Chapter 527

On Sea-Gazing Cliff.

The night was heavy, and the sea breeze was gentle.

Amidst the waves, there was a different sense of silence.

Luo Chen flipped his wrist, and the black long banner was inserted in the center of the cave dwelling.

Probing with his spiritual sense, the slaughter was still continuing.

Over a hundred powerful resentful souls were circling Yan Nantian's remnant soul, constantly pulling and gnawing.

Especially that ghost king remnant soul at the Core Formation stage, which swallowed in large gulps, and the originally dim spirit light began to recover again.

Apart from this, there was nothing else.

Watching this scene, Luo Chen revealed a thoughtful look.

"Although cultivators borrow external resources to speed up their cultivation, in essence, they are still the same as the ancient Qi Refiners, walking the path of refining essence into Qi and refining Qi into spirit."

"Foundation Establishment spiritual sense is released, and Core Formation is formed from spirit into god, but calculating it, the essence of the primordial spirit still has no qualitative change."

"Without the physical body as a raft to cross the world, the Core Formation cultivator's primordial spirit is like a child without clothes; wind, frost, rain, and snow can all destroy it, let alone the attacks of resentful souls and fierce ghosts that have fallen into the ghost path."

"This situation might have a slight improvement when reaching the Nascent Soul stage; the primordial spirit can control the Nascent Soul, forming a second raft. But even so, it cannot be counted as a qualitative change; the true qualitative change should be the Soul Transformation realm, where the Nascent Soul and primordial spirit are integrated into one, forming a primordial spirit."

Luo Chen did not know if his guess was right.

But based on past records, exchanges with fellow daoists, and the situation where Yan Nantian's remnant soul had no power to resist at this moment, he reached this guess.

His thoughts scattered, and he thought about how he would maximize the preservation of his own remnant soul if he fell into such a situation.

The answer was none.

Or rather, there was one and only one, which was to continue strengthening the foundation of the primordial spirit.

"It's a pity that the Tongyou Pill no longer has any effect on me. The soul-refining effect of the 'Micro-Dust Origin Art' is also negligible."

Luo Chen had judged it himself; after reaching the third level of Core Formation, his current primordial spirit strength still did not exceed the level of an ordinary late Core Formation cultivator.

It was roughly equivalent to a cultivator at the fifth level of Core Formation, or even slightly weaker at the sixth level.

He remembered the "Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Sutra," a top-tier fire-attribute cultivation technique.

There was no record of any soul-refining method on it.

But he felt that this divine skill, which was rumored to be able to reach the Mahayana stage, should not have defects in this regard.

"So, if there really is such a secret method, it should be in the Nascent Soul chapter, or even the Soul Transformation chapter."

Pursing his lips, Luo Chen dismissed those delusions.

He did not intend to return to Mount Cangwu, so he naturally had no chance to obtain higher-level subsequent cultivation techniques.

Thinking for a while, Luo Chen squeezed out a drop of essence blood and dropped it onto the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Magic power surged, and spiritual sense circled.

Luo Chen sat cross-legged and performed the refining.

This was a very good magic treasure, especially since it was a soul-path magic treasure not within the Five Elements system, which he could use without any obstruction.

Especially, its foundation was still very good!

Even if the ten thousand low-grade souls inside were all consumed in that battle before, the core hundred resentful souls, eight great split souls, and Core Formation main soul were still preserved.

As long as he spent some effort later to fill in the low-grade souls, this treasure would still not lose its power.

It even possessed very good growth potential!

What was above the Ten Thousand Souls Banner?

Ten Thousand Fierce Souls Banner, right!

Time passed bit by bit...

By dawn, Luo Chen stopped his movements with a somewhat tired expression.

Reaching out, the black long banner inserted on the ground fell into his hand.

A faint connection reached the depths of his primordial spirit from the long banner.

"Although it cannot be used directly yet, as long as I refine it persistently, it won't take a few months for this treasure to be usable by me. By then, Yan Nantian's soul inside will also be divided and devoured."

Luo Chen smiled with satisfaction and put the Soul Refining Banner into his storage ring.

Following that, another object appeared in his hand.

It was two weapons that looked like short halberds but were longer, with sharp tips and a blue light flowing over the whole body.

Water-Splitting Spike!

Low-grade magic treasure!

Contains the killing move of splitting water and transforming into a dragon.

This was also one of the few spoils of war left to Luo Chen by Yan Nantian in that great battle before.

The power of fire-attribute spells was too violent.

Under extreme confrontation, even Yan Nantian's physical body could not be preserved, let alone his storage bag.

The Soul Refining Banner and Water-Splitting Spike were all there was.

"The quality is quite good, almost equivalent to the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel I used before."

"It's a pity I can't use it."

Shaking his head in regret, Luo Chen put away the Water-Splitting Spike.

After he mainly cultivated the fire attribute, his magic power was indeed more pure and domineering, but the shortcomings were also very obvious.

He could not flexibly use high-quality magic treasures of the other four attributes.

Even if he forcibly refined and drove them, the power exerted during combat was only five or six out of ten of the original, and it caused great damage to the treasure itself.

There is gain, there is loss.

Luo Chen had long been mentally prepared; after all, he had even given up the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel that he had spent great effort on, let alone the Water-Splitting Spike that had just arrived in his hands.

Then, Luo Chen pushed out with his hand, and a round, gray small cauldron flew out from his palm, turning from small to large, and landed in front of Luo Chen.

Looking at this small cauldron, Luo Chen fell into a difficult silence.

This was his life-bound magic treasure that he had been searching for, spending countless energy, and finally managed to build.

But now, among all his treasures, the Chaos Cauldron was in the most awkward situation!

He was not a master refiner and did not know whether the methods left by Tian Yezi were still there.

Because of this reason, after leaving Mount Cangwu, he had delayed swallowing this treasure into his Qi Sea to nurture and refine it day and night, and could only put it in his storage ring.

It was also because of this that the quenching process of this thing had been stuck there.

Not only was the appearance ugly, but the terrifying impurities contained within could not be refined, hindering the promotion of this treasure's grade.

But even so, the power of the Chaos Cauldron still made Luo Chen sigh in admiration.

Whether it was imprisoning Han Zhan's soul, binding and capturing the Blue-Ringed Giant-Tooth Sea Snake, or nurturing the Fierce Fire Miasma, all reflected the power of this "masterpiece" of Tian Yezi.

One could imagine that if the impurities were really completely removed, how great its potential would be!

Even, after that, continuing to integrate Millennium Lei Ying, as well as various mineral materials, what level would its grade grow to!

High-grade magic treasure?

No, this was far from the end of the Chaos Cauldron.

True Treasure... Spirit Treasure...

After a long silence, Luo Chen clenched his fists tightly.

"Whatever, Tian Yezi is dead; even if he left a backup, no one else can drive this treasure."

"Being so hesitant, is that my, Luo Chen's, character?"

With a thought, Luo Chen sucked with his mouth.

Immediately, the round small cauldron flew rapidly, finally turning into a stream of light and flying into Luo Chen's mouth, finally stopping in his Qi Sea.

The pure magic power lingering on all sides surged up, and the source true fire burned, quenching the impurities.

In the end, Luo Chen still could not bear to part with his life-bound magic treasure.

Not to mention how much energy he had spent for this treasure.

Just for the alchemy undertaking that was about to begin, he had to master this treasure.

That True Flame Pill was not the incomplete Minister Cauldron, which could support long-term, high-frequency refining.

After checking the spoils of war.

Luo Chen left the cave dwelling and strolled on Sea-Gazing Cliff.

Looking at the boundless sea and that slowly rising scorching sun, his tired mind seemed to be relieved.

Yan Nantian was dead.

After the cultivators of the Du Du Feiyan Archipelago saw him show off his fierce prestige in person, there should be no strange thoughts in the short term, and they could be used by him.

In this way, he, Luo Chen, finally had a temporary place to live, where he could continue to cultivate.

What to do later was simple.

Nothing more than organizing manpower, collecting resources, refining elixirs, and closing the door to cultivate diligently.

Looking at the sea swallows circling on the sea, Luo Chen was in a good mood.

"Calculating carefully, Yan Nantian was the first enemy I fought to the death with after Core Formation."

"He wasn't weak, having reached the fourth level of Core Formation."

"It's just a pity that just after breaking through, he received a Qingyang Great Handprint from me, and the subsequent battle situation was entirely under my control."

"I guess he also felt very wronged; he had no hatred or resentment with me, just because I took a fancy to his spirit land, he suffered this unprovoked disaster."

"Calculating carefully, his methods were still very good and extremely comprehensive, and he could even drive two magic treasures with full strength at the same time. His biggest mistake was that he shouldn't have forcibly broken through his cultivation realm..."

On the mountain cliff, the young man paced in small steps, summarizing the gains and losses of that battle before.

The salty sea breeze slapped him, and when it rolled up his black hair, it seemed to roll away the impetuous aura on his body.

One month later!

In the center of the thirty-some islands.

The ten-mile flat lake showed waves again, and Invitation Moon Island floated up from the bottom of the lake, and the rich heaven and earth spiritual energy began to spray again.

Figures walked between them, preparing for today's grand ceremony.

There was not a single mortal present; the lowest was a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

From time to time, people cast their gazes toward the small island in the center of the lake, revealing fear on their faces.

The name of Demon Lord Qingyang had already spread among the hundreds of thousands of mortals and cultivators on the thirty-six islands in this short month.

Everyone knew that the Du Du Feiyan Archipelago had changed its sky!

It was no longer "Nantian," but "Qingtian."

What kind of weather it would be in the future, no one knew.

But right now, the clues were already visible.

Just gathering spirit and solidifying meridians, and rebuilding the third-rank spirit land, had consumed a lot of financial resources from dozens of families on the thirty-six islands.

A while ago, forty-nine Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, under the leadership of the three great formation masters of Du Du Feiyan, hard-pressed to pull Invitation Moon Island out from the depths of the ground; that movement was completely not inferior to the movement when Luo Chen knocked Invitation Moon Island down.

One could imagine what else Demon Lord Qingyang might let the Du Du Feiyan cultivators do in the future.

The buzzing discussion sounded constantly as the crowd moved.

But as it reached noon, the discussion gradually dissipated, and the cultivators below Foundation Establishment all retreated.

Suddenly!

A red cloud came from afar and stayed above Invitation Moon Island.

On the red cloud, a tall man was dressed in a black Daoist robe, and the black hair on his head was neatly tied with a jade hairpin. Although his face was young, a pair of spirit eyes were like cold pools and deep abysses, deep and bottomless.

Seeing the arrival, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators by the lake bowed in unison.

"Pay respects to Demon Lord Qingyang!"

Although it was the sound of a hundred people, converging together, it also had the momentum of a mountain collapse and a sea roar.

Luo Chen looked down at the cultivators by the lake with a pair of spirit eyes and swept across them slowly.

Finally, he stopped at Invitation Moon Island.

On his face, he revealed a satisfied smile.

"Not bad, I am very satisfied."

"And that not a single one of you is missing, and even a few more have come, I am even more satisfied."

Hearing these words, everyone felt a little relieved in their hearts.

Luo Chen waved his sleeves and said loudly: "I won't say much else; what kind of style this seat, Qingyang, has, you will naturally understand in the future."

"Today, I only say three things."

"First, the Cheng family of Black Swan Island is from now on my agent on the Du Du Feiyan Archipelago; all secular affairs will be handled by them."

Hearing these words, the cultivators could not help but feel a faint sense of loss in their hearts, even though they had psychological preparations long ago.

That Cheng family had truly ascended to the sky in one step, clinging to a thick thigh, and from now on, they were above one person and below ten thousand!

The seven Cheng family Foundation Establishment cultivators in the front row of the crowd all revealed self-satisfied expressions at this moment.

Suddenly, a spirit light flew out from Luo Chen's sleeve and floated in front of the seven Cheng family cultivators.

Magic treasure!

Unlike the flooding of low-grade magic treasures in the Yuding Domain, magic treasures were still very rare in the cultivation world.

Except for big sects and old cultivation families, ordinary small influences basically had no powerful magic treasures to show.

Just from Luo Chen's previous observation, the Foundation Establishment cultivators here mostly used high-grade magic tools and top-grade magic tools.

The Cheng family, which was a bit more powerful, only had a soul banner with growth attributes.

Seeing the magic treasure spirit light.

Cheng Dou's heart moved, wanting to step forward to take the spirit light, but unexpectedly, the spirit light automatically fell into the hands of the woman beside him.

"This is my token; it is held by Cheng Haixin. Seeing her is like seeing me."

Cheng Haixin looked at the pair of Water-Splitting Spikes in her hand, her expression dazed.

Especially when she saw the fleeting gloomy expression on her eldest brother's face, her heart trembled even more.

"Demon Lord, I..."

The words behind stopped abruptly; under Luo Chen's deep gaze, she swallowed the words of refusal.

In front of the True Person, there is no refusal.

"Second thing!"

Luo Chen looked at the crowd coldly, his tone slightly cold.

"This seat needs to refine a third-rank elixir next; the medicinal herbs required for this elixir will be searched for by you. From now on, you don't need to offer tribute to me; you only need to collect medicinal herbs for me."

"I have already handed the medicinal herb list to the Cheng family; they will assign tasks, and you just need to collect them."

Everyone's expression moved slightly.

Not having to offer tribute to Yan Nantian every year like before, just collecting medicinal herbs?

In this way, it seemed even better.

A Core Formation cultivator's cultivation for a year, the elixir resources used, would not be too many; their thirty-six islands working together, the cost should not be large.

Cheng Dou sneered at this scene; if they knew the quantity of medicinal herbs on the list, they probably wouldn't be so optimistic.

The quantity of medicinal herbs needed by Demon Lord Qingyang, if converted into spirit stones, was even higher than the annual filial piety demanded by Yan Nantian before!

I don't know if, after he sends out the tasks, these people find out the gains and losses, will they cause any trouble.

Demon Lord Qingyang, how will he appease the dissatisfaction in their hearts?

The next moment!

Luo Chen's words sounded again.

And this time, fanatical expressions appeared on everyone's faces.

Luo Chen flipped his wrist, and a stone tablet floated beside him.

On the stone tablet, the handwriting was like a dragon flying and a phoenix dancing, as if a divine skill had been engraved, but it was obscured by spirit light, and everyone could not see its true face.

Only four words were reflected in everyone's heart.

"Qingyang Elixir Canon"

"Before, this seat learned about the history of the Du Du Feiyan Archipelago; in a hundred years, not a single Core Formation cultivator has been produced. Even in the past eight hundred years, only two Core Formation cultivators have walked out."

"Such a ridiculous Core Formation success rate, could it be that your aptitude is not good? Or is your temperament too poor?"

"This seat does not think so."

"You have worked hard to gather spirit veins for me before, and will run around for me in the future; you can be called meritorious."

"Therefore, this seat passes down this medium-grade Core Formation secret technique. Each family can exchange for it based on their contribution and merit to me. And this is the third thing."

Luo Chen smiled slightly, and spirit light bloomed on his hand.

Layers upon layers of restrictions were hit on the stone tablet, and the hazy spirit light on it rushed straight into the sky, finally disappearing into nothingness.

The handwriting on it also disappeared completely.

But everyone knew that the handwriting had not disappeared, but was temporarily hidden under the great methods of Demon Lord Qingyang, a Core Formation cultivator.

If you want to exchange for it in the future, you must produce enough contribution and merit.

And how to get that merit?

Without accident, it depends on how many precious medicinal herbs each family can collect for Demon Lord Qingyang.

Luo Chen clapped his hand, and the stone tablet fell, inserting itself into Invitation Moon Island.

After doing all this, Luo Chen smiled slightly.

"Everyone, the Great Dao is difficult; let us encourage each other!"

As the words fell, his figure gradually dissipated.

And on Invitation Moon Island, layers of white clouds suddenly appeared, completely obscuring it.

By the lake, the hundred Foundation Establishment True Cultivators looked at each other, their eyes full of fanaticism and obsession.

"Qingyang Elixir Canon"—medium-grade Core Formation secret technique.

From now on, the Du Du Feiyan cultivators have hope for the Core Formation Great Dao!

(End of chapter)