Chapter 1010

Crisp footsteps echoed in the underground palace; Master Youquan frowned and hurried to the center of the teleportation array.

"The Mount Cangwu Mountain array has always been secret; why would it suddenly activate today?"

"Who is the blind fool?"

After stepping down the final stair, the scene of the spacious underground palace instantly came into view.

However, as far as the eye could see, it was empty, with no one in sight.

Master Youquan was stunned, almost thinking she had sensed it wrong.

But after seeing the gradually dissipating light on the teleportation array, she reacted instantly.

"Someone did indeed teleport over, from the branch array in the North Sea, but where are they?"

She looked around, appearing slightly bewildered.

At the same time, in another void space.

Luo Chen, having just arrived at Mount Cangwu Mountain, had been shifted over; even though he deliberately offered no resistance, this ability to shift others out of thin air was definitely not something achievable by ordinary means.

Luo Chen's expression was complex as he looked at the woman standing quietly in the void.

Her figure was still as tall as ever, her long legs firm and powerful, and her originally cold temperament was now even more ethereal.

She stood there quietly, her face as beautiful as a banished immortal; clearly present in this realm, yet appearing as if she might ride the wind and return at any moment.

"You really have reached Soul Transformation!"

Qing Shuang looked at Luo Chen calmly. "You have said this sentence twice."

Luo Chen gave a bitter smile; he had indeed said it twice.

The first time was a question of shock, the second was the helplessness after confirming it face-to-face; the emotions contained within might only be known to himself.

He once treated Qing Shuang as a hypothetical enemy, a benchmark to chase!

When experimenting with certain ideas or creating new killing moves, he would always subconsciously think: how would this move fare against Qing Shuang?

This was because Luo Chen had previously been defeated by Qing Shuang without any power to fight back; even those Nascent Soul True Persons and famous Great Cultivators he once looked up to were no match for her.

He kept working hard to improve himself, eventually catching up to Qing Shuang step by step.

From exhausting all his strength to injure her, to the mutual compromise during life-and-death struggles—especially after the battle in the Western Desert Buddha Land, where the world ranked the demoness Qing Shuang alongside the Formless Demon Luo—this once made him feel proud.

Over these years, Luo Chen's strength had improved tremendously again.

Whether it was his cultivation base stepping into the ninth level of Nascent Soul, the Million Evil Soul Banner, the Blood Jade Three-Flame Fan, or even the Great Perfection of the "Thousand Sky Myriad Transformation Sword Scripture," he had mastered many great methods capable of threatening Soul Transformation cultivators, which made him feel he had completely surpassed Qing Shuang.

Until this moment.

Qing Shuang had reached Soul Transformation, walking ahead of him once again.

Luo Chen sighed, maintaining his composure, and bowed in salute: "Congratulations!"

Unexpectedly, Qing Shuang looked at him indifferently:

"You need not belittle yourself; when you first entered Core Formation, I was already at the late Nascent Soul stage."

Luo Chen was startled; his inner thoughts had been perceived by her.

Is it because of the Life-and-Death Gu?

"I have only taken a step ahead; you will catch up sooner or later. After all, you have also condensed a Primordial Spirit and are only one step away from Soul Transformation, are you not?"

Luo Chen was speechless, laughing at himself: "It is I who was obsessed."

"Did you return from the North Sea?"

"Yes, I went there to handle some matters and used the Mount Cangwu Mountain teleportation array to save time."

"You still have time to go to the North Sea; do you not intend to retrieve your Life Soul?" Qing Shuang's willow brows furrowed slightly, as if she did not understand how Luo Chen could still have such leisure to go to the North Sea.

Regarding Luo Chen's incomplete Life Soul, Qing Shuang knew the inside story.

And having experienced the breakthrough to Soul Transformation, she was even more aware of how important the completeness of the soul was for taking that step.

Especially for Luo Chen, whose foundation was unprecedented in history; as long as his Life Soul was complete, taking that final step would be a natural and inevitable matter.

Luo Chen exhaled a turbid breath. "I have already made arrangements for this matter, and the day of reckoning is not far off."

Saying this, he looked at Qing Shuang with a half-smile.

"Caring so much for me, could it be that you want to help me? It just so happens that your cultivation base has greatly increased, and you possess the incredibly powerful Laws of Space; surely you have the strength to fight against the older generation of Soul Transformation powerhouses!"

Qing Shuang ignored Luo Chen's teasing and said indifferently: "We have never fought, but I imagine it would not be bad."

"Then come help me!" Luo Chen's spirit lifted, and he spoke eloquently: "The Heavenly Origin Dao Sect is, after all, the holy land with the deepest foundation in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Do not look at the fact that only the ancestor Xiao Liancheng remains as a Soul Transformation powerhouse on the surface; I fear they might still be able to erupt with some Soul Transformation combat power. I have contacted a Soul Transformation powerhouse in the North Sea; if I have your help as well, then this matter will be certain."

Qing Shuang glanced at him coldly. "On what grounds?"

On what grounds should Qing Shuang help him?

Regarding this question, Luo Chen was full of confidence.

That would naturally be on the grounds of the life-and-death connection between the two of them!

However, when this answer reached his lips, seeing Qing Shuang's cold gaze, Luo Chen could not say it.

If he used this as a threat, not only would he reveal himself as a petty person, but he would also needlessly provoke her dislike.

Especially since the Life-and-Death Gu Luo Chen planted was only fourth-tier; for the ancient demon Qing Luan, who had already reached Soul Transformation, it was hard to say how much binding power this fourth-tier Gu worm still had.

Luo Chen put away his smile and pondered for a moment.

After a long while, he said solemnly: "Helping me is not just helping me; it is also helping yourselves!"

Qing Shuang had a cold nature and focused on cultivation, but that did not mean she was stupid.

"Your words are half true and half false."

Luo Chen did not deny it; the false part was his selfishness, while the true part was indeed for the sake of Mount Cangwu Mountain.

He said slowly: "A hundred years ago, the Sovereign Qixia Xixia Yuanjun aggressively attacked the Central Plains, causing the land to sink, the Dao Sect to collapse, and millions to fall; the two sides have since forged an indelible blood feud!"

"Over these years, the Dao Sect powerhouses have not dared to step into the Eastern Wasteland out of fear of the Xixia Yuanjun's might. But the Xixia Yuanjun did not attack the Central Plains again to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, likely because she was severely injured and unable to fight again."

"If it were just this, it would be fine. As time passes, the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect recovers its vitality, and the Sovereign Qixia Xixia Yuanjun recovers from her injuries; at worst, they would just fight another battle."

"But as far as I know, the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect is currently setting up arrays across several continents, intending to gather the Central Plains and recreate the Heavenly Peak. Once they complete this step, they can establish contact with the Upper Realm, and perhaps even recreate the scene where many great powerhouses descended upon the Central Plains."

"Given the blood feud between the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect and your sister, the Sovereign Qixia Xixia Yuanjun, there will inevitably be countless powerhouses crossing the sea to forcibly ascend Mount Cangwu Mountain."

"Qing Shuang, do you want to see that scene?"

Qing Shuang's expression flickered, and her slightly curved willow brows furrowed gently.

She had never revealed her sister's situation to outsiders, but Luo Chen's guess was actually not far off.

Since the great battle with the Heaven-Refining Demon Lord a thousand years ago, after drifting to this realm, the Sovereign Qixia Xixia Yuanjun was severely injured and had no choice but to use the Nirvana method.

After a thousand years, she had cultivated back to the Void Refinement realm.

However, because her sister was not a native creature of this realm, the Void Refinement realm was strictly suppressed by the laws of heaven and earth, unable to fully display her power, and she could only use Soul Transformation means.

Although she later achieved many proud records, such as destroying the Yuan Demon Sect, burying the Mingyuan Sect, and severely damaging the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect, she had ultimately accumulated immense injuries.

Especially the final strike from the Mingyuan Sect's Ancestor Tianyuan powerhouse, which attracted the attention of the heavenly tribulation, and the Heavenly Origin Five Elders activating the Great Desolate Hanging Soul Array at Broken Soul Cliff, which brought unimaginable trauma to her sister.

What Luo Chen said about "the Sovereign Qixia Xixia Yuanjun being unable to fight again" was a fact!

This was also the reason why Qing Shuang had not stepped out of the mountain gate for a hundred years after returning to Mount Cangwu Mountain, forcibly stepping into the Soul Transformation realm.

She wanted to protect her sister during her most vulnerable stage!

As long as her sister recovered from her injuries, then even though the Mountain and Sea Realm was vast, no one would be her match!

However, the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect was now taking a shortcut, recreating the Heavenly Peak, and summoning the incarnations of Upper Realm powerhouses to descend.

"Can the Heavenly Peak do that without the Star Gate?" Qing Shuang muttered to herself.

Luo Chen caught that word. "Star Gate?"

Qing Shuang nodded, a bit more confidence on her face. "Yes, the Dao Sect's Star Gate was snatched away by my sister. Without this

space spirit treasure that crosses the void and traverses the universe, given the distance between the Mountain and Sea Realm and the Profound Realm, ordinary powerhouses cannot descend."

The woman's hand flickered, and an ancient, simple gate shimmering with starlight appeared in her hand.

By the time Luo Chen wanted to look closely, the gate vanished from Qing Shuang's hand in an instant.

So, the Sovereign Qixia Xixia Yuanjun attacked the Central Plains back then for this spirit treasure?

As Luo Chen realized this, he couldn't help but feel bitter inside.

If the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect, having lost the Star Gate, could not summon Upper Realm powerhouses, then Mount Cangwu Mountain was actually in no danger, and Qing Shuang had no reason to help Luo Chen.

Luo Chen was still unwilling to give up and mentioned a term Li Li Canghai had once brought up.

"The North Sea array powerhouse Li Li Canghai mentioned that the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect set up an array called the God-Descending Array on Heavenly Island; I wonder if this array can summon across realms?"

"God-Descending Array?" Qing Shuang appeared slightly bewildered.

It seems she didn't know about this array either!

Luo Chen sighed, realizing it was difficult to persuade her.

Forget it!

Ultimately, he still had to rely on himself!

Luo Chen's heart stirred, and with one step, his entire person left that void.

Looking around, he was in the Day-Sky Hall, with Qing Shuang standing in front, appearing to be in deep thought.

Luo Chen walked toward the outside of the hall; as they brushed past each other, he feigned ease and said: "If I can successfully retrieve my Life Soul and step into the Soul Transformation realm, I will take the initiative to dissolve the Life-and-Death Gu contract. If I fail, with your current realm, you should be able to withstand the backlash of the contract. Thinking about it this way, your successful Soul Transformation is a good thing."

After speaking, he stepped out of the Day-Sky Hall with heavy footsteps.

Sometimes, seeing hope and then losing it is far more painful than having nothing at all.

However, after exiting the Day-Sky Hall, Luo Chen's mindset had already adjusted; after all, from the very beginning, he had not factored Qing Shuang's combat power into his plans.

"Sister Qing Shuang, someone seemed to have teleported just now... Huh, Luo Chen?"

Master Youquan, who had hurried to the Day-Sky Hall wanting to ask Qing Shuang to investigate the anomaly in the teleportation array, stopped at the hall entrance.

Master Youquan looked enlightened. "Luo Chen, so it was you who came over by teleportation array earlier!"

Luo Chen looked over calmly. "Deputy Hall Master Master Youquan, shouldn't you address me as Hall Master of True Crossing, or Lord Luo Chen?"

Master Youquan was stunned, then curled her lips.

She didn't call him that, but she didn't deny it either.

Luo Chen didn't care about forcing her to correct the address; it was just a simple reminder.

But when he mentioned the identity of "Hall Master of True Crossing," Luo Chen's footsteps stopped at the gate of the Day-Sky Hall.

"Why are you still hanging around here?" Master Youquan said from the side, her voice chattering and not very pleasant to the ear—not surprising,

as her true form was a crow.

Luo Chen ignored her words, his gaze looking down at Mount Cangwu Mountain from afar.

Especially the hall on the other mountain peak opposite the Day-Sky Hall—the True Crossing Hall!

"Master Youquan, you say that since I am the Hall Master of True Crossing, it shouldn't just be a simple title, right!"

Master Youquan stared at him vigilantly. "What do you want to do?"

Luo Chen's mouth curled slightly, and he took out a large seal and a white jade bamboo slip that looked like bamboo but wasn't, and like jade but wasn't, from his storage ring.

The seal was the True Crossing Seal, the symbol of governing the True Crossing Hall, and with this seal, one could enter the only fifth-tier cave dwelling inside the True Crossing Hall.

The bamboo slip was the Demon Cultivator Register, which recorded all the powerful demon cultivators attached to Mount Cangwu Mountain!

Those who could be called "demon cultivators" were definitely not low-tier demon beasts; even third-tier Demon Kings didn't have this qualification.

Only fourth-tier Demon Emperors could be called Nascent Soul demon cultivators.

Because the Demon Emperors who had transformed also walked the same path of transformation and Core Formation as human cultivators, they were called Nascent Soul demon cultivators, which was the Nascent Soul stage.

Luo Chen held the seal in one hand and the register in the other, saying with a hint of cruelty: "In the name of the Hall Master of True Crossing, I should be able to command all the demon cultivators on the register, right, Deputy Hall Master!"

Master Youquan frowned. "Indeed you can; this white jade bamboo slip was made by the Xixia Yuanjun herself, and all demon cultivators on the register must obey the orders of the Hall Master of True Crossing."

Having said this, she seemed to have thought of something and quickly added:

"Except for me!"

Luo Chen glanced at her, a look of realization appearing on his face.

"Enough, that's enough!"

Muttering this word, Luo Chen left the Day-Sky Hall without looking back.

Three days later.

Mount Cangwu Mountain, the holy land of the Feather Clan.

Luo Chen stood at the entrance of the True Crossing Hall, watching birds spread their wings and soar, flying out from Mount Cangwu Mountain toward the depths of the Million Great Mountains.

They were in small groups of three or five, each team carrying tasks issued by the Hall Master of True Crossing, heading out to invite the Nascent Soul demon cultivators who had pledged allegiance to Mount Cangwu Mountain.

Nominally, it was to pay respects to the new Hall Master of True Crossing, but Luo Chen's intention was definitely not just that.

If he wanted to deal with the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect, relying solely on his own connections and the Nascent Soul powerhouses of the Eastern Wasteland would still be slightly insufficient.

If he added the crowd of Demon Emperors from the Eastern Wasteland, it should be enough.

It could be considered gathering the strength of all the powerhouses of one continent!

Luo Chen flicked his hand, and Hei Wang landed on the ground.

Xiao Bai also stood respectfully to the side.

"You go too!"

"Deliver my invitations to the major sects of the Eastern Wasteland, including the Elder Dongyang Sect."

"Seven years from now, at Mount Shouyang Mountain in Ye Lingtian Pass, Luo Chen of the Dan Sect will restart the Dao Discussion Assembly!"

Hei Wang respectfully accepted the order; he had done many such errands for Luo Chen.

Xiao Bai hesitated and asked, "What about the Luo Tian Sect?"

Luo Chen thought for a moment, waved his hand, and said: "No need to involve them; this battle is too dangerous. I don't want them to participate; just let them continue living well in the Dan Saint Blessed Land!"

Xiao Bai nodded and stepped onto Hei Wang's head.

"Master, we will definitely complete the mission perfectly!"

Hei Wang seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Xiao Bai's rude behavior, but in front of Luo Chen, he dared not act out, and after saying "Me too" to Luo Chen, he carried Xiao Bai down Mount Cangwu Mountain toward the thirty-six domains of the Eastern Wasteland.

Watching the birds fly away and the Black Dragon burrow into the ground, Luo Chen exhaled a turbid breath.

He turned and entered the True Crossing Hall, holding the True Crossing Seal, and headed toward the fifth-tier cave dwelling he had never set foot in before.

Although he hadn't reached Soul Transformation yet, and wasn't preparing to break through to Soul Transformation now, he wanted to see what the fifth-tier spirit vein that everyone dreamed of actually looked like.

When the array slowly opened before the spiritual light emitted by the True Crossing Seal, and when the vast, sea-like spiritual energy rushed toward his face, Luo Chen, whose eyes were flashing with brilliant golden light, finally understood why everyone who broke through to Soul Transformation craved a fifth-tier spirit vein.

"So that's how it is!"