https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-372-Ice-Soul-Fairy-Almost-Became-a-Useless-Son-in-Law/12932487/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-374-Da-He-s-Old-Acquaintance-A-World-of-Difference/12932489/
Chapter 373: Countless Escape Lights, Fleeting Existence in the World
Chapter 373: Countless Escape Lights, Fleeting Existence in the World
Half a month later, outside the Golden Sand Floating Island.
Luo Chen gazed at the vast, endless desert that stretched beyond the floating island, a desolate landscape that even his keen spiritual eyes couldn't fully encompass. A hint of melancholy flashed in his eyes.
This seemingly tranquil desert wilderness devoured countless cultivators daily.
Tomorrow, he would also step onto the battlefield.
As he sighed, footsteps approached from behind.
"Chairman, Yuan Xiaoyue and the others are ready," a voice said.
Luo Chen turned around and saw a group of cultivators boarding the Lang Qi Flying Boat, led by Yuan Xiaoyue and Qin Liangchen.
Li Yingzhang stood by his side. Three days ago, Luo Chen had completely removed all traces of Earthfire Malevolence from Li Yingzhang's body.
Now, although his foundation had suffered some damage, his cultivation had returned to normal.
"Be extra careful on your journey, and make good use of that Foundation Establishment cultivator's head," Luo Chen instructed.
"I understand," Li Yingzhang replied.
"After you return, follow the prescription from the physician in Qingdan Valley. Take ten more doses of the medicine. You may seem fine now, but some injuries caused by the evil qi's erosion can't be healed by my techniques alone; you'll need the medicine."
"Thank you for your concern, Chairman. I'll keep it in mind," Li Yingzhang said gratefully.
"As for Luo Tianhui's side... Just follow the President's instructions. I trust her to handle things well!"
Li Yingzhang nodded vigorously, committing every word of Luo Chen's instructions to memory.
Finally, Luo Chen smiled and said, "If I have a chance, I'll definitely retrieve your family's Chi Long Sword."
Li Yingzhang quickly shook his head. "Chairman, you've already bestowed upon me the Nine Channels Spirit King Sword, which is a tremendous blessing. How could I ask for more? There's no need for you to take such a risk."
Luo Chen smiled but said nothing more.
The Chi Long Sword was not just any ordinary treasure; it was the Li family's heirloom and had once belonged to his late friend, Li Jinhuang.
If the opportunity arose, he would try to retrieve it.
"Alright, let's board the boat. They're waiting for you," Luo Chen said.
Li Yingzhang looked up and saw that the Lang Qi Flying Boat had already started, and a layer of spiritual energy was gradually enveloping its body.
Compared to their journey there, the boat now carried a large amount of materials, making it incredibly large and slow in flight.
On their return, it was half empty.
Only some precious materials collected by Yuan Xiaoyue from the Ice Fortress were being transported back to Heavenly Wave Immortal City for sale.
They couldn't possibly return in an empty boat! So, for the return trip, the flying boat was reduced to ten zhang in length, the standard size for an upper-grade flying boat.
With this size, the flying speed was optimal, and they could escape faster when encountering unbeatable enemies.
Li Yingzhang leaped onto the flying boat, joining Qin Liangchen and Yuan Xiaoyue.
The three turned to face Luo Chen.
"See you next year!" Qin Liangchen shouted.
"Chairman, take care!" Yuan Xiaoyue waved goodbye.
Luo Chen didn't say a word; he simply nodded at them.
Under his gaze, the Lang Qi Flying Boat slowly took off and then departed from the desert region.
In Luo Chen's sight, the massive flying boat gradually became a tiny black dot until it disappeared from view.
A sense of melancholy rose in Luo Chen's heart as he turned and slowly walked back along the street.
When he reached the center of the floating island, he stopped at a circular plaza where a huge white stele stood, with rows of golden characters floating on its surface.
The Merit Board!
The four sects had their own system for calculating merits, so this stele primarily recorded the achievements of their vassal forces and individual loose cultivators on the battlefield.
As such, the names on the stele were either those of forces or individual cultivators.
These merits weren't just for show; they had real value!
Merits could be exchanged for corresponding resources and treasures from the Luoyun Sect, the leader of the Four Sect Alliance.
For example, the Spirit Pill, which was urgently needed by late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, or the precious Foundation Establishment Pill.
Many other valuable pills were also available for exchange.
Luo Chen had even seen a suitable Mid-Grade Radiant Pill for his cultivation on the Merit Board.
It was said that this pill was a specialty of the Luoyun Sect, and its efficacy was comparable to the second-grade pills of the Medicine King Sect and Qingdan Valley. It was personally refined by Mu Yunyan Fairy, the chief pill concoctor of the Luoyun Sect.
A mid-grade second-stage cultivation pill held immense allure for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, Luo Chen wasn't interested at the moment.
The Ascending Dragon Pill provided by Tao Wan from Qingdan Valley was still in stable supply.
Until he developed resistance to the pill, Luo Chen didn't plan to switch his main cultivation pill.
Aside from pills, the Four Sect Alliance offered various other resources.
Magical tools, talismans, spirit medicines, cultivation techniques, and most enticingly, the Luoyun Sect's puppets! Even third-grade puppets were available for exchange!
If one could obtain such treasures, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they could walk with their heads held high during the Foundation Establishment stage.
As a result, the rankings on the Merit Board couldn't accurately reflect the contributions of each vassal force.
It's simple; each vassal force is concerned about the limited resources from above.
Therefore, any earned merit points are often exchanged as soon as possible to avoid having merit points but lacking the desired resources later.
This is the case with the Luo Tian Association!
Over the past two years, all the earned merit points have been exchanged for Foundation Establishment Pills!
In total, they exchanged three pills!
Currently, there are only a hundred merit points left.
As a result, the Luo Tian Association's ranking is only in the middle to lower tier, barely higher than some loose cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage.
"When I get back, I'll have to ask Xu Hanhuan in detail about how these merit points are calculated."
Luo Chen's gaze fell on the stone tablet, trying to familiarize himself with the various vassal forces of the Four Sect Alliance.
Among them, there were several forces he was familiar with.
For example, the Lianyun Business Alliance, ranked 19th.
The Luo Sha City Luo Family, Tianyi City Chen Family, Bai Shan, Changliu Gorge Chang Family, Xu Chen Mountain Wei Family.
These were all second-rate forces in or around Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
Over the past half a month, several Foundation Establishment cultivators from several of these forces had also proactively visited him.
Some came to exchange cultivation insights, while others were worried about the future development of the war, and so on.
Some hadn't shown up yet, either because they were in seclusion to recover from injuries or because they hadn't returned from Thunder Accumulation Nine Mountains.
But with so many familiar people and forces gathered here, Luo Chen still felt dazed.
It was as if he was still in Heavenly Wave Immortal City!
However, the cruel reality reminded him that this was the Golden Sand Floating Island!
It was the Four Sect Alliance's base camp in the Ten Thousand Mile Desert!
After the war, how many of these familiar forces would be able to return home intact was still unknown.
It was possible that a certain force's few Foundation Establishment cultivators would all perish on the battlefield.
Their original territories might even be occupied by others.
"Perhaps if more people die, the major sects will be happier, and they can collect rent again!"
Luo Chen never hesitated to speculate about these Golden Core sects with the utmost malice.
In their eyes,
Vassal forces were insignificant.
As long as their own sect didn't fall, their vassal forces were like wild grass; if they disappeared today, others would proactively affiliate themselves in a few days.
Just like how Luo Chen had proactively attached himself to the Ice Fortress back then!
Because Luo Chen had been standing under the Merit Board for a long time.
Gradually, people began to notice him.
His appearance and deeds had become well-known on the Golden Sand Floating Island over these days.
Most people knew his face or had heard of his great name, Dan Chenzi!
Luo Chen's spiritual sense was powerful, and even without intentionally eavesdropping, he couldn't avoid hearing the sound transmissions of nearby cultivators with lower cultivation realms.
"That senior is Dan Chenzi, right?"
"Yes, just standing there, he exudes an aura of profound depth, truly a standout figure among loose cultivators! Not only is his name renowned throughout the Jade Cauldron Domain, but he also founded a force like the Luo Tian Association, commanding it at his will."
"Haha, you're probably thinking too much. Although the Luo Tian Association is just an ordinary second-rate force, the powerful cultivators within are no weaker than the true disciples of major sects. Take Thunder Array Master, for example, who, with Foundation Establishment initial stage strength, killed five cultivators of the same level. Such a genius, do you think you could recruit him? I doubt even you would find it difficult to do so!"
"Uh... life is already tough enough, brother, don't be so harsh."
"Haha!"
A rustling sound transmission reached Luo Chen's ears, causing a smile to appear on his face.
It was only during this half a month that he learned that Min Longyu had earned himself a Daoist title.
Or perhaps, Min Longyu himself might not even know that he had the Daoist title of "Thunder Array Master"!
This title of respect only gradually spread after he left and some time had passed.
He had laid down the Five Thunder Bombardment Grand Formation and, with his own strength, killed five cultivators of the same level.
With such illustrious battle achievements, and being an array master himself, it was natural for others to sing his praises.
In fact!
Luo Chen finally understood why, after he arrived, he discovered that the Luo Tian Association cultivators, despite their defeat, showed no signs of decline.
Their mental state was even better than that of other forces.
The reason for all this was the night raid initiated by the Flame Alliance on the Seventh Mountain.
In that night raid, the Four Sect Alliance suffered heavy losses.
Many vassal forces sustained shocking damage, with some reaching seventy percent casualties.
In comparison, the Luo Tian Association only lost less than half of its members, and although the three Foundation Establishment cultivators were severely injured or missing, there were no casualties.
On the contrary, they achieved the battle results of killing five Qi Condensation cultivators and instantly slaying five Foundation Establishment cultivators.
According to subsequent rumors, among those who pursued Wang Yuan, two Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators also perished.
With such glorious battle achievements, how could the Luo Tian Association cultivators not be proud and confident?
The Luo Tian Association's defeat was not due to their combat performance but rather the decline of their overall situation, forcing them to retreat along with the others.
On the local battlefield, the Luo Tian Association could be considered the victor.
Of course, only these vassal forces would bother with such trivial details, while the true disciples of the Four Sects would not give them a second thought.
Luo Chen looked at the Merit Board for a while, but found little interest in it.
Aside from the puppet, Radiant Pill, and Foundation Establishment Pill offered by Luoyun Sect, he had no interest in the other resources.
Perhaps other ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators would flock to them.
But in front of someone of his status, they were hardly worth a glance.
"Since there's nothing that particularly moves me, and nothing that would greatly benefit the Luo Tian Association, there's no need to exert myself on the battlefield to earn merit."
"When you see things going awry, immediately retreat, that's the way to preserve yourself!"
This was the purpose of Luo Chen's research on the Merit Board.
Since nothing had moved him, his battle strategy would need to be changed.
Unlike other forces, he didn't need to exert himself.
Because of his circumstances, the Ice Fortress would undoubtedly treat him with leniency, and no one would blame him for slacking off.
...
The moon rose, and the sun came out as time passed.
Soon, the second day arrived.
Upon waking, Luo Chen felt his body's condition, and his spirits were lifted.
After half a month, he had gradually opened up twenty ordinary Energy Points.
Adding to the thirty-six major points he had opened during the Qi Condensation Stage, he now had a total of fifty-six Energy Points.
Although there wasn't a dramatic change yet, he did feel a slight difference.
That was the storage and conversion efficiency of spiritual power!
The Dantian and Qi Sea, which could also be considered a human Energy Point, had a much larger capacity than other Energy Points due to their special location and the effects of cultivation techniques.
And they were still being continuously developed and expanded.
Now that he had opened up ordinary Energy Points, they could be seen as miniature versions of the Dantian.
These Energy Points could store a large amount of unpurified spiritual power.
This increased his spiritual power storage!
At the same time, with this backup spiritual power, the efficiency of refining during cultivation would greatly improve.
"If I can open up 720 Energy Points, it would be almost like creating a second Qi Sea within my body!"
"My spiritual power is already seven to eight times that of my peers at the same level, and with the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, I'm no less than a Great Cultivator. If I open up 720 Energy Points, with the boost from the two Qi Seas, once I reach the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, my spiritual power might surpass even those at the eighth and ninth layers!"
"It's even possible to rival a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"
Thinking of his future prospects, Luo Chen's spirits were lifted.
This improvement wasn't just limited to his cultivation speed.
It would directly impact his Spell Combat abilities.
Indeed, his previous decision was the right one.
Cultivation was a long and arduous process, requiring time and patience.
But with each step, he could draw parallels, learn from others' strengths, and make progress that was not only faster than others but also more solid!
As Luo Chen indulged in his fantasies of the future, the cultivators of the Luo Tian Association had already set out, preparing for battle under Duan Feng's command, checking their magical treasures, talismans, and formations.
Not only the Luo Tian Association, but the nearby Ice Fortress camp and the entire Golden Sand Floating Island seemed to come alive.
Loud noises came from all directions.
Numerous Escape Lights flew out of the Golden Sand Floating Island and into the Ten Thousand Mile Desert, led by powerful Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, a squad of a hundred people flew towards the Luo Tian Association.
Luo Chen greeted them as they approached.
"Are you all prepared?" Dan Tai Jin asked as he looked at the hundred cultivators of the Luo Tian Association.
Although they were backup cultivators from the Battle Combat Hall, they were all full of vigor, with a fierce look in their eyes.
Clearly, this was a team with plenty of combat experience.
"No problem," Luo Chen said with a slight smile, bowing his hands, "On this trip, we'll have to rely on you, Fellow Daoist Dan, for your care and guidance."
"Okay, let's go!"
Dan Tai Jin nodded and waved his hand.
The two teams merged into one, but the men and women were clearly separated.
And it wasn't just their side.
The Ice Fortress camp quickly formed four more teams.
Compared to Dan Tai Jin's side, which only had two hundred people, each of the other four teams had three to four hundred cultivators.
All of them had more people than Luo Chen's side! This showed that Yin Yue Shangren's words to Luo Chen weren't false, and the Jueqing lineage was indeed weak.
"Let's go!"
A grand voice rang out.
Then, thousands of cultivators, riding their magical treasures or flying through the clouds, entered the vast desert, heading towards the nine mountains at the center, perpetually shrouded in thunderclouds.
With the support of multicolored spiritual power, this massive group of cultivators soon merged with the main forces of the other three sects.
The converging Escape Lights, the howling wind, and the rolling clouds created a spectacular sight.
From a distance, they looked like glowing mayflies, flying towards an unknown fate in the vast universe, where life and death were uncertain!
(End of Chapter)
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