Chapter 466: Chaos Primordial Cauldron, Danxia Alliance

Chapter 466: Chaos Primordial Cauldron, Danxia Alliance

Tao Wan had left.

As the sect leader, she had many responsibilities.

The sect provided her with a Spirit Land, helped her with Core Formation, and even prepared a Lifebound Treasure for her in advance.

All of this was not without a price.

In return, she had to handle various trivial matters for Qingdangu Valley.

This naturally took up a significant portion of her cultivation time.

However, one must pay a price for every gain.

She envied her senior brother, Dan Yangzi, who could now focus solely on his cultivation and delve into the art of pill cultivation.

She also felt a sense of camaraderie with Luo Chen, who was busy traveling to establish alliances, as they both had to work hard to achieve their goals.

Without power or connections, and without the support of elders, some people were destined to lead a life of toil and hardship.

Compared to Luo Chen, her life was much more comfortable.

Occasionally, she would show admiration for him.

Even under the protection of her sect, she found tasks to be troublesome.

For a lone cultivator like Luo Chen to have achieved so much was truly remarkable.

Luo Chen himself didn't seem to mind.

He was currently in high spirits, filled with confidence and pride.

Although he had to personally meet with each Golden Core Cultivator and carefully choose his words, he was already accustomed to such matters.

Reaching the Core Formation Stage had given him a significant boost in confidence.

At the very least!

He no longer had to show utmost respect and address every Golden Core Cultivator as a Venerable.

Just after Tao Wan's departure, he was once again showered with words of praise.

"Big Brother Luo, you've really become a Golden Core Cultivator. If my grandfather knew in the afterlife, he'd be so surprised that his eyes would pop out."

In a small courtyard nestled in the mountains, Chen Shuyi looked at Luo Chen with admiration.

The grandfather she mentioned was none other than Chen Laodao, who had set up a stall with Luo Chen years ago.

He had passed away peacefully fifty years ago, reaching the ripe old age of ninety.

In the world of Qi Condensation Cultivators, this was considered a short life.

However, it was somewhat expected.

In his early years, Chen Laodao had made a living through his talisman-making techniques, and to earn more Spirit Stones to support his granddaughter's cultivation, he had also learned the art of crafting talisman paper.

This talisman paper was not made from ordinary materials like paper or bark but from beast skins!

Living in such an environment for years, how could one not have a shorter lifespan? In his sixties, he had already looked aged and frail in the Dahhe Market. After a series of struggles, he traveled tens of thousands of miles to the Divine Rune Domain.

Upon arriving, he set up another stall and resumed his old trade.

In the end, he unfortunately passed away due to old age.

Perhaps the only consolation for him was seeing his granddaughter successfully establish her foundation before his death.

As Luo Chen reminisced about the past, a sense of melancholy filled him.

It seemed as if the memories of setting up the stall together and their lively banter were still fresh in his mind.

He shook his head and handed over a jade bottle.

"What's this?" Chen Shuyi curiously took the jade bottle.

Luo Chen smiled and said, "A bottle of Jade Dew Pills. It might help you break through to the third level of Foundation Establishment and enter the mid-stage."

Chen Shuyi's eyes lit up, and she immediately hugged the jade bottle tightly.

Seeing her reaction, Luo Chen was puzzled.

"Isn't the Divine Talisman Sect a Nascent Soul Supreme Sect? Are they lacking in pill supplies?"

Fu Xiuxiu, who was standing nearby, sighed, "It's precisely because it's a Nascent Soul Supreme Sect that there are so many disciples and intense competition. It's extremely difficult to stand out. For a lone cultivator like Shuyi to establish her foundation at over forty years old is already impressive, but in a sect, it's not that remarkable, and she doesn't receive any special treatment."

"But she inherited Chen Laodao's talisman-making techniques, so she should be able to..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Luo Chen stopped himself.

Talisman-making techniques? The Divine Talisman Sect had no shortage of those.

In fact, within the Divine Rune Domain, it was likely that all businesses related to talismans and inscriptions were monopolized by the Divine Talisman Sect and the various families within the sect.

There was no chance for Chen Shuyi to get involved.

Moreover, after establishing her foundation, she would have to spend time managing the sect's businesses and taking turns at various locations.

For Chen Shuyi to reach the peak of the third level of Foundation Establishment, she must have put in tremendous effort.

This was the reality of cultivating in a top-tier sect.

Limited resources, limited opportunities, and unlimited competition.

Luo Chen looked at Chen Shuyi with compassion, then turned to Fu Xiuxiu.

"You're doing well, Sister Xiuxiu. You've already reached the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, a great achievement."

It had been over eighty years since she left the Dahhe Market.

Now, she was only over a hundred years old.

At this level, she had a good chance of forming her core.

Fu Xiuxiu shook her head, "I just have a slightly better body constitution, and I established my foundation in the second year after joining the sect, which caught the attention of Ye Lao. He took me under his wing, and that's how I achieved this level. Compared to you, it's nothing."

Although she spoke lightly, the hardships she endured were likely not easy.

With Luo Chen's knowledge, he had already understood Fu Xiuxiu's body constitution.

It was a rare Descending Dew Body, not as exceptional as Li Yingzhang's Nine Turns Circulating Body, but during cultivation, her spiritual power was like the pure waters of a lake fed by a descending spring.

That was why she dared to establish her foundation without a Foundation Establishment Pill, knowing that even if she failed, she would still survive.

Luo Chen, just as he had done before, took out a bottle of high-grade Jade Dew Pills and gave it to her.

Fu Xiuxiu felt embarrassed and declined, "We didn't send you a gift when you formed your core, so how can I accept this from you?"

"It's not a gift, just a token of my appreciation. Moreover, you brought that Ye Xiang Daoist friend to congratulate me, which bolstered the reputation of our Luo Tian Sect. That alone is a great gift!"

"My master was just passing by Tianlan and came to see you out of curiosity after I mentioned you."

Seeing Fu Xiuxiu's refusal, Luo Chen's expression turned serious, "When you gave me the Moonlight Grass back then, I accepted it without hesitation. Now, it's just a bottle of pills. For a renowned pill master like me in the cultivation world, this is nothing."

Xu Xiu Xiu, are you going to refuse again?"

Fu Xiu Xiu opened her mouth, but had no choice but to accept.

Looking at the way the other party caressed the jade bottle, Luo Chen sighed inwardly.

The two women before him had changed from their past selves.

It seemed that within the Divine Talisman Sect, they were walking on thin ice, facing countless challenges.

Especially during their conversation, when he learned of their purpose for coming, his thoughts were further confirmed.

Starting a war was both a risk and an opportunity.

Those with substantial wealth would naturally avoid taking such a risk.

Only Fu Xiu Xiu, Chen Shuyi, and the others, who lacked a strong foundation, would volunteer to go to the front lines to earn cultivation resources.

In particular, Chen Shuyi had benefited from Fu Xiu Xiu's connections to obtain this opportunity.

Yes, even going to the battlefield required a spot! This alone demonstrated the intense competition within the sect.

"It seems we are in the same boat," Luo Chen said with a smile.

Fu Xiu Xiu was curious, "Are you going to participate in the war too?"

Luo Chen nodded.

Chen Shuyi, standing nearby, was puzzled, "Brother Luo, you're already a renowned alchemist, with many seeking your favor. Why take such a risk?"

Luo Chen sighed but didn't elaborate further.

Fu Xiu Xiu squeezed Chen Shuyi's hand, stopping her from asking more questions.

She knew that behind every glorious appearance, there were hidden troubles.

Not to mention, the very mountain they stood on, Danxia Peak, was merely a first-tier Spirit Land, far from matching Luo Chen's cultivation realm.

Their ambitions were grand, but true cultivation progress came from hard work.

After a pleasant conversation, Luo Chen bid farewell.

Before leaving, he pulled aside Gu Caiyi, who had come to reminisce about the past, and quietly transmitted his voice to her.

"Choose two high-quality low-grade artifacts from the storage room and send them to them before they leave tomorrow."

Gu Caiyi was puzzled, "Do they lack artifacts?"

"They do!"

With Luo Chen's keen Spirit Perception, he could easily discern if Chen Shuyi possessed the aura of an artifact.

Moreover, he was well aware that the Jade Cauldron Domain and the Divine Rune Domain were completely different.

Or rather, they were distinct from other cultivation domains.

The manipulation of Heaven Sail City had led to the proliferation of inferior artifacts in the Jade Cauldron Domain.

Other cultivation domains had their own hegemons, and they would not tolerate the chaos that Heaven Sail City had caused.

Even inferior artifacts had killing power far surpassing top-grade artifacts, making them formidable weapons against Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

It could even be said that the war involving twenty-seven sects was likely influenced by Heaven Sail City's meddling.

After all, with the quality of artifacts and treasures, they could be used for a hundred years, passed down for a hundred years, and then repaired for another hundred years.

Without war, how could they be consumed and replaced? How could Heaven Sail City, a super artifact-forging sect, profit without destruction?

As Luo Chen's cultivation realm rose, his perspective broadened, and his previous speculations became certainties.

In his view, the Luoyun Sect's sudden attack on the Flame Alliance when the war was about to end was likely orchestrated by Heaven Sail City.

With their well-informed network, they knew about the Soul Transformation Relic's appearance, which would undoubtedly attract cultivators from the Sacred Abyss Sect.

Once the Sacred Abyss Sect's powerful cultivators arrived, the Jade Cauldron Internal War would naturally come to a halt.

Then, under the mediation of the Sacred Abyss Sect, the human race's internal conflicts would shift to external affairs, inevitably leading to the opening of a war.

By eliminating the Flame Alliance, a fellow artifact-forging sect, Heaven Sail City would create a more favorable environment for its future profits.

This speculation, in Luo Chen's opinion, was highly likely to be true! Otherwise, it couldn't explain why the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect didn't go to the Flame Alliance's aid but instead turned to attack the Green Pill Valley.

The two sides were clearly engaging in a tacit battle.

Each side was eliminating the other's threats.

This tacit understanding wasn't just between the Luoyun Sect and the Sword Sect but also between the Sword Sect and Heaven Sail City.

Having reached his current status, Luo Chen could now see the bigger picture and analyze the situation of the major and upper sects.

The only thing that still eluded his understanding was the scale of this war.

Although the Howling Moon Mountain Range was vast, far exceeding the Jade Cauldron Domain, it didn't warrant the mobilization of twenty-seven sects.

He had initially thought that Canglong Ascendant had some intentions on the Ice Fortress side.

But with Canglong Ascendant's Soul Formation Failure, it was impossible for him to establish a new faction and simultaneously wage war.

This doubt led Luo Chen to make the decision to form an alliance with three parties! With limited resources, one needed substantial strength to secure a share.

He even felt that the Luo Tian Alliance's strength was slightly lacking, so Luo Chen continued to maintain friendly relations with the Ice Fortress, Green Pill Valley, and other major Golden Core sects, just in case.

...

During the half-month wait before the three-party alliance meeting, Luo Chen wasn't idle.

He was studying the iron tablet that Tao Wan had given him.

Perhaps it was because Luo Chen was known for keeping his promises, or perhaps it was due to his connection with the Green Pill Valley.

This time, the Green Pill Valley was very generous.

Even before Luo Chen had truly helped with the forging of the Incarnation Pill, Tao Wan had already given him the iron tablet that recorded the Lifebound Treasure.

Regarding Lifebound Treasures, Luo Chen was naturally attentive.

In the Cave Mansion.

Luo Chen caressed the blank iron tablet, and his Spirit Perception extended, covering it.

Instantly,

Ancient characters appeared one by one.

"Chaos Primordial Cauldron..."

According to Tao Wan, the Green Pill Valley had three types of cauldron-based Lifebound Treasures: the Chaos Primordial Cauldron, the Two Instruments Cauldron, and the Crystal Cauldron.

The famous Azure Sky Crystal Cauldron of the Green Pill Valley was forged using the Crystal Cauldron method by the sect's founding ancestor. It had reached the level of a superior artifact before the ancestor's passing.

Over the years, with the continuous cultivation of generations of disciples, its rank remained intact, and its power became even more outstanding.

Each of these three cauldrons had its unique uses.

The Crystal Cauldron, once forged, enhances the grade of pills, often allowing its owner to achieve unimaginable results, frequently surpassing tiers to refine higher-grade pills.

For an alchemist, it's undoubtedly a one-in-a-million choice!

The method to craft such a treasure was something Qingdanzigu would never willingly share with Luo Chen.

However, the Chaos Primordial Cauldron is also quite extraordinary.

Chaos Primordial - Unity from Chaos, the beginning of primordial energy!

All-encompassing, all-possessing!

The concept is grand.

In reality, this is impossible, even for Nascent Soul True Immortals and Divine Transformation powerhouses.

But in practice, it's quite reasonable.

The advantage of the Chaos Primordial Cauldron lies in its ability to serve as an alchemist's Lifebound Treasure, allowing the cauldron to be used in the refinement of almost any pill.

In the cultivation world, there are countless pills, and naturally, there are countless refinement methods.

Many pills have unique requirements for their refining equipment.

Most common pills rely on ordinary refining tools.

But some powerful pills demand specific equipment.

Some require pure attribute tools, like a cauldron forged solely from Metal-attributed materials.

Others forbid the use of metal substances, instead requiring the use of natural or symbiotic materials for the refinement process.

There's even the so-called living creature refinement method, where living beings are used as containers for pill refinement.

These requirements are extremely strict.

Previously, Luo Chen hadn't encountered such situations due to his insufficient cultivation and limited pill refinement experience.

But as his cultivation advances, and if he wishes to continue on the path of pill refinement, he will likely face these challenges.

The Chaos Primordial Cauldron can solve this problem!

Unless the requirements are extremely bizarre, the Chaos Primordial Cauldron can meet them all.

In other words, if Luo Chen successfully forges the Chaos Primordial Cauldron, he won't need to carry other refining tools for pill refinement.

Additionally, the Chaos Primordial Cauldron has some supplementary effects, such as suppression and defense capabilities.

These are just bonuses.

Finally, one of the shared advantages of the Qingdan's Three Cauldrons is the ability to aid in cultivation advancement through pill energy!

Alchemists, through years of pill refinement, accumulate a small amount of pill energy on their bodies.

In fact, refining tools retain even more pill energy!

Alchemists often cleanse this energy from their tools, as excessive accumulation of miscellaneous pill energy can hinder the refinement of new pills.

This is why Luo Chen would ask others to clean his pill cauldron after each refinement.

Pill energy can be harmful! But the Qingdan's Three Cauldrons defy this convention, absorbing all residual pill energy to facilitate the treasure's advancement.

It may sound unbelievable, but Qingdanzigu has indeed achieved this.

Their sect's treasure, the Azure Sky Crystal Cauldron, has maintained its grade over the years due to frequent use by various alchemists in the sect. The residual pill energy is then used to nurture the treasure.

"If I make the Chaos Primordial Cauldron my Lifebound Treasure, in addition to regular pill fire cultivation, with my frequent pill refinement, I can quickly enhance the treasure's grade."

"These advantages are indeed far superior to other treasures."

No wonder it's said that an alchemist's Lifebound Treasure should ideally be a pill refinement tool.

Even without considering its offensive and defensive capabilities, the rapid cultivation and grade advancement alone are enough to outweigh any shortcomings.

After merely skimming through the iron tablet a few times, Luo Chen has already decided to make this treasure his Lifebound Treasure!

The description is indeed enticing!

"However, the materials required to forge this thing are truly numerous."

Luo Chen muttered.

The Chaos Primordial Cauldron's ability to meet most pill refinement requirements and offer additional benefits like suppression and defense is not something ordinary materials can achieve.

Luo Chen quickly scanned the list, and the names of the precious materials made his eyelids twitch.

Heavenspan Gold, Dark Dense Wood, Cold Marrow, Fire Spirit Crystal, Tracing Mud—the five main materials are all at least Tier 3!

Moreover, the attributes of these main materials reveal the reason behind the treasure's name, "Chaos Primordial Cauldron."

With Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth elements, it truly embodies the concept of "Chaos Primordial."

The list of auxiliary materials is equally astonishing.

Mystic Iron, Ink Lead, Sand Stream Fine Gold, Soft Thunder Sand, Mystic Luo Gold, Copper Essence...

Finally, the iron tablet also mentions that incorporating heavenly treasures, earth treasures, and various attribute minerals like wind, thunder, ice, and darkness would be ideal.

As Luo Chen reads, he understands why adding more precious minerals is beneficial—to achieve the concept of "Chaos Primordial."

"For an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, it might take a lifetime to gather all these materials."

"These material requirements demand a wealthy cultivator."

"It's indeed a Lifebound Treasure tailored for alchemists!"

Alchemists are known for their immense wealth.

Luo Chen, being a renowned alchemist and having acquired riches from multiple battles, is quite well-off.

Even if he doesn't have many Spirit Stones at the moment, during his Foundation Establishment, he kept mineral-related resources, considering the need to refine a Lifebound Treasure after achieving Core Formation.

Now, comparing the materials list of the Chaos Primordial Cauldron, he checks each item.

For the five main materials, he has one piece of Heavenspan Gold.

Dark Dense Wood, missing.

Cold Marrow, he has two vials of Ice Soul Essence, given to him by Absolute Emotion Fairy on behalf of the Ice Fortress during his Core Formation ceremony. It not only fulfills the requirement for a Water-attributed mineral but also possesses an Ice attribute.

Fire Spirit Crystal, missing.

Tracing Mud, he has three pounds, obtained from Fei Ming in exchange for treating Meng Rong Qing Lian's severed hand. However, only two taels were needed for her treatment, so after giving her four taels, he still has plenty left, enough to meet the requirements of the Chaos Primordial Cauldron.

"So, for the main materials, I only lack the Dark Dense Wood and Fire Spirit Crystal. Additionally, I need more Heavenspan Gold, so I’ll have to find a way to gather more."

"As for the auxiliary materials, although there are many types, with my years of accumulation, I’m not really lacking much. The part that’s missing can be collected by the Luo Tian Sect cultivators on my behalf."

"Heavenly materials and earth treasures, wind, thunder, ice, and darkness... I assume these are to make up for the deficiencies in attributes outside the Five Elements."

"I have accumulated a large amount of Mystic Heavenly Crystals. This is a fourth-tier mineral, which is extremely suitable for forging magical treasures and can be considered a heavenly material. But where can I find earth treasures?"

The "heavenly materials and earth treasures" recorded on the Iron Tablet are not ordinary treasure resources.

They literally represent "heavenly materials" and "earth treasures."

Mystic Heavenly Crystals are a well-known heavenly material in the cultivation world.

They can integrate various materials with different attributes and make them interact profoundly. Moreover, Mystic Heavenly Crystals even have a trace of growth potential.

If used as the main material to forge a lifebound treasure, it can enhance the upper limit of the treasure!

In addition, as a fourth-tier mineral, Mystic Heavenly Crystals have many other uses.

Ventilation, melting, absorbing spirits, and purifying, etc.

This is why it is called "heavenly crystal."

Back in the day, Fei Changqiu of the Divine Artisan Sect used a piece of Mystic Heavenly Crystal as a price to persuade Zuo Song of the Iron Sword Hall to assist him.

In the end, that piece of Mystic Heavenly Crystal fell into Luo Chen’s hands.

Over the years, Luo Chen has acquired many war spoils and has gradually collected quite a few.

"Let’s start bit by bit. At least, I have eighteen thousand-year-old Thunder Blossoms for the lightning element. With this, I can surpass ninety-nine percent of Golden Core cultivators."

I have the blueprint for the lifebound treasure.

Most of the auxiliary materials can be collected.

Once the five main materials are gathered, I can proceed with the forging.

The remaining rare materials are just for enhancing and improving the upper limit.

Moreover!

To forge the Chaos Primordial Cauldron, besides the materials, I need to master several array formations.

Otherwise, even if the materials are fused together, they will only be a magical treasure embryo.

Regarding array formations, Luo Chen plans to engrave them and hand them over to Min Longyu for research, while he will also study them.

Furthermore, he intends to learn the art of forging from Duan Feng, even if it’s just a basic introduction.

Otherwise, when using the Flourish Wither Fire to forge the magical treasure embryo, there will inevitably be major problems.

After some consideration,

Luo Chen can’t help but sigh:

"So many things to do!"

"This war of expansion is an opportunity for me, but it also consumes a lot of time. I hope it ends as soon as possible."

Regarding the war of expansion, Luo Chen doesn’t have high hopes for Nascent Soul opportunities.

He only wishes for a large Tier Three Spirit Vein.

It can serve as a cultivation place and a resting place for the Luo Tian Sect.

...

Luo Chen engraved the array formations needed for forging the Chaos Primordial Cauldron and handed them over to Min Longyu for research.

He himself also went to Duan Feng to learn the basics of forging.

At his current realm, entering a new skill is actually very simple.

Or rather, for most high-level cultivators, learning a common cultivation skill from scratch is not difficult.

What’s difficult is that due to talent limitations, they can’t go as far or delve as deep as those with talent.

Moreover, with the pressure of lifespan, high-level cultivators often only cultivate one or two cultivation skills as a sideline.

Luo Chen doesn’t expect to achieve great success in forging.

But he needs to understand the simplest processing of minerals and the integration of their properties.

Duan Feng naturally didn’t refuse his request.

Not only did he teach everything he knew, but he also made copies of the various forging texts he had collected over the years and gave them to Luo Chen.

Additionally,

Luo Chen handed over a list of the various minerals he needed to Sima Huiniang, asking her to order the Luo Tian Sect cultivators to collect them as much as possible.

Even if they can’t buy them, they should at least keep an eye out.

In this way, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day,

On Danxia Peak, the five Golden Core cultivators gathered!

Wufu Qi and Jiang Yu, who arrived together, and Cen Qiusheng, leading the Cen Clan cultivators, immediately focused their attention on the middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion.

Fu Jusheng!

A rare independent Golden Core cultivator in the cultivation world, from the Medicine King Domain.

He was once a well-known herbalist.

Wufu Qi and Cen Qiusheng had met him at Luo Chen’s Core Formation Ceremony and exchanged backgrounds.

Now, his appearance at the alliance meeting meant something.

"Is Daoist Friend Fu joining the Luo Tian Alliance?" Wufu Qi couldn’t help but ask.

Fu Jusheng looked at Luo Chen.

Luo Chen, without hesitation, smiled and said, "Daoist Friend Fu is now a guest scholar of the Luo Tian Sect. Naturally, he will be part of this alliance!"

Upon hearing this, Wufu Qi, Jiang Yu, and Cen Qiusheng exchanged glances.

Although the alliance was led by Luo Chen, and even the name "Luo Tian" was used,

they mainly wanted to leverage the reputation of the renowned alchemist.

After all, in the cultivation world, alchemy masters are highly respected.

In conflicts, they are often given three points of respect.

Borrowing the name is one thing, but in terms of leadership, Wufu Qi and the others still wanted to have some control.

But now, with Fu Jusheng, a Golden Core guest scholar, joining the Luo Tian Sect, they were on par with the Wind and Rain Manor.

The issue of leadership...

While they were hesitating, Luo Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What, do the three of you not welcome Daoist Friend Fu’s participation?"

Thank the brother who donated 100,000 coins to become the fourth alliance master of this book!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end