Chapter 696: Heaven Earth Peak opens, cultivators gather

Two rays of light, along the bank of the Passing River, slowly flew out of the Lanke Mountain Range.

Because the speed was not fast, they frequently encountered low-grade disciples of the Dao Sect along the way.

Seeing Fu Fu Qinglan, those disciples who recognized her often bowed and greeted her, and Fu Fu Qinglan responded with the same cold and arrogant manner she usually maintained.

But the flickering of her eyes exposed the surging emotions in her heart.

Finally, when they were about to reach Heaven Earth Peak, she couldn't help it anymore.

"Old Qi, lost to your hands in one encounter?"

"Mm."

With a casual "Mm," Luo Chen's expression was incomparably calm.

Facing this indifference, as if he had just crushed an ant, Fu Fu Qinglan's heart became even more agitated.

That was Qi Qi Xiongcheng!

A loyal servant carefully cultivated by the Time family of the great house!

Originally, he was cultivated as a protector force, so he practiced body-refining techniques since childhood.

Later, after reaching the third realm of body refining, the Furnace Realm, he was sent to the Western Desert, handling secular affairs for the Time family while learning the body-refining techniques of the Buddhist sect.

Yes, in the current Mountain Sea World, the path of body refining has long since declined, and only the Buddhist sect in the Western Desert still insists on this aspect of cultivation.

But no one expected that Qi Qi Xiongcheng, who went to the Western Desert for "advanced studies," would reveal a Nascent Soul cultivation base when he returned!

Dual cultivation of magic and body, this was a situation no one expected.

It was precisely because of this that Qi Qi Xiongcheng's reputation suddenly grew.

Many people thought he would rely on his Nascent Soul realm to leave the Time family and set up his own sect.

It can be said that Qi Qi Xiongcheng is very strong, and his body-refining attainments earned him the nickname "Old Ghost Qi" in the resource-poor Western Desert, and his dual cultivation of magic and body made him famous.

If you add the rich combat experience he gained along the way, his strength cannot be underestimated even by the Dao Sect geniuses who have not been tempered.

But such an existence actually didn't even last one move in Luo Chen's hands!

Fu Fu Qinglan saw it clearly just now; in the situation where Qi Qi Xiongcheng didn't succeed in one move, a large opening appeared, and if Luo Chen was willing, he could take his life in an instant.

At the very least, it would be a result of serious injury!

"Is this the reason why Grandfather has full confidence in him?"

Fu Fu Qinglan vaguely perceived that Luo Chen's means, which didn't carry a trace of fireworks, were biased towards soul illusion techniques, but being able to perform them so perfectly at the critical moment still made her incomparably shocked.

She even couldn't help but think, if she faced Luo Chen, what would the odds of winning be...

This fantasy didn't continue at all.

Because Luo Chen spoke.

"Next, I will stay at Heaven Earth Peak and not go out, just waiting for the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven to open. If there is no important matter, don't come to disturb me."

Fu Fu Qinglan hesitated, but seeing Luo Chen's firmness, she understood that the other party didn't like these lively scenes.

Loose cultivator background, that's how it is.

It's just a pity, she still wanted to introduce Luo Chen to her two friends.

But looking at Luo Chen's tall back as he left, her heart was full of a sense of security.

"He is so powerful, then in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven, do I have hope to gain more?"

When returning to Heaven Earth Peak, Luo Chen saw a ray of light flying out, swaying, heading towards the Lanke Mountain Range in the upper reaches of the Passing River.

"It's this point, and you're just going to the Peach Garden?"

Luo Chen muttered.

But when he was about to enter the mountain, he subconsciously looked back at that ray of light.

The face that was not covered within it had a sense of familiarity.

"Seems to be Lin Buban of the Lin family in the grand competition intelligence?"

He had some impression of this person, because Lin Buban was the "Little Little Linzi" in Fu Fu Qinglan's mouth, and also one of Fu Fu Qinglan's friends.

"How did he come out of Heaven Earth Peak? I remember his protector was his own servant."

In the great clans of the Heaven Origin, there are countless servants and followers.

Among these people, occasionally high-grade cultivators are born.

But most of them come from the twelve great houses.

Such as the thirty-six noble clans, being able to cultivate servants to the Core Formation stage is considered not bad, and the Nascent Soul realm is basically impossible.

After all, if they have those resources, it's better to pour them into their own disciples.

However, the Lin family is an exception; the head of the family took in a young child early on, named as a servant, but actually an adopted son.

Although he didn't have the qualification to join the Heaven Origin Dao Sect, he was cultivated with all his strength and cultivated to the early Nascent Soul realm.

Such a person, knowing the roots and the bottom, loyalty is even more unquestionable.

Therefore, that servant named Lin Jingtang was Lin Buban's protector.

Thoughts flowed through his mind, and Luo Chen floated up the mountain.

When passing by the huge square in front of the Star Gate, he saw True Person Seven Lamps.

Luo Chen stopped specifically to greet him, "Elder Seven Lamps!"

"So it's the Wild Scatterer Luo Chen, where have you been?" True Person Seven Lamps asked with a smile.

Luo Chen pointed in a direction, "Just came back from the Peach Garden."

True Person Seven Lamps realized, "Also, when I first came to the Central Plains, I was also quite interested in the so-called chess match of the cultivators of this state. But over time, I lost the heart to join in the fun."

True Person Seven Lamps, from the Western Desert.

His specific age is unknown, he has joined Heaven Earth Peak for three hundred years, and his current realm is the late Nascent Soul stage.

But these are not important; what is important is that he is one of the nineteen elders of Heaven Earth Peak.

At the same time, he is also the Nascent Soul True Person from outside the continent who has had the most contact with Luo Chen.

Before the Seven Olds resolution, he gave him the status of external elder, and even arranged the cave dwelling and other matters, all of which he participated in, and even handed over to Luo Chen personally.

This is also the reason why Luo Chen stopped specifically to greet him.

Luo Chen asked curiously: "The elder is not interested, why are you standing here?"

It can't be a walk!

True Person Seven Lamps shook his head, "Chasing people away."

"Chasing people away?" Luo Chen was stunned.

True Person Seven Lamps pursed his lips, "Didn't you see the Lin family kid when you came back?"

"You mean Lin Buban?"

"Right, this kid has been hanging around Heaven Earth Peak for half a year, which is against the rules, so I had to chase him away."

"Oh."

Luo Chen nodded, although he didn't understand why Lin Buban was hanging around Heaven Earth Peak, it at least explained why he would come out of Heaven Earth Peak at this time.

Since they met, they always had to exchange a few pleasantries.

Luo Chen simply stopped and chatted with True Person Seven Lamps.

Don't say, this chat really let him know some inside information.

Time, about half a year later.

Location, Heaven Earth Peak, right on this square under Luo Chen's feet now.

Character, Pill Saint Chu Yan!

"By then, the twelve great houses of the Central Plains, the thirty-six noble clans, will all arrive to observe the ceremony, and countless humble-born will also push for representatives to come. There are also the strong from the four continents, taking their seats to send off the Pill Saint."

"Many strong people of our Heaven Earth Peak, except for those outside, will basically appear."

"I heard that you are going to be a protector and enter the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven. By then, it's best to be at the scene."

Luo Chen was shocked by the speed of time, and also curious why it was better for him to be at the scene.

Regarding this, Elder Seven Lamps just smiled slightly.

"I have only joined Heaven Earth Peak for three hundred years and have not seen the last opening of the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven. But the classics record it this way, I think Patriarch Fu will also notify you by then."

Luo Chen, with doubts, returned to the 78th cave dwelling.

He really wanted to know what the connection was between the Pill Saint's ascension ceremony and the opening of the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven. But he was only an external guest minister, not even an ordinary Star Gate guest minister, and had no permission to access relevant classics, so he had to give up.

For the next period of time, Luo Chen didn't plan to go out again.

Not only because he was not interested in those lively scenes, but also because he didn't want to get involved in some unnecessary disputes.

He only went out once today, and it attracted Qi Qi Xiongcheng's temptation towards him, which was definitely not a rash move caused by anger at him snatching the protector status!

In his view, it was more likely Time Ju's secret instruction.

And in such a situation, as the grand competition approached, it was hard to guarantee that other family disciples wouldn't have thoughts in this regard.

After all, the opponent's intelligence only stayed on paper; if there was an opportunity for personal temptation, no one would miss it.

Under these circumstances, maintaining a certain mystery about himself would be more conducive to subsequent actions.

Luo Chen's plan was still to follow the steps as before.

Under the condition that daily cultivation could not be carried out, he would raise the proficiency of the Primordial Soul Pill and the Great Soul Pill to the master level.

The latter had already achieved the goal.

Then he could take the high-grade Great Soul Pill to promote the improvement of the split soul.

At the same time, Luo Chen was also paying attention to the changes of his own source true fire at all times; the Withering-Prospering True Fire was constantly moving towards withering and deathly silence. Calculated by time, it should complete the step of "prosperity leading to decline" before long.

As Luo Chen expected, as the time for the grand competition approached, the investigation of the opponents' intelligence became more intense.

Especially the intelligence of the protectors of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect's participating disciples!

Among these protectors, Luo Chen was the most inconspicuous, yet also the most glaring!

Inconspicuous, because his intelligence was relatively the least, and his rise time was too short; all families didn't have time to collect intelligence related to him.

And glaring, it was because of his loose cultivator status.

Other protectors were either servants of great clans whose roots were known, or well-known powerhouses of major forces invited from outside, but Luo Chen was the only one who was a loose cultivator with no roots.

Logically speaking, loose cultivators are not to be feared, but being able to make the Fu family push away a powerhouse like Qi Qi Xiongcheng shows the Fu family's confidence in Luo Chen's strength.

Most people didn't know much about Luo Chen.

But there were always some people who had their own channels.

For example, in the Peach Garden, after Time Ju heard Qi Qi Xiongcheng's description, an extremely interested look appeared on his face.

Proficient in soul illusion techniques?

Even able to make the attacks of Nascent Soul cultivators deviate?

Just these two points were enough to make people wary.

This intelligence was obtained by Time Ju sending people to personally tempt Luo Chen.

And in a quiet cave dwelling in the Lanke Mountain Range, True Person Long Yuan received a jade slip from Chang Song Fengzi.

As soon as his spiritual sense probed into it, dense information poured in.

After a long while, he put down the jade slip with half-belief.

"Is this intelligence true?"

Chang Song Fengzi nodded repeatedly, "It should be true; this was sent by Elder Shen Shen Wandou, who has lived in the North Sea God Origin City for a long time. Part of it is confirmed to be correct, and part of it is reasonable speculation; even the speculative part, after I borrowed the power of the Central Plains Shen family to investigate, completely matches."

"First appearance, and he suppressed the Split Heaven Flow Master in the collision of domains, and even made the Nether Fire Old Monster value him quite a bit. Under Elder Shen's personal temptation, his spiritual sense performance was not bad. Taking the name of Wild Scatterer, comparing him to the three great scatterers of the North Sea... This Azure Yang Demon Lord only took a hundred years to reach this step?"

True Person Long Yuan felt a bit unbelievable.

Regarding the performance of the Wild Scatterer Luo Chen at the Nascent Soul realm, he only thought the other party's strength was not bad.

But in the intelligence, Shen Shen Wandou of the North Sea Heaven Origin Merchant Alliance linked him to the Azure Yang Demon Lord who had become famous in the Myriad Immortal Society early on.

That Azure Yang Demon Lord, when he first entered the Myriad Immortal Society, was only at the middle Core Formation stage!

How could it be like this?

But judging from the fire techniques that the Wild Scatterer was good at, and the black dragon spiritual pet that killed into the Coral Sea and solved the siege of the Zhou family, he indeed had some characteristics that matched the Azure Yang Demon Lord.

In particular, the Zhou family ancestor took the initiative to befriend him, and he even accepted a young female cultivator who was not from the Zhou family. That female cultivator named Zhang Zhang Jingqing had a great connection to the Zhang family on Penghu's Lotus Picking Island from back then. And the Zhang family was once a vassal of the Senior Qingyang Demon Lord.

Under Chang Song Fengzi's investigation, that young female cultivator and another maid were now left in the Fu family's ancestral land in the Central Plains.

Combining various intelligence, the Wild Scatterer had a great possibility of being the Azure Yang Demon Lord!

And Luo Hai was naturally Luo Chen.

Chang Song Fengzi said tentatively: "He could have such a heaven-defying change, perhaps it has something to do with him going to the Fallen Demon Land?"

True Person Long Yuan wrinkled his brows, "There is this possibility. After all, being able to walk out of the Fallen Demon Land alive, there must be some gains."

Chang Song Fengzi said regretfully: "If that place really has such a heaven-defying fortune, if you had made a trip back then..."

After returning to the Central Plains, True Person Long Yuan had completely mastered the power of the humble-born Liu family and became the current head of the family.

Facing the regret of the clan member, he glared fiercely at him.

"What do you know, that place, anyone can go, but only disciples of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect cannot go!"

Chang Song Fengzi was stunned.

True Person Long Yuan didn't explain too much.

For one, he disdained to obtain the Heaven-Refining Demon Lord's inheritance in the Fallen Demon Land; the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven had its own fortune for him.

For two, some secrets told to him by the master-disciple lineage of the Dao Sect made him never step into the Fallen Demon Land.

It's just that these things didn't need to be told to the clan members.

"If he really is the Azure Yang Demon Lord, then you have to thank him for saving the three of you in the Sinking Sea back then."

Chang Song Fengzi nodded subconsciously.

Back then, he, Guan Guan Xiaoping, and Wu Tao went to the North Sea to experience, intending to imitate their clan uncle True Person Long Yuan, and obtain the opportunity to advance to the Nascent Soul stage with the help of the North Sea's resources and life-and-death tempering.

But later, the demon alliance broke the seal from the North Pole Night Demon Heaven, and the situation was too dangerous.

They were just three Core Formation cultivators, and under such a situation, they couldn't do anything, so they had to return to the Central Plains first.

Regarding that most dangerous experience in the Sinking Sea, Chang Song Fengzi still had a fresh memory.

Azure Yang Demon Lord had a favor to him.

But the Wild Scatterer...

"He is now the enemy of the clan head, how can I be grateful to him. After the grand competition ends, it won't be too late for me to thank him." Chang Song Fengzi said so.

True Person Long Yuan shook his head, "You are narrow-minded."

Chang Song Fengzi insisted on his own opinion, "Then let the nephew be narrow-minded! However, regarding this person, does the clan head have confidence?"

True Person Long Yuan pondered for a moment, then smiled suddenly.

In the smile, it was full of confidence.

"He and I both formed the Nascent Soul in the North Sea; before that, I had no opponents at the Core Formation stage. Now that we are both Nascent Soul True Persons, I advanced a step earlier than him, why would I be afraid of him?"

"What's more, I am different from others, Mingyan and I are arms to each other. Inside the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven, whoever we face, we are not afraid!"

Hearing the two words "Mingyan," Chang Song Fengzi's expression became solemn.

Although the master-disciple lineage of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect had declined for a long time, it was ultimately a lineage that stood side by side with the family lineage.

With Uncle Mingyan, the most outstanding talent of the current master-disciple lineage, helping, the clan head will definitely be able to seize the Great Dao opportunity in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven this time!

"Don't worry about me, you go back and prepare well! I hope that by then, you can also become famous in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven and show the prestige of my Liu family!" True Person Long Yuan encouraged.

Chang Song Fengzi nodded confidently.

Although he was humble-born, he also had the ambition to imitate his clan uncle!

Especially, he had been to the North Sea to experience and had seen blood; he didn't necessarily see that he would be weaker than those disciples of noble clans.

The Central Plains became completely lively.

Whether it was because of the Pill Saint's ascension or the five-hundred-year grand competition, all families and forces were constantly rushing towards the Lanke Mountain Range.

The nearby immortal cities were already overcrowded.

Various news spread constantly.

And the center of this news—Heaven Earth Peak, became quieter and quieter, refusing all visits from outsiders.

Like chasing Lin Buban out of the mountain before, it was just a trivial matter before the mountain-closing action.

Everyone knew that the Pill Saint's ascension was imminent, and even if she appeared occasionally, it was mostly a clone.

She was cultivating with all her heart, aiming for that last step!

Such a quiet environment also avoided some potential troubles for Luo Chen.

He practiced refining elixirs every day, took a Great Soul Pill every month, operated the "Soul-Splitting Technique," and felt the strengthening of the split soul.

In his spare time, he basically read books.

All kinds of books!

Related to the main cultivation technique, related to puppet techniques, related to pill classics, and even some chess manuals sent by Fu Fu Qinglan, he would occasionally flip through them.

The magic treasure-grade imitation of the Lanke spiritual treasure was also sent by Fu Fu Qinglan before Heaven Earth Peak closed the mountain.

Luo Chen spent a day researching, and the result was that the power was extremely weak, but it indeed had similarities to the Lanke black chess piece he obtained from the Ghost God Valley back then.

In this way, he became more and more certain that the Ghost God Valley in the Eastern Wasteland had some connection with the Heaven Origin Dao Sect in the Central Plains.

As for what connection?

Luo Chen was more inclined to the relationship between the North Sea Penglai Immortal Sect and the Heaven Origin Dao Sect.

It's just that the North Sea forces are relatively scattered, and the Eastern Wasteland seems to have dozens of cultivation domains that do not belong to each other, but they are all under the control of the Mingyuan Sect; this can be seen from the fact that the Soul Transformation Great Power of the Mingyuan Sect could mobilize the Supreme Elders of three Nascent Soul upper sects back then.

So the Heaven Origin Dao Sect couldn't insert major forces at the Nascent Soul level in the Eastern Wasteland, and could only use small forces like the Ghost God Valley to slowly infiltrate.

It's even possible that this plan was already perceived by the Mingyuan Sect, which unknowingly squeezed out the Ghost God Valley and finally sent it to the opening war, where it was destroyed.

Regarding this fantasy, Luo Chen himself was startled.

If that were really the case, the Heaven Origin Dao Sect's plotting was truly shocking.

But according to the grand plan of Heaven Earth Peak to absorb Nascent Soul True Persons from the four continents, his speculation had a great possibility of standing.

"Forget it, it ultimately has nothing to do with me; I am just a passerby."

Luo Chen comforted himself this way.

Subsequently, he put his attention on the changes of his own source true fire.

Since leaving the Fu family's Wangwu Mountain Range, a year had passed.

After digesting the Withering-Source Fire Marrow, the Withering-Prospering True Fire had been constantly weakening.

Originally, the speed of weakening was very slow, but Luo Chen found that after he came to Heaven Earth Peak, that speed accelerated a lot.

Now a year later, the Withering-Prospering True Fire in the Purple Mansion had weakened to the limit, leaving only a wisp of green-and-gold flame.

"After prosperity leads to decline, the next step should be 'ashes burning again', right?"

Luo Chen thought this way.

But he didn't wait for the ashes to burn again, only waiting for a bell ringing and drum beating.

The bell rang once, resounding through heaven and earth.

The drum sounded nineteen times, Heaven Earth Peak opened.

A mellow and aged voice, like a spring breeze and fine rain, passed into Luo Chen's ears, and passed into the ears of everyone within tens of thousands of miles of Heaven Earth Peak.

"Heaven Earth Peak opens, cultivators gather. Pill Saint ascends, Mountain Sea congratulates!"

Luo Chen took a deep breath, without any hesitation, released a cleaning technique on himself, and tied his disheveled long hair with a wooden hairpin.

He stood up slowly, tidied the corners of his clothes that didn't exist, and then floated away from the cave dwelling, flying towards the cloud sea square high above.

Wherever he passed, spiritual energy rose, jumping and dancing.

Looking at it, thousands of rays of light, like tiny ephemera, gathered towards the Heaven Earth Peak that towered into the clouds. ===== CHAPTER 697 =====