With the withdrawal of the Tianyuan Dao Sect and the conclusion of the Human-Demon War, the Eastern Desolation—engulfed in turmoil for two centuries—finally welcomed a rare tranquility.
Though none knew when the demon race within the Million Mountains might strike back, cultivators across the Eastern Desolation seized every moment to recuperate and rebuild.
The Nine Spirits Sect was no exception.
Ever since establishing roots in the Hehuan Domain, they had cultivated ceaselessly, enhancing their own strength while doing everything possible to restore their sect's vitality.
Rebuilding the mountain gate, dredging spiritual veins, clearing spiritual fields, excavating mineral deposits...
Under the direction of discerning leaders within the sect, everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
Compared to other Nascent Soul upper sects, the Nine Spirits Sect's recovery progressed at a far swifter pace.
There were many reasons for this, but the entire sect shared a consensus on the most crucial one:
They had an ancestor of vast and wondrous supernatural powers—Jiuling Yuanjun!
In his youth, Ancestor Jiuling had possessed little renown. He had taken over sect authority smoothly and steadily, only revealing his true prowess during the first Human-Demon War.
At the mid Nascent Soul stage, his vast dharmic power had rivaled that of ordinary Great Cultivators.
Across multiple grand battles, his capabilities had shone brightly.
And when the second Human-Demon War arrived, the overall strength of high-tier cultivators across the Eastern Desolation declined by an entire tier; Ancestor Jiuling, conversely, rose abruptly to prominence, becoming a pillar of the Eastern Desolation.
Above all else!
Certain high-ranking figures within the sect had caught wind of a particular piece of news.
"Ancestor Jiuling has smoothly entered the late Nascent Soul stage!"
This news acted like a calming draught, a stabilizing pillar that settled all their hearts.
In the present age, ordinary Nascent Soul True Persons struggled even to protect themselves, let alone shelter a sect.
Only a Great Cultivator possessed the surplus strength to shield an entire sect through prosperity and decline.
Just look at the Divine Talisman Sect: once their ancestor passed away, the wind and rain battered them until the entire sect collapsed into absolute ruin.
Yet their own Ancestor Jiuling had now become one of the Eastern Desolation's Three Great Cultivators!
Even if the demon race made a resurgence, as long as no Soul Formation ancient demon intervened, Ancestor Jiuling alone possessed enough power to decide the outcome of the war.
It was precisely because of this that the Nine Spirits Sect threw off all restraint, ramping up production to the fullest to restore their vitality.
One day.
Low-tier cultivators tilling the spiritual fields at the foot of Jiuyuan Peak suddenly felt the earth shudder and the mountain tremble, rendering them unable to keep their footing.
They looked upward in astonishment.
The perennial cloud and mist encircling Jiuyuan Peak seemed to be swept aside by an invisible, colossal hand, rolling outward from within.
The enigmatic Jiuyuan Peak unveiled its true face.
"The Ancestor is in battle?"
"There's an enemy!"
"An enemy invasion!"
Instantly, cries erupted from the disciples.
Elsewhere within the sect grounds, high-tier cultivators also noticed the upheaval.
One after another, Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators took up their magic treasures and rushed toward Jiuyuan Peak.
A newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator, abruptly jolted awake from her secluded cultivation to stabilize her realm, surged toward Jiuyuan Peak without hesitation.
The Ancestor was the sect's linchpin; the rise and fall of the Nine Spirits Sect rested entirely upon his shoulders, and nothing could be allowed to happen to him!
Whoever had the audacity to infiltrate the depths of the sect to assassinate the Ancestor could not be allowed to succeed!
For a time, thousands of escaping lights surged forth amidst rising fury.
Yet when they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw only their Ancestor standing atop the peak, robes fluttering in the wind. He wore an air of leisurely ease, showing not the slightest sign of having engaged in intense battle.
"Senior Brother!"
"Ancestor!"
"Master, are you all right?"
"Where is the enemy?"
Amidst the clamor of voices, Jiuling Yuanjun waved his hand.
"All of you, stand down!"
"Changxi, you stay!"
Though baffled, the disciples obeyed the Ancestor's command and dispersed slowly.
Only the newly ascended female Nascent Soul cultivator of the Nine Spirits Sect remained behind obediently.
Hesitantly, she released her divine sense to probe the surroundings.
Yet after a preliminary scan, astonishment surfaced on her face.
A lingering trace of another formidable, domineering dharmic power remained on Jiuyuan Peak—one that was not the least bit inferior to Senior Brother Jiuling!
Unable to hold back, she asked, "Senior Brother, who was that just now?"
Jiuling Yuanjun offered a faint smile. "Just an old friend. There is no need for alarm."
Changxi murmured the words "old friend," suspicion flickering across her features.
In all of the Eastern Desolation today, what cultivator could possess such strength?
Her senior brother was now one of the only three surviving Great Cultivators in the Eastern Desolation; the only ones who could stand as his equals were the Dongyang Sect's Grand Elder and the Tiandu Sect's Tianduzi.
She racked her brains, yet could find no one whose cultivation matched such a display.
In fact, in her view, even if someone shared an equal cultivation realm with her senior brother, few could clash head-on with the sheer dominance of his Great Nine Firmaments dharmic power in terms of elemental nature.
Domineering?
With that thought, a name sprang into Changxi's mind.
That person was also renowned throughout the world for his domineering dharmic power!
Seeing her apparent realization, Jiuling Yuanjun chuckled.
"It seems you have guessed."
Changxi breathed in a low voice, "That one... has returned?"
"Yes."
Jiuling Yuanjun nodded, but said nothing more.
With a flick of his wrist, a thin booklet materialized before him.
"Take it. That old friend came in a hurry and was somewhat short on belongings. To congratulate you on reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he could only offer this volume of cultivation insights. You are currently in the stage of consolidating your realm; with this book's aid, you may save yourself several years of bitter cultivation."
Changxi's eyes lit up as she accepted the untitled book.
Suppressing the excitement in her heart, she asked in passing, "Senior Brother, what is his strength like now? Rumors say he vanquished three Grand Demon Sovereigns, slew Shenyuan of the Five Elements, and even fought evenly with the foremost under Soul Formation. Yet he is clearly not even a Great Cultivator. Could the rumors be mistaken?"
"The rumors mistaken?"
Jiuling Yuanjun smiled, a touch of admiration coloring his expression.
He had always prided himself on possessing peerless dharmic power among peers of the same realm, daring to clash head-on with Grand Demon Sovereigns at the mid Nascent Soul stage based solely on the profound depth of his magic power.
Yet only today did he understand the extent of his past conceit.
"That man... is likely already the foremost in the Eastern Desolation!"
Changxi's bright eyes went wide.
***
High above, a flying boat drifted at an unhurried pace.
It was not a formidable magic treasure, much less a True Artifact skilled in flight like the Frost Eagle Shuttle; reaching its current speed was solely due to the profound dharmic power of the one piloting it.
Even so, Luo Chen was in no rush.
Since he had already returned to the Eastern Desolation, returning to the Luotian Sect sooner or later was merely a matter of time.
At this moment, he sat quietly at the prow, carefully perusing a scroll of alchemy scriptures.
Behind him came two gazes filled with ever-deepening reverence.
Sensing their hesitation, Luo Chen lowered the scripture and spoke without looking back: "Is there something you wish to ask?"
One of them, seasoned and prudent, hesitated in contemplation.
The other could not restrain herself and blurted out, "Hall Master Luo, what realm are you truly at now?"
The question was far too direct. The elderly man beside her tugged at the petite woman. "Fellow Daoist Yu, you overstep."
Yet the feathered-robed cultivator ahead merely chuckled softly.
"Mid Nascent Soul, just a single threshold away from the late stage."
"Only that?" The petite woman clearly did not believe him. Having become a Nascent Soul cultivator herself, she knew full well how vast the chasm between each stage was.
Earlier, Luo Chen had suppressed Jiuling Yuanjun and briefly forced aside the sect-protecting grand array, revealing awe-inspiring capability.
With such methods, he was still merely at the mid Nascent Soul stage?
Luo Chen did not explain. His life's experiences could never be summarized in a few words.
Furthermore, between two people of the same cultivation realm, the disparity in strength could sometimes be greater than that between a man and a dog.
The Qingshuang of the past had been capable of instantly defeating early and mid Nascent Soul cultivators, and he could now accomplish the exact same feat.
In fact, relying on his vast divine soul foundation to execute illusions, even late Nascent Soul cultivators might not withstand a single exchange.
His spar with Jiuling Yuanjun just now had been merely a collision of raw dharmic power.
Yet even then, he had suppressed Jiuling Yuanjun, who had always prided himself on the sheer volume of his magic power. From this alone, the boundless, ocean-like depth of Luo Chen's strength was evident.
In good spirits, Luo Chen spoke again: "Haoranzi, do you have anything you wish to ask?"
Evidently, in his current lighthearted mood, he was willing to answer any question put to him.
Yet the white-haired elder pondered for a moment before ultimately shaking his head and letting out a long sigh.
"Trapped on Mount Cangwu for two hundred years, the outside world has long turned upside down. With so much confusion, how could one or two questions ever cover it all? I can only say that the greatest fortune of this old man's life was making your acquaintance, Hall Master Luo!"
Hearing this, Luo Chen could not help but smile faintly.
Back then, Haoranzi had been one of the few Golden Core seniors who treated him kindly.
Though he had not offered much direct patronage, their resource trades and ordinary interactions had always been conducted fairly, and he had accorded Luo Chen ample respect.
With such origins between them, Luo Chen naturally could not bear to watch him remain imprisoned forever.
Indeed, the two seated upon Luo Chen's flying boat were none other than the survivors of the battle at the Great Snow Mountain—Haoranzi and Yu Jiaolong.
One was an experienced Golden Core cultivator; the other was a cultivator blessed with extraordinary innate talent and a Heavenly Water Spiritual Root.
Though they had fortunately survived on Mount Cangwu, they had endured two centuries of total darkness.
Even after being assisted by the Mount Cangwu demon cultivators to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage, their fate had only grown grimmer: they were treated day after day as medicine pawns.
Their Nascent Soul blood essence was drawn repeatedly to decoct Shape Transformation Pills.
Had Luo Chen not exercised his authority as Master of Duzhen Hall before departing to draw them out from the dungeon, they likely would have grown old and died within Mount Cangwu.
At this moment, having just broken free from the cage and regained their freedom, their overwhelming excitement was matched only by their profound gratitude toward Luo Chen.
Addressing him respectfully as "Hall Master Luo" with every breath fully reflected their reverence.
"Though you were cultivators under Duzhen Hall, now that you have left Mount Cangwu, you cannot walk the cultivation world under that identity."
"How have you considered my previous proposal?"
The elder and the young woman exchanged a glance, then answered in unison without hesitation, "I am willing to join the Luotian Sect!"
"Good!"
Luo Chen struck the side of the boat in approval.
"In that case, do not call me Hall Master from now on. Simply address me as Senior Brother."
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother!"
The two voices rang out in succession. Accompanied by a few light chuckles from Luo Chen, the flying boat gradually fell quiet.
All that remained was the sparse rustle of turning pages as he reopened the alchemy scripture.
***
The flying boat headed westward, traversing thousands of mountains and waters, crossing ten thousand li of layered clouds.
Luo Chen sat cross-legged at the prow, eyes fixed on the alchemy scripture in his hands, though his divine sense swept downward from time to time.
The Divine Talisman Sect, just as Old Fu had anticipated back then, had ultimately fallen from the ranks of the upper sects following his passing. Furthermore, due to the second Human-Demon War, it had suffered near-total devastation.
At their mountain gate, no trace of glory remained.
Perhaps a handful of disciples still huddled together for warmth, but they could no longer amount to anything of note.
Luo Chen did not descend; reviving a Nascent Soul upper sect required the emergence of another Nascent Soul True Person—it was as simple as that.
As for the Five Elements Domain where the Five Elements Divine Sect had once resided, Luo Chen's divine sense detected no formidable cultivators either.
Instead, numerous cultivators were entrenched across the various mountain peaks.
In this once-renowned major domain, after the battle between himself and True Person Shenyuan, the primary fourth-tier spiritual vein had been shattered, fracturing into countless large and small spiritual veins of the second and third tiers. Now, it had degenerated into a sanctuary for rogue cultivators.
Situations like this were far from rare in today's Eastern Desolation.
Much like the Piaomiao Domain, the Yanhua Ancient Domain, and even the Luotian Domain once occupied by the Luotian Sect that they subsequently flew past, none showed signs of top-tier powerhouses.
Faced with this, Luo Chen could only lament that the two Human-Demon Wars had dealt a truly devastating blow to the Eastern Desolation's cultivation world.
Even with victory attained, it was merely a pyrrhic one.
Of course, for small sects, modest clans, and the surviving rogue cultivators, this presented a colossal opportunity instead.
As long as they seized the chance over the coming centuries, they might very well make names for themselves and establish sects as founding patriarchs.
Only when some fell could others rise!
Such musings paused temporarily when they crossed the Pingshan Sea and arrived at the former Bikong Region.
Aboard the flying boat, Haoranzi and Yu Jiaolong stood behind Luo Chen, looking downward with palpable dread.
A world shrouded in countless sharp gusts of golden astral wind!
They felt that even with their esteemed Nascent Soul status, setting foot inside would inevitably result in their total annihilation.
"In the very heartland of humanity, how could such a perilous, desolate realm exist?"
"Was this wrought by man, or formed by nature?"
Luo Chen did not answer their queries, merely opening his Red Eyes and Golden Pupils to stare fixedly at the Bikong Region.
From bottom to top, penetrating thousands of li, his gaze seemed to pierce into the depths of Bikong.
"That fellow is still slumbering inside, and his aura has grown even stronger—he has already reached the Grand Demon Sovereign realm!"
If outsiders learned that a Grand Demon Sovereign remained within this Bikong Region, a place where all living things were thought extinct, it would cause utter shock.
Yet Luo Chen found it entirely unsurprising.
As early as his first return years ago, he had sensed that after the Ancient Demon Di Tian fell, he had employed a secret method to preserve his bloodline descendant, Di Tu.
In fact, Di Tu was still slumbering, continuously drawing upon the residual metal origin power left behind by his father.
If he truly absorbed it in its entirety, even if he failed to attain the Ancient Demon realm, he would at least become a peak Grand Demon Sovereign!
*Should I take advantage of the fact that Di Tu hasn't awakened to enslave him once more?*
Luo Chen felt a flicker of interest.
In the past, he had not cared much for Di Tu; though possessing a high cultivation realm, the beast had lacked matching combat power.
Yet a peak Grand Demon Sovereign, or even a future ancient demon, would prove to be a formidable asset.
In the future, when he sought to reclaim his primary soul, clashing with the Tianyuan Dao Sect would be unavoidable; such assistance had to be kept firmly in hand.
With that thought, Luo Chen vaulted off the flying boat.
"Wait for me here. I shall return shortly."
Before Haoranzi and Yu Jiaolong could even react, they watched in astonishment as Luo Chen's figure vanished into the endless golden astral wind.
The two exchanged glances, their awe toward Luo Chen's unfathomable strength deepening all the more.
***
Deep within the Bikong Region.
A solitary figure strode forward alone.
Back then, he had only been able to penetrate a hundred li, yet now he had long crossed thousands of li.
All around, the golden wind blew fierce and biting, its astral chill scraping against the bone.
Yet once Luo Chen unfurled his dharmic power imbued with the fire origin, it could no longer impede his path.
Even when occasional gusts of golden wind breached his dharmic power and struck him, his formidable physical body suffered only negligible scratches.
Tracing the faint scrape on his cheek, Luo Chen let out a soft sigh.
"Even in death, a tiger's prestige endures! One can well imagine the sheer indignation the Ancient Demon Di Tian felt when falling under the siege of the Minyuan Sect's three ancestors."
Shaking his head, Luo Chen took a step forward, finally arriving before the golden tiger that lay prone like a mountain.
Sure enough!
It was precisely Luo Chen's former spirit pet—Di Tu!
He had to seize the moment before the beast woke to brand it with a slave seal once more.
Luo Chen pursed his lips and formed the Spirit Subjugation Seal with absolute familiarity.
A crimson beam carrying Luo Chen's blood essence descended slowly toward Di Tu's head.
Yet just as it was about to sink in, a vibrant green light brimming with vigorous vitality suddenly flared, shattering Luo Chen's Spirit Subjugation Seal to pieces.
Seeing this, Luo Chen was struck with both fury and alarm.
"Who got ahead of me and placed a slave seal on Di Tu?"
Chapter 996