Chapter 901: The Unlucky Nine-Spirit True Monarch, the Extreme Luo Chen

Eastern Wasteland, war erupts once more!

This was expected and not at all surprising.

After all, the demon race had been massing troops in the six domains of the Far East for many years. With the two sides in a standoff, friction was constant, and there would always be a day when things spiraled out of control.

What surprised Luo Chen was the fuse that ignited the war again.

【The Great Demon Master Qing Shuang is tyrannical and lawless; she destroyed the Five Elements Divine Sect, slaughtered thousands of cultivators, and treated human experts as nothing. The Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect, seizing the will of the people, has raised an army to crusade against her.】

"The Five Elements Divine Sect was destroyed by Demon Emperor Master Qing Shuang?"

Upon seeing this, Luo Chen felt a sense of trance.

It was just like the intelligence he saw back in the North Sea when Demon Emperor Master Qing Shuang wiped out the Joyous Union Sect.

But this was not that time; he was certain the Five Elements Divine Sect was destroyed by himself and Shen Yuan.

Beside him, the Purple-Robed Marquis sneered, "Just take a look and be done with it. Although the Zombie Alliance has plenty of intelligence, we still have to rely on ourselves to discern the truth. Take this destruction of the Five Elements Divine Sect, for instance. According to reliable information from my Purple Blood Sect, it wasn't Master Qing Shuang's doing at all, but rather caused by a top-tier Eastern Wasteland expert named Luo Chen."

"A top-tier Eastern Wasteland expert, Luo Chen?" Luo Chen asked hesitantly.

The Purple-Robed Marquis nodded. "Yes, he is a master-level existence in the Dao of Refining, comparable to Master Master Li Tian. Rumor has it he had some grievances with the Five Elements Divine Sect and, after disappearing for many years, suddenly appeared and wiped them out."

Hearing his own legend from someone else's mouth, Luo Chen felt quite unnatural for a moment.

It was both embarrassing and prideful.

The Purple-Robed Marquis continued, "But although the deed was done by the Elixir Sect's Luo Chen, few people actually saw him strike. And since the Five Elements Divine Sect was a top-tier Nascent Soul sect in the Eastern Wasteland, such a massive power disappearing overnight required an explanation to the world. The Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect, having entered the Eastern Wasteland, was just looking for a reason to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys and establish their prestige. They simply splashed the dirty water onto the demon race, incited public anger, and launched a full-scale war against the Eastern Wasteland's demon race!"

Public anger?

There should be anger.

The human-demon war in the Eastern Wasteland over the past two hundred years had caused the destruction of so many sects and families.

Now that things had finally calmed down, the demon race had raised an army again. Who wouldn't be afraid? Who wouldn't be angry?

And that Demon Emperor Master Qing Shuang happened to have a ruthless history of penetrating deep into human territory to raze mountains and exterminate sects.

Since the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect said so, the various powers of the Eastern Wasteland believed it.

Given Master Qing Shuang's cold and indifferent nature, she likely wouldn't bother explaining much to others. But she wasn't the type to endure or yield; I'm afraid this matter won't be so easily resolved!

Luo Chen pursed his lips and asked about the aftermath.

The Purple-Robed Marquis shrugged and said, "What aftermath could there be? It's just a fight. As far as I know, faced with the dirty water splashed by the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect, Demon Emperor Master Qing Shuang offered no defense, but her strikes were extremely ruthless. Not only did she defeat the Nine-Spirit True Monarch, who had just come out of seclusion, but she also pursued him for over a hundred thousand miles, beheading..."

"... a Nascent Soul expert of the Elder Dongyang Sect, severely wounding Ancestor Tianyuan experts, and destroying the branches of the Divine Talisman, Elder Dongyang, and Void Emperor sects."

Speaking to the end, he pointed to the jade slip.

"This matter is also recorded above; you can take a closer look."

"Mm."

Luo Chen grunted and quickly scanned the text that followed.

Sure enough, the jade slip recorded these surface-level intelligence reports in quite some detail.

After scanning it, Luo Chen could only sigh; this was likely something that woman Master Qing Shuang would do.

You splash dirty water on me, and I won't refute it.

But since I've actually made the matter a reality, don't you regret it.

You say I razed mountains and exterminated sects? Then I will truly raze mountains and exterminate sects for you to see.

It's just that his friend, the Nine-Spirit True Monarch, was a bit unlucky.

Ever since the great battle in the Medicine King Domain, he had been in seclusion to heal his wounds.

He had finally healed his wounds and even turned a misfortune into a blessing, truly advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage and becoming a true Great Cultivator. However, after coming out of seclusion full of ambition, he ran into the most unreasonable peak expert in this realm.

He must be feeling quite helpless!

"But as long as he's alive, it's even better that there are no serious injuries."

The intelligence didn't mention that the Nine-Spirit True Monarch was severely wounded, only that he was defeated by Demon Emperor Master Qing Shuang.

Skipping over this, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.

War breaking out again is within reason.

But the side that initiated the war was unexpected.

It was actually the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect?

Shouldn't it have been the Mount Cangwu Mountain side?

What True Monarch Sovereign Qixia did to the Mingyuan Sect was enough to make the remaining holy lands of the Shanhai Realm vigilant.

That was a world-shaking feat where one person could flatten a holy land!

Was the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect not afraid of repeating the same mistake?

Or were they testing?

Testing whether True Monarch Sovereign Qixia still had the strength to perform similar actions after the Mingyuan battle?

Testing whether True Monarch Sovereign Qixia could still act under the suppression of the heavenly tribulation?

Luo Chen put himself in the position of a holy land-level power and vaguely understood the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect's thinking.

As the premier existence in this realm, discovering that there was still someone who could threaten them, how could they sleep soundly?

A simple test was necessary before taking further action.

Moreover, this test wasn't very dangerous.

The battlefield was in the Eastern Wasteland, and the manpower and resources used were those of the local Eastern Wasteland cultivators. It was just like playing chess; the game was set on another board, so even if True Monarch Sovereign Qixia intervened in a fit of rage, the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect could take advantage of the chaos to escape and stand on the sidelines.

The fear was that they had underestimated True Monarch Sovereign Qixia's ruthlessness!

Luo Chen

sighed in his heart and turned his attention to the subsequent intelligence.

The Eastern Wasteland intelligence was only a part of it.

The rest recorded many major events concerning the North Sea, the Western Desert, and even the native lands of the Southern Border.

And from these major events, Luo Chen was shocked to find that the figure of the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect appeared frequently.

He couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "The Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect is attacking on all four sides, spreading their forces thin. This is a major taboo in military strategy!"

The Purple-Robed Marquis had a different view, saying with yearning, "Isn't this the grand ambition of swallowing the world? Moreover, they have the strength for it and have encountered a golden opportunity unprecedented in history!"

Luo Chen opened his mouth but was ultimately speechless.

Because what the Purple-Robed Marquis said was actually correct.

With the destruction of the Yuan Demon and Mingyuan sects, the North Sea and Eastern Wasteland were leaderless, and the Hanging Temple and Life-Death Gate had closed their mountain gates one after another, leaving the Western Desert and Southern Border without a leader.

Under these circumstances, if the Ancestor Tianyuan Dao Sect could seize the opportunity, even if they lost one or two battlefields in the end, the overall gains would be beyond imagination.

Most importantly, the chess piece had fallen!

Luo Chen shook his head, stopped paying attention to the trends of the world, and flipped through things related to himself.

"The Demon Heart Gu Emperor has been missing for hundreds of years and has not appeared for a long time. People rumor that he died from the backlash of his own demonic Gu."

"If he is not dead, according to the heaven-defying effect of the Demon Heart Gu which can accelerate cultivation, after hundreds of years, the Demon Heart Gu Emperor must have advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage and should be among the Great Cultivators."

"If such an expert wants to continue practicing, he must have a matching high-level spirit vein."

"The number of high-level spirit veins in the Southern Border has been explored over thousands of years, and they all have owners. Therefore, if the Demon Heart Gu Emperor is still alive, he must be the owner of one of these spirit veins."

"And the number of Southern Border Great Cultivators who occupy high-level spirit veins, excluding the hidden experts of the Life-Death Gate, is as follows—True Person Master Song Yang, Granny Granny Hongye, the Burial Life Elder, the Luo Sect Supreme Elder, Fairy Fairy Xuanji..."

The method Master Master Li Tian used to search for the Demon Heart Gu Emperor's tracks for Luo Chen was actually very simple.

It was a process of elimination!

Just as mortals need to drink water and eat to live, if a Nascent Soul cultivator wants to attain the Soul Transformation Dao, they must have high-level spirit veins matching their own realm to assist them.

And since the number of high-level spirit veins in the Southern Border is limited, those who can occupy them must be the masters of a faction.

If the Demon Heart Gu Emperor doesn't want to delay his cultivation, he must be mixed in among them.

In this way, the scope of the suspected targets was greatly narrowed.

And this was Luo Chen's first intuitive understanding of the Southern Border's Great Cultivator group.

"They are not weaker than the major sects of the Eastern Wasteland in their prime!"

Or rather, not just not weaker, but surpassing them in many ways.

In its prime, the Eastern Wasteland had five Great Cultivators on the surface: the Elder Dongyang Sect Supreme Elder, the Heavenly Capital Sect's Heavenly Capital Child,

the Heavenly Extreme Zen Sect's Monk Hui Ping, the Joyous Union Sect's Old Ancestor, and the Five Elements Divine Sect's True Person Shen Yuan.

And now, the number of Great Cultivators in the Southern Border is as many as eight!

Just the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance alone has roped in four of them.

From this, one can see that the Southern Border's reliance on Gu insects to assist in cultivation indeed has some miraculous effects.

But there is also an awkward point, which is that in the last two or three hundred years, no new late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivators have appeared.

Unlike the North Sea, which saw the appearance of Moon Scatterer, or the Eastern Wasteland, which saw the Nine-Spirit True Monarch, these newly promoted Great Cultivators.

"No wonder Southern Border cultivators only blame the changes in the world."

Luo Chen found a reason for them, and then began to focus on these seven or eight people based on the intelligence provided by Master Master Li Tian, starting to analyze in detail which one might be the Demon Heart Gu Emperor.

First, rule out Granny Granny Hongye and Fairy Fairy Xuanji.

Because rumor has it that the Demon Heart Gu Emperor is a male cultivator.

Of the remaining six, True Person Master Song Yang can also be directly ruled out, because the Songshan Sect's inheritance has never been interrupted, and True Person Master Song Yang was also famous from a young age, so there is no possibility of being impersonated.

"The other five..."

Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

It must be said that the suspicion of the Brother Minglei Cave Master before he left was well-founded.

The Burial Life Elder is indeed very suspicious; the Burial Life Valley has too little contact with the outside world, and the Burial Life Elder's style of conduct is also quite mysterious and strange.

The Luo Sect Supreme Elder is also within the scope of suspicion; since the internal strife of the Luo Sect back then, the Luo Sect Supreme Elder has been in seclusion and has never been seen again.

I heard he was injured?

But what kind of injury would take hundreds of years to heal?

He doesn't even care about major events like the current Southern Border cultivators attacking the Life-Death Gate, and never shows his face.

Beside his ear, the Purple-Robed Marquis's puzzled voice sounded.

"Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Qi, why are you so keen on searching for the Demon Heart Gu Emperor?"

Luo Chen answered naturally, "It's just that I want one more path."

The Purple-Robed Marquis was puzzled.

Luo Chen pointed to his own body, "Although I have considerable attainments in body refining, the path of body refining has long been in decline, and the road ahead is unclear. Moreover, the lifespan of a body refiner is far shorter than that of a Nascent Soul True Person. If I don't want to regretfully pass away when my time comes, I must find a path to re-cultivate."

The Purple-Robed Marquis hesitated, "You want to use the Demon Heart Gu to switch to the path of Qi refining?"

"Exactly!" Luo Chen said calmly, "The principle of the Demon Heart Gu accelerating cultivation is the orthodox refining of essence into Qi. I possess a vast amount of essence and Qi that no one can compare to, which will not dissipate until death. If I have the assistance of a high-level Demon Heart Gu, I can forcibly transform my vast essence and Qi to impact the Nascent Soul realm when body refining can no longer advance, and thus live for several hundred more years."

"This, this..."

The Purple-Robed Marquis did not expect such an answer; it was reasonable, yet shocking.

Who would think of extremely transforming to another path once body refining is successful?

Even if some Nascent Soul True Persons dabble in body refining techniques, they only practice them concurrently and do not extremely transform.

By the same token, Qi Tian having such a thought of finding life in death was shocking, yet also made people feel respect.

"That is indeed great ambition!"

The Purple-Robed Marquis sighed, then advised, "Now that you have obtained the 'Hundred Poisons Body Refining Technique', it is not that there is no hope for the road ahead. That Demon Heart Gu is too convenient and easily causes one to lose their mind. Unless it is a last resort, this Marquis still advises you to cherish your cultivation."

Luo Chen grunted, "Qi understands."

"Is that what he said?"

"Absolutely true, and his demeanor did not look like a pretense."

"I didn't expect that Qi Tian, who looks so domineering, would have such meticulous foresight!"

In a Gu-refining room with a thick, stuffy atmosphere, Master Master Li Tian turned around from a miniature pavilion.

The Purple-Robed Marquis, while looking at the familiar little pavilion, said, "Afraid of death, it's human nature. But daring to abandon the path ahead and extremely transform to another path is still admirable."

Master Master Li Tian smiled, "Then I still hope that day doesn't come. After all, to enter the Yin-Yang Remnant Realm, I still have to rely on Qi Tian's hard-refining kung fu."

When he said this, he beckoned from behind.

Immediately, several streams of light flew out from the little pavilion.

"Take these to him. I estimate that it's also because the 'Hundred Poisons Body Refining Technique' hasn't made much progress that his thinking has become so extreme."

"This is?" The Purple-Robed Marquis looked at the sealed Gu insects with curiosity.

Master Master Li Tian explained, "These are three types of fourth-order poisonous Gu that I have treasured. If Qi Tian can refine and feed them to the Hundred Poisons King Gu, it will be enough to let it advance to the fourth order. In this way, the path of body refining can be improved again."

"You are really generous!" The Purple-Robed Marquis accepted the three types of Gu insects with some envy.

Master Master Li Tian sighed, "Major events are imminent. The Yin-Yang Remnant Realm not only concerns the Gu recipes I need but also involves how to open the Life-Death Gate. I cannot be negligent!"

The Purple-Robed Marquis nodded, "Then does Qi Tian need to provide any corresponding resources?"

"He is someone who knows what he is doing. As long as the offer is roughly right, you can accept it for me!"

The Purple-Robed Marquis suddenly asked again, "How is your progress on the Blood-Transforming Gu I need?"

Master Master Li Tian seemed to have expected this and answered methodically, "According to the materials you provided, as well as the techniques of the Blood Sea lineage of the North Sea Yuan Demon Sect, I have already developed a rough Gu recipe. After entering the Yin-Yang Remnant Realm, I should be able to refine the Blood-Transforming Gu for you."

The Purple-Robed Marquis was immediately relieved.

With that Blood-Transforming Gu, perhaps he could imitate the experts of the Yuan Demon Sect's Blood Sea lineage and refine his own Blood God Child.

He could even rely on this method to avoid the changes in the world and accumulate his cultivation to the late Nascent Soul stage.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but look back at the little pavilion that Master Master Li Tian was handling.

He muttered in his heart.

"Why is it so similar to the Wind and Wave Pavilion at the entrance of the Mi Realm Mountain?" ===== CHAPTER 916 =====

"Why is it so similar to the Wind-Wave Pavilion at the entrance of Mije Mountain?"