckled. "We'll arrive at the Golden Lion Empire shortly. I just dropped by to let you know."
"Just that?" Luo Chen didn't believe it. A mere voice transmission would have sufficed; why would a cult's Supreme Elder make a trip in person?
Meng Shentong's smile vanished, and he cupped his hands. "My test the other day was somewhat discourteous. I hope Fellow Daoist will not take it to heart."
Luo Chen picked up his wine cup and took a light sip. "Speak plainly."
The faint, alluring aroma of wine refreshed the spirit.
Meng Shentong glanced at the cup, his expression turning solemn.
"Bei Puti mentioned that you had met my Luo Cult's Right Emissary, Nan Yiqi?"
*As expected, it's about that!*
Luo Chen nodded calmly. "We crossed paths once, though at the time I didn't know his name was Nan Yiqi. Our peers in the Northern Sea called him Old Ghost Nanqi."
"Old Ghost Nanqi?" The corner of Meng Shentong's mouth twitched. Then he asked curiously, "Where is he now? Has he joined some major faction?"
"That I do not know. I only know that at the time, he was very close to Stream Lord Lietian of the Moluo Stream."
"Stream Lord Lietian..."
Meng Shentong muttered the name, his expression flickering between dark and light.
Having not set foot in the Northern Sea for ages, the name sounded unfamiliar.
Likely, he was a newly risen Nascent Soul expert of the past few centuries.
The name Moluo Stream, on the other hand, rang somewhat familiar. It was said to be a coalition similar to the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance, formed by remnants of the Demon Sect seeking to restore their former glory.
According to intelligence gathered in the Southern Border, quite a few masters of longstanding fame were gathered among their ranks.
A person came to his mind; perhaps he could inquire after Nan Yiqi's whereabouts from him.
"Fellow Daoist Qi, do you know of Old Monster Netherfire?"
Luo Chen's heart stirred. Of course he knew that man!
Not only did he know him, but the two had even transacted and cooperated once before.
He had not expected Meng Shentong to suddenly bring him up.
"You mean Stream Lord Netherfire?"
"You could call him that. In our earlier years, the old man and I were on fairly good terms. I wonder if he is still alive."
Luo Chen shook his head. "That, I cannot say. The turmoil in the Northern Sea is even worse than in the Southern Border. In such chaotic warfare, even Nascent Soul experts cannot guarantee their safety."
"Is that so?" Meng Shentong looked somewhat disheartened.
The Luo Cult had little influence in the Northern Sea, and his personal connections were limited to only a handful of individuals, most of whom had already passed away after exhausting their lifespans.
If Old Monster Netherfire was gone as well, tracking down Nan Yiqi's whereabouts would become all the more hopeless.
*Perhaps once this matter is settled, I should make a trip to the Northern Sea, capture that Stream Lord Lietian who is close to Nan Yiqi, and interrogate him?*
Watching the contemplative Meng Shentong, Luo Chen suddenly asked, "Old Ghost Nanqi is merely a traitor to your cult. Why are you so fixated on him?"
"Precisely because he is a traitor, he must be punished! Even if he flees to the ends of the earth, he must pay the price!" A flash of hostility crossed Meng Shentong's face, his tone resolute.
During the Luo Cult's internal turmoil in those years, the losses Old Ghost Nanqi inflicted upon them were beyond an outsider's imagination.
Meng Shentong's century-long seclusion had been partly due to the grave wounds he suffered in that very conflict.
Most importantly, Old Ghost Nanqi had also made off with the Luo Cult's most vital inheritance Gu worm!
Taking a deep breath, Meng Shentong regained his composure and looked at Luo Chen.
"If Fellow Daoist encounters him again in the future, please inform this old man. I will reward you handsomely!"
As he spoke, he produced a slumbering Message Gu.
Luo Chen looked at the Message Gu without reaching out to take it.
Meng Shentong's hand froze in midair.
He frowned, then suddenly shifted the topic.
"Why did Fellow Daoist agree to take part in this operation?"
"At Heavenly Master Li's invitation."
"Then you are the same as the rest of us—more or less indebted to him, or bound by a transaction. However!" Meng Shentong's tone shifted, sending a divine sense transmission: "Be careful of Heavenly Master Li. That man harbors treacherous schemes; beneath that kindly, benevolent visage lies nothing but calculation."
Luo Chen arched an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
Meng Shentong waved his hand and said earnestly, "The specifics are hard to say, but you can see a glimpse of it simply from how he has schemed for several centuries for a single matter."
Luo Chen blinked, thoughtful.
Was this why Meng Shentong had insisted on bringing Bai Xuanjun along, even at the expense of saving face with each other?
Bai Xuanjun of the White Bone Cult was no easy character!
Though only at the sixth layer of Nascent Soul, rumor had it his combat prowess was extraordinarily formidable, with an endless variety of attack methods.
Coupled with Meng Shentong's own might as a Great Cultivator, the two joining forces would be enough to handle virtually any situation.
Meng Shentong's deliberate warning just now was a gesture of goodwill.
After mulling it over, Luo Chen accepted the Message Gu and pushed a cup of wine across the table.
"Fellow Daoist, please."
Meng Shentong was taken aback, then grinned and drained the cup in one gulp.
Upon drinking it, his face flushed crimson before the flush receded, leaving only an exclamation that burst from his mouth.
"Fine wine!"
How could a Dieyun vintage specifically requisitioned as tribute by the Mingyuan Sacred Land be anything less than exquisite?
Exchanging a smile, the two stepped out of the room and came onto the deck.
The others were already assembled and waiting. Heavenly Master Li stood at the prow, his beard and hair fluttering in the wind as he gazed at the golden nation in the distance.
"The Golden Lion Empire—we have arrived!"
***
The Golden Lion Empire was the most peculiar faction in the Southern Border.
As is well known, the vast majority of factions in the cultivation world were clans, sects, religious cults, or gangs.
Even where secular states and dynasties existed, they were mostly mortal organizations used to scout out spiritual roots, usually serving as vassals beneath large sects.
Yet the strength of the Golden Lion Empire vastly exceeded the world's imagination.
At its zenith, it had once boasted nine Nascent Soul True Persons guarding it!
Even now, five Nascent Souls coexisted within its borders.
For it to stand out so egregiously while the Southern Border's sacred land, the Gate of Life and Death, turned a blind eye had long aroused widespread suspicion.
What people did not know, however, was that the Golden Lion Empire itself was merely a branch of the Gate of Life and Death.
Just as ordinary Golden Core factions would prop up several mortal kingdoms, the Gate of Life and Death had simply operated on a grander scale.
Inside a magnificent, towering imperial palace hall, Luo Chen and the others were chatting and laughing with a man clad in imperial robes.
"Imperial Preceptor, you and your companions have traveled from afar and must be fatigued. Why not take some rest? We shall arrange a welcoming banquet at once; tonight, none of us shall leave until thoroughly drunk."
Heavenly Master Li smiled. "Your Majesty is too kind."
The Emperor of the Golden Lion Empire replied respectfully, "It is not kindness. All of you are seniors, and this is only right and proper. Please wait a short while."
With that, he took his leave.
Once he departed, Meng Shentong frowned and asked, "Entering the imperial palace with such fanfare—are you not afraid of startling the snake in the grass?"
Heavenly Master Li smiled, exuding complete confidence. "Luring the snake out of its hole is precisely what we want!"
As he spoke, he nodded toward Granny Hongye.
The old crone wasted no words. She produced a formation plate, her divine sense trailing after the Emperor of the Golden Lion Empire.
***
After leaving the main hall, the Emperor hurried along.
Alone, he crossed through layers of palace courts and eventually arrived before a massive bronze gate.
Taking out a command medallion, he cast several incantation gestures.
The bronze gate slowly opened.
He paced inside.
A long while later, he arrived outside another great hall.
After a moment's hesitation, he activated a Message Gu toward a rather gloomy, ominous chamber.
Inside that gloomy chamber, an old man was attentively fiddling with a Gu jar. Inside, a tiny insect brandished pincers like sharp swords, crawling around with lively vigor.
Yet the old man appeared far from satisfied with its energetic display.
"This makes no sense!"
"A Bean Soldier Gu's magic power should be restrained; it ought to be sluggish. Why is it so active?"
"Could something have gone wrong in my refinement process?"
Just as he was fretting, a Message Gu suddenly stirred.
He waved a hand, and the heavy door to the Gu refinement chamber slowly slid open.
The Emperor entered and bowed respectfully to him.
"Grandson pays respects to Ancestor!"
The old man frowned. "What happened? Didn't I say not to disturb me while I'm refining Gu?"
The Emperor said with a solemn expression, "The Imperial Preceptor has returned!"
Delight surfaced on the old man's face. "Old Man Li is back? That's perfect. A snag occurred with my Gu refinement, and I was just looking to consult him."
Yet the Emperor's next words instantly changed his countenance.
"The Imperial Preceptor also brought back six Nascent Soul experts with him. Their cultivation is unfathomably profound; grandson secretly observed them with the Huangtian Treasure Mirror, yet could not discern their exact stages at all. Heavenly Master Li claims they were invited as guests, but from what grandson can tell, I fear they come with ill intent!"
"Even the Huangtian Treasure Mirror couldn't discern their exact stages?" The old man's face drained of color.
That treasure mirror was at the True Artifact rank.
Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators could not hide their cultivation under its scrutiny.
For the Huangtian Treasure Mirror to return empty-handed meant that either they possessed extraordinarily potent concealment arts, or their cultivation was in the mid or even late Nascent Soul stage!
Whichever it was, when multiplied across a full six people, it was terrifying enough.
"Just what does Heavenly Master Li intend to do?!"
The old man took a deep breath, his eyes falling upon the Gu jar. For the moment, he could not step away, but the situation outside could not be ignored either.
"Go summon the Fifth Ancestor and Third Ancestor. Have them stall and deal with them for now. I will join them shortly!"
The Emperor felt as though a great burden had been lifted.
As a mere Golden Core cultivator, facing seven Nascent Souls was indeed tremendous pressure.
If the Third Ancestor and Fifth Ancestor stepped forward, things would be much better.
Having received his orders, the Emperor respectfully withdrew. He then proceeded to two adjacent chambers and sent Message Gu in sequence.
Before long, two figures appeared one after another.
A man and a woman, an elder and a youth.
The elderly man was the Third Ancestor, while the young girl was the Fifth Ancestor.
The two exchanged glances and then led the Emperor out of this secret realm.
Once the bronze gate opened and shut again, the Fifth Ancestor asked in a sweet, chirpy voice, "Where are those people now?"
"The Hall of Cultivating the Heart!"
"Alright, let us head over there now!"
Without pausing, the three rushed straight toward the Hall of Cultivating the Heart.
Before long, the three arrived outside the hall.
Looking at the figures silhouetted inside, the Fifth Ancestor smiled slightly. Ever since the upheaval of heaven and earth in the Southern Border, the five of them had hidden away in the Yin-Yang Realm to cultivate in seclusion, and she had not seen an outsider in quite some time.
Now that seven fellow Daoists had arrived all at once, even if their motives were unknown, conversing with them would still be a pleasant diversion...
"Something is wrong!"
The Third Ancestor swept his divine sense across the room and instantly sensed an anomaly.
The Fifth Ancestor was puzzled, but once her divine sense washed over them, she understood as well.
Striking out with a palm, a wild tempest surged through the hall.
The seven silhouettes silently disintegrated into fine powder.
"It's Puppet Gu!"
At that very instant, a dull, rumbling roar echoed from deep underground in the distance.
It was as though a giant were tearing through earth and splitting stone!
"They are trying to enter the Yin-Yang Realm!" the Fifth Ancestor blurted out, her face flushed with fury.
The Third Ancestor had already moved, flying toward the entrance of the Yin-Yang Realm.
As he flew, he called out, "The Yin-Yang Realm is guarded by a replica Gate of Life and Death. Without a medallion, it is impossible to open! We still have time. Activate the imperial palace grand formation immediately; do not let them break in!"
Meanwhile.
The bronze gate that had just shut was now radiating rich spiritual light.
Granny Hongye held the formation plate and struck out series of incantations, the needle upon the plate spinning continuously.
Suddenly!
The needle stopped. Granny Hongye's gaze locked onto a certain spot.
"The weak point is right here! If everyone strikes together, we can shatter it."
Yet no sooner had the words left her mouth than Heavenly Master Li rejected the idea.
"Our goal is to enter, not to destroy the gate."
Granny Hongye frowned. "If we do not destroy the gate, how are we to enter? And time is of the essence. Once those two ancestors of the Golden Lion Empire activate the imperial palace grand formation to trap us, caught between enemies within and without, we will be like birds in a cage."
Heavenly Master Li smiled faintly, his eyes settling upon Luo Chen.
"If we don't destroy the gate, can't we simply open it?"
Amidst the silence, Luo Chen stepped forward.
Under the collective gaze of the others, he slowly extended a single palm, resting it squarely on the point Granny Hongye had indicated.
His black armor vibrated, and great sinews surged beneath his flesh like swimming dragons.
A boundless, colossal force erupted like a torrent.
"Open!"
With a low shout, Luo Chen gave a mighty shove.
Amidst everyone's shock, that bronze gate—which seemed capable of severing all things from the world—slowly parted, revealing a sliver of a gap.
Golden light flashed forth from the crevice.
At that exact moment, at the borders of the Golden Lion Empire, countless escaping lights swept in, blotting out the sky.
The Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance: their grand army pressed upon the borders!
Chapter 956