Throughout his journey, Luo Chen had forged countless enmities.
Yet as his strength grew, most of those foes had perished by his own blade. The few who still lived had simply never crossed his path again.
Among them were the two Grand Demon Sovereigns, Niugui and Bi Zheng!
Back then, they had joined forces with Huang Man against Luo Chen, pushing him into dire straits at one point. He had even been escorted back to Mount Cangwu by Qingshuang, compelled to hand over the pill formula for the Hedao Pill.
Luo Chen had never forgotten that grudge.
Who could have imagined the twists of fate—now they fell under his direct command?
"I wonder what their faces would look like if they learned this news?"
Luo Chen let out a soft laugh, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.
Yet a moment later, a hint of doubt surfaced in his mind.
Juan Kuang and Niugui were understandable enough. Both had previously served under the Ancient Demon Di Tian; with Di Tian's fall, it was hardly surprising that they had submitted to Mount Cangwu.
But Bi Zheng?
"If I remember correctly, wasn't he close to Ao Kuang, the common sovereign of the wolf tribes? Why would he join Mount Cangwu? Just because his true form carries a trace of bloodline from the ancient ferocious bird, the Bifang, so he submitted to the sacred ground of the avian tribes?"
Luo Chen shook his head, too disinclined to ponder the shifting dynamics within the demon race's factions.
His gaze swept swiftly across the light screen, committing to memory the names of Nascent Soul demon cultivators—some familiar, some entirely new.
Thunder Prison Divine Peng, Heqingzi, Egret King, Daoist Blood Vulture... Ye Xingtong, Hanshanque, White-Browed Immortal Ape.
All told, there were twenty-five Nascent Soul demon cultivators!
Several of the familiar names were permanent residents of Mount Cangwu. The rest were figures Luo Chen had heard of, to varying degrees, during the two-century-long war between humans and demons in the Eastern Desolation.
They had originally reigned over their own domains as territorial overlords.
In truth, they had once been subordinate to the Ancient Demon Di Tian, but following Di Tian's demise, they had all sought refuge with the sacred ground of Mount Cangwu, just like Grand Demon Sovereigns Niugui and Juan Kuang.
Monarch Qixia, however, likely held these vassals in low regard. That much was evident from the fact that she had marched against two sacred grounds entirely on her own.
And now, these Nascent Soul demon cultivators who had once bayed for blood were placed under Luo Chen's command!
For a moment, an uncanny sense of absurdity washed over him.
"If even I find it absurd, there's no telling what an uproar would break out if they found out."
Luo Chen suppressed the urge to summon these demon cultivators and proclaim his presence, tucking the Demon Cultivator Registry deep into his storage ring.
Monarch Qixia had bestowed the position of Master of Duzhen Hall upon him, and he could not refuse it.
Yet the authority of Duzhen Hall's master was something Luo Chen dared not flaunt before others unless absolutely necessary.
Whether toward the demon race or the humans of the Eastern Desolation, his standing in that position was simply too awkward.
By the same token, the Armistice Treaty was not something he possessed the prestige to sign on behalf of the Eastern Desolation's human race at his current level.
"I'll keep them as bargaining chips for a rainy day!"
Luo Chen sighed softly and carefully put the scroll away as well.
Finally, his attention settled upon the glazed fire fan Monarch Qixia had bestowed upon him.
"The Blood Jade Three Flames Fan, a pseudo-spirit treasure."
Murmuring the name, he stroked the warm glazed hilt and cautiously channeled his dharmic power into it.
The instant the two met, a fleeting resistance arose, but his dharmic power easily surged inside a moment later.
Youquan had not lied to him.
A trace of the Origin of Fire had indeed been infused during the fan's refinement.
Did it belong to Monarch Qixia?
Luo Chen stroked the fire fan, his eyelids drooping, lost in unknown thoughts.
...
A few days later.
Three figures emerged from Duzhen Hall and boarded an ordinary flying-boat magic treasure. After wheeling once in midair, it turned westward and vanished past the horizon in the blink of an eye.
On the mountain where Zhoukong Hall stood on Mount Cangwu.
Two gazes tracked the distant silhouette of the flying boat, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.
At last, Youquan could no longer hold back.
"Qingshuang, are we really just going to let him leave so easily?"
Qingshuang's expression remained aloof as she answered in a clear, crisp voice, "We cannot keep him."
Youquan frowned. "Yet your lives are bound together. Letting him roam out there—what if some misfortune befalls him? In my view, it would be far better to forcibly keep him on Mount Cangwu and help him break through to Soul Formation. Once he does, you can sever the Life-and-Death Gu. That way, all your worries would be put to rest."
Qingshuang shook her head without explaining the underlying reasons.
If Luo Chen remained on Mount Cangwu, it would be impossible for him to achieve Soul Formation.
"Hmph!"
Youquan snorted cold disdain, then turned her gaze toward the towering palace suspended high in the nine heavens above.
"How is Her Holiness's condition?"
A hint of genuine concern crept into her voice.
Qingshuang's expression dimmed, but she forced herself to rally. "There is no need to worry. With my sister's transcendent abilities, no one in the Mountain Sea Realm can threaten her."
Could truly no one threaten Monarch Qixia?
Be it the Soul-Sealing Grand Formation left behind by Soul Refining Patriarch of the Northern Sea's Yuan Demon Sect, or the heavenly tribulation summoned when Ancestor Tianyuan of the Mingyuan Sect sacrificed everything in his final moments, both had brought immense trouble upon Monarch Qixia.
Above all, during the battle against the Tianyuan Dao Sect, upper-realm Soul Formation cultivators had descended like torrential rain, and the Five Elders of Tianyuan had even awakened an ancient desolate beast of the Void Refining stage, nearly entombing Monarch Qixia in the Yellow Springs Sea.
After such relentless, grueling combat, the Monarch's current condition was likely far from what outsiders imagined.
Youquan was filled with deep unease, an emotion she could barely conceal upon her face.
Qingshuang took a deep breath. "From here on, it all depends on me!"
Youquan paused, a faint realization dawning on her, though she still could not help asking:
"What do you plan to do?"
"This realm places too heavy a suppression on Sister. If she wishes to walk unimpeded, her only path is ascending to the upper realm. Yet she is not a native Soul Formation cultivator of this world and cannot draw upon its spiritual opportunities to ascend. Therefore... Soul Formation. I must achieve Soul Formation!"
"However, you have cultivated for far too short a time, and your mental state is not seasoned enough. How will you condense your nascent divinity?"
To this, Qingshuang merely pressed her lips together.
"It matters not. Once I refine the Accumulated Void Flower, everything will fall naturally into place."
Could that truly work?
Youquan remained half-convinced, half-doubtful.
Yet seeing the resolute determination on Qingshuang's face, she refrained from pressing further. Perhaps the Monarch had imparted some secret technique before entering seclusion.
She merely cast her gaze toward the distance once more.
For some inexplicable reason, compared to Qingshuang, she held higher hopes for Luo Chen.
That kid's cultivation speed was simply terrifying!
...
High above the clouds, a streak of flowing light flew unhurriedly from east to west.
A figure stood at the bow of the vessel, his sharp gaze sweeping across the landscape below, both familiar and strange.
Once upon a time, these lands had been familiar to Luo Chen.
Yet under the toll of successive great wars, rivers had altered their courses, mountains had collapsed and risen anew, and through the inexorable flow of time, the terrain had gradually grown alien.
Such was the true meaning of seas turning into mulberry fields.
Recalling the intelligence Youquan had delivered and the harrowing state of the Central Plains described therein, Luo Chen could not help but sigh with emotion.
The destructive power that high-tier cultivators wielded over this world was simply too immense!
The ruin of a city or a single territory was a commonplace tragedy.
When battles escalated to fever pitch, the shattering of entire grand domains was no surprise.
Above all, when Soul Formation grandmasters unleashed their might without the slightest restraint, plunging continents beneath the waves and ripping open the sky itself—that was the ultimate horror.
If wars of such scale occurred a few more times, then no matter how abundant this realm's spiritual opportunities or how dense its spiritual qi, it would not withstand such profligate devastation. Eventually, it would become unfit for cultivation altogether!
Of course, these musings were merely fleeting thoughts.
At least for now, none of it touched Luo Chen directly.
His eyes settled on a specific tract of land, and a thought crossed his mind.
"Wait for me a moment. I will head down to visit an old friend."
"As the Hall Master wishes!"
Two voices rang out from within the vessel, followed by the flying boat halting in midair. Two pairs of eyes, filled with complicated emotions, watched Luo Chen descend toward the earth.
...
The Hehuan Domain!
Once the home domain of the Hehuan Sect, one of the Six Sects of the Far East.
In earlier years, demon sovereigns had invaded, leaving the land ravaged and battered.
Yet two centuries had slipped by in the blink of an eye, and even the deepest wounds had gradually smoothed over.
In particular, following the arrival of the Nine Spirits Sect, a Nascent Soul upper sect, the domain had slowly begun to radiate vitality under the careful management and nurturing of their cultivators.
While it could not yet match the prosperity of the era when the Hehuan Sect was garrisoned here, it brimmed with the vigorous energy of post-war recovery.
The former main peak of the Hehuan Sect, which had once shattered, had been re-erected through the grand methods of Jiuling Yuanjun. By channeling earth veins and clearing the flow of spiritual qi, he had raised it back into the world, transforming it into one of the hallmark landmarks of today's Nine Spirits Sect under its new name: Jiuyuan Peak.
Jiuyuan Peak, perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds, seemed somewhat different today.
Amidst the churning vapor, a silhouette stepped slowly inside.
Halfway up the ascent, a low, muffled shout resonated from within the mountain.
"Who is it?"
Clad in a magnificent feathered robe, Luo Chen smiled faintly and allowed his aura to unfurl.
"Old friend, an old acquaintance returns. Do you not welcome me?"
Within an immortal's cave inside the peak, Jiuling Yuanjun abruptly snapped his eyes open, his face flashing with shock and uncertainty.
"Luo Chen?"
The corners of Luo Chen's lips curved upward. "None other than myself!"
The moment his words fell, the sea of clouds before him drifted aside smoothly, parting as if endowed with spirit to reveal a wide, open path.
Luo Chen advanced with easy grace. Before long, he spotted a figure standing against the wind atop the summit, gazing at him from afar.
It was none other than Jiuling Yuanjun, whom he had not seen in many years!
Stepping onto the mountain peak, Luo Chen cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Jiuling, it has been a long time."
A look of amazement filled Jiuling Yuanjun's eyes as he spoke slowly, "I thought you were dead."
Luo Chen laughed heartily. "How could I be so short-lived?"
Jiuling Yuanjun shook his head. "True enough. You survived the joint ambush of three Grand Demon Sovereigns back then. Those in this world capable of matching you are few and far between. It is just that I heard you engaged in a desperate life-and-death struggle against Demon Sovereign Qingshuang, and both of you vanished into the Yellow Springs Sea. I truly assumed your Dao had been extinguished."
At this point, Jiuling Yuanjun could not stop himself from looking Luo Chen up and down.
The three Grand Demon Sovereigns were formidable, but their hearts were not united, and he himself had been there to tie down Niugui, preventing them from bringing their full collective might against Luo Chen.
Yet Demon Sovereign Qingshuang was a genuine apex powerhouse of the Eastern Desolation, known as the foremost figure beneath Soul Formation.
To fight a desperate battle against such an opponent and still emerge alive...
Moreover...
Jiuling Yuanjun cast those thoughts aside. The person standing before him was, after all, the living, breathing Luo Chen.
He extended a welcoming hand. "Please, come inside!"
With a smile on his face, Luo Chen followed him into the immortal's cave. The sea of clouds behind them gradually closed shut; not a soul knew that Luo Chen had arrived at Jiuyuan Peak.
...
When old acquaintances met, reminiscing about the past was inevitable.
Recounting bygone years was one part of it; commenting on the present was another.
"After you destroyed the Five Elements Divine Sect and departed, the war between humans and demons erupted once more. Though compared to the previous clash, the scale of carnage was considerably lower."
"Lower though it was, our Eastern Desolation sects still suffered heavy losses. The Tianyuan Dao Sect treated us almost like cannon fodder to be driven forward, while the demon race possessed an expert of Qingshuang's caliber. Virtually no one could stand against her, forcing our lines into steady retreat."
"That lasted until news of the upheaval in the Central Plains arrived!"
"At the time, the mighty Chun Yuan, who was garrisoned in the Eastern Desolation, struck without hesitation. He captured Qingshuang alive and forced back the demon host."
"Only then was the war halted, granting us a breath of respite."
"Afterward, the Tianyuan Dao Sect cultivators stationed in the Eastern Desolation returned in full to the Central Plains, leaving behind only a handful of Nascent Soul True Persons. Using the Dongyang Sect as their lever, they controlled the Eastern Desolation from afar and demanded exorbitant tributes of resources from us every year."
Speaking of the losses during the human-demon war, Jiuling Yuanjun was filled with grief.
And when turning to the current tributes and offerings made to the Dao Sect, his tone carried an undercurrent of suppressed fury.
Luo Chen asked with curiosity, "Since their forces have departed, why do you still willingly pay tribute?"
Jiuling Yuanjun smiled bitterly. "Who would ever wish to? Everyone wants nothing more than to rest and recuperate, pouring every scrap of resources into rebuilding their sects' strength. But that is the Tianyuan Dao Sect!"
Luo Chen furrowed his brow. "Since you know of the upheaval in the Central Plains, do you not know that the Tianyuan Dao Sect has split into five—no, into four? Moreover, only a single Soul Formation grandmaster remains among them. They can barely fend for themselves; how could they have spare strength to oversee the Eastern Desolation?"
Hearing this intelligence out of nowhere, Jiuling Yuanjun froze in astonishment.
The Dao Sect that once weighed heavily over the entire Mountain Sea Realm had split into four?
Of the world-renowned Five Elders of Tianyuan, only one remained?
Seeing his reaction, Luo Chen understood that the cultivators of the Eastern Desolation did not possess detailed intelligence regarding the Central Plains.
It made sense. His own information came directly from the sacred ground of Mount Cangwu.
As enemies of the Tianyuan Dao Sect, no one understood the precise shifts in the Central Plains better than Mount Cangwu.
Meanwhile, left leaderless, how could the major powers of the Eastern Desolation cross the sea within a few short years to keep abreast of developments on the other side?
Luo Chen shook his head and sighed. "If the Tianyuan Dao Sect were still at its zenith, why would they need your voluntary tribute? They would have moved into the Eastern Desolation in force just as before, rather than ruling through their lackey, the Dongyang Sect."
Reflecting on the developments of recent years, Jiuling Yuanjun realized that this was indeed the truth.
The Dongyang Sect was merely borrowing the tiger's majesty to intimidate others.
And the few Dao Sect True Persons lingering in the Eastern Desolation carried a distinct air of bluster hiding their inward weakness.
For a time, Jiuling Yuanjun's expression shifted between shadow and light.
Luo Chen did not disturb his contemplation, quietly savoring the fine spiritual wine preserved by the Nine Spirits Sect.
It had been years since he had enjoyed such luxuries. His former stock of Dieyun Sect spiritual wine had been thoroughly depleted during his journey to the Southern Border and his cultivation on Broken Soul Cliff.
Sipping it now brought a profound sense of satisfaction.
After a long while, Jiuling Yuanjun finally collected himself.
"Thank you for sharing this news with me."
Luo Chen smiled. "What do you plan to do next?"
Jiuling Yuanjun's mouth twitched. "What I do matters little; what matters is how the other Daoists of the Eastern Desolation choose to act. After all, it is still the Tianyuan Dao Sect!"
Luo Chen shrugged, unconcerned. "Suit yourself, then! Aside from reminiscing, I have another favor to ask of you on this visit."
"Oh?" Jiuling Yuanjun was thoroughly surprised. "The grand Pill Master himself has a request to make of me?"
Luo Chen smiled wryly. He was not omnipotent; naturally, there were things he lacked.
Straightening his expression, Luo Chen voiced his request.
"I wish to borrow your sect's ancestral True Artifact for a time."
"The Nine Firmaments Urn?"
"Yes!"
"Take it!"
With a flick of Jiuling Yuanjun's wrist, a massive black urn materialized beside them, striking the ground with a resounding clang.
This very treasure was the powerful heirloom he had relied upon during his battle against Daoist Pengxiang of White Deer Grotto.
Luo Chen was slightly taken aback. The man was so straightforward, lending it without even asking what it would be used for?
After a moment's hesitation, he offered an explanation of his own accord. "I possess a technique that requires vast amounts of firmament qi, as you well know. But gathering firmament qi from the open market is far too slow. I heard that your sect's ancestral True Artifact excels above all else in gathering Nine Firmaments firmament qi, which is why I presumed to borrow it. This borrowing may last quite some time—not merely a year or two."
Jiuling Yuanjun laughed heartily. "Luo Chen, you are being far too polite. Merely for the debt of gratitude I owe you for rushing to the Medicine King Domain to save me back then—even falling into the encirclement of three Grand Demon Sovereigns for my sake—what harm is there in lending you an inanimate object!"
Luo Chen was rendered speechless, then smiled. "In that case, I will accept it."
Jiuling Yuanjun nodded, retrieving a jade slip and sinking his divine sense into it.
Even as he inscribed the jade slip, he said, "Operating this treasure requires a few specific knacks. To save you trouble, let me record a copy of the Treasure-Driving Incantation for you first!"
Luo Chen felt a surge of gratitude. "Then I must trouble you."
Jiuling Yuanjun paused suddenly.
"It is no trouble at all. However, I too have an audacious request of my own."
"Oh?" Luo Chen looked at him curiously.
In the next instant, he saw the dharmic power within Jiuling Yuanjun billow outward like rolling ocean waves, a vast and towering aura slowly bearing down upon the space.
Luo Chen narrowed his eyes. "We have not met for years, and your progress has reached such heights. Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on finally breaking through to the realm of a Great Cultivator!"
Jiuling Yuanjun's sleeves fluttered without any wind, a hint of eager anticipation showing on his face.
"Ever since achieving the realm of a Great Cultivator, I have not crossed hands with anyone. You were able to vie against Demon Sovereign Qingshuang, marking you as a pinnacle figure of this realm. I wonder... what is the gap between myself and you?"
Luo Chen smiled faintly and spread one hand open.
"Granted!"
Chapter 995