Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 719: The Yellow Spring Vanishes, But Cangwu Remains - Novel Cool

Chapter 719: The Yellow Spring Vanishes, But Cangwu Remains

Chapter 719: The Yellow Spring Vanishes, But Cangwu Remains

"As your master, I don't distrust you, but I must take precautions."

"I've already removed the source blood restriction, which will affect your normal cultivation. But I must plant the slave seal to prevent you from being controlled and turning against me at a critical moment."

"Hand over your soul blood!"

In a carriage that concealed its spiritual light, Luo Chen spoke slowly to Hei Wang, who was curled up beneath him.

His words were not baseless.

The lesson from Han Zhan's experience was right before his eyes.

Hei Wang's innate demonic art, aside from its inherent devouring and digestion abilities, had a similar effect to the capturing power of his innate treasure, the Huan Yuan Cauldron. If used in a surprise attack from behind, even Luo Chen would be affected.

Unfortunately, savage beasts, despite their immense power, had low intelligence and weak souls, making them easily manipulated by soul path experts.

Hei Wang was particularly vulnerable in this aspect.

Although he possessed decent intelligence, his cultivation time had been too brief. Even with a rapid rise in cultivation, he couldn't enhance his soul's foundation through years of tempering.

Unlike Luo Chen, who, despite his years of cultivation, had always possessed a deep soul foundation, already making up for this shortcoming.

Earlier, Luo Chen hadn't mentioned this because he was busy with his cultivation, and Hei Wang had just broken through. At that time, extracting soul blood would have hindered his cultivation.

Now, having left Dragon Abyss Island and facing the challenges of the cultivation world, Luo Chen had to prepare for the future.

Betrayal from those close to him must never happen again!

He looked at the hesitant Hei Wang without rushing him.

The latter's loyalty was unquestionable, but he hesitated because after handing over his soul blood, his life would be in Luo Chen's hands, a decision no living being could easily accept.

Up ahead, Sang Jing He drove the Six Empyrean Flying Cloud Cart, seemingly paying no attention to Luo Chen and Hei Wang. However, if one looked closely, his body beneath the robe was tense.

Tianxuan stood by his side, looking at Hei Wang with a mix of anxiety and concern.

She wanted to speak but couldn't find the words in the face of Luo Chen's calm and commanding presence.

By the carriage, the wind blew, and white clouds scattered.

After a while, Hei Wang spoke in a deep, resonant voice, "I am willing to be your loyal spiritual pet!"

A drop of dark red essence blood slowly emerged from his crown, and within it, a lifelike black-scaled dragon with long whiskers and four flailing legs could be seen.

This was Hei Wang's soul blood.

Luo Chen was satisfied and absorbed it into his mind sea, then imprinted his own soul-binding seal on Hei Wang.

From then on, Hei Wang's life and death would be in Luo Chen's hands with a mere thought.

Seeing Hei Wang's dejected posture, Luo Chen smiled and rubbed his cold head.

"Don't worry. If I ascend one day, I'll grant you freedom."

"Also, I can promise you this. When you're about to break through to the fifth rank, I'll return your soul blood and grant you a complete soul body!"

With these two promises, Hei Wang's anxious mood improved slightly.

Luo Chen's smile lightened the atmosphere in the carriage, allowing Tianxuan to finally speak.

She glanced at Hei Wang and then said to Luo Chen, "Master, what about me? My slave seal was also removed in the Ming Zhao Heaven Pill Hall, so..."

"Forget about it. Even if someone controls you, they can't threaten me with your current strength. Focus on your cultivation and serve me faithfully!"

Luo Chen laughed heartily.

Tianxuan sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.

Her strength wasn't enough to even qualify as the master's spiritual pet!

Meanwhile, Sang Jing He, upon hearing that Luo Chen didn't want Tianxuan's soul blood, breathed a sigh of relief.

In his heart, he thought, "What am I thinking? With the master's magnanimity, he can certainly accommodate a small Golden Core cultivator like me."

Just then, a command reached his ears.

"Let's change direction!"

He asked in confusion, "Master, aren't we heading north?"

"Let's go southeast first; I have something to do." Luo Chen said indifferently.

Sang Jing He nodded and steered the carriage away from its original course.

Luo Chen held a jade slip containing the geography of the Northern Sea and focused his divine sense on a group of islands resembling flying swallows.

The place was small and remote, but it was where he had first arrived in the Northern Sea.

His eyes held a mix of anticipation and reluctance.

...

The carriage headed southeast, bypassing the human territories.

However, they didn't encounter many powerful beasts along the way.

This was partly due to Luo Chen's concealment technique, but it was also true that the number of beasts in the Monster Sea had decreased.

Facing this unusual phenomenon, an oppressive feeling of impending storm enveloped everyone's hearts.

One day, the Six Empyrean Flying Cloud Cart stopped above a stretch of sea.

Suddenly, a black shadow shot out and plunged into the waters below.

Its massive body and ambiguous aura, at that moment, stirred fear in the hearts of many demons.

Alarmed voices rose from the beaches of the islands, but they soon quieted down under the awe-inspiring dragon's roar.

Soon, the black shadow returned.

Plop! A third-rank demon king, forced to shrink in size, shivered and knelt on the carriage deck.

Briny seawater flowed from its shell, and its expression was filled with terror.

"Answer whatever my master asks!"

The Red Rock Crab trembled and instinctively looked up at the man sitting on the soft couch.

In an instant, he felt as if he had fallen into a dream.

"I remember that in the Granite Sea, there were the Five Great Tribes of Demon Crabs. But when I probed with my divine sense, I only found your Red Rock Crab tribe, and the other demon crabs were few and far between. Why is that?"

The Red Rock Crab Demon King murmured, "A hundred years ago, after the battle at Granite Sea, the Five Great Tribes of Demon Crabs suffered heavy losses. Later, the Tyrant Crab tribe attempted to unify the Granite Sea, but they were countered by the Demon Spider Crab tribe's leader, Zhu Xiang, who colluded with the outer sea demons. In the ensuing civil war, the Tyrant Crab tribe was annihilated. The new leader, the Great Demon King of Golden Armor, also perished in that battle. It was the Golden Claw Great Demon King, who had lost an arm, that managed to break through the encirclement and escape into the vast Monster Sea."

"What about the remaining Qingdi Crab, Demon Spider Crab, Nine-Clawed Poison King Crab, and your Red Rock Crab tribes?"

The Red Rock Crab Demon King continued, "They were summoned by the Demon Emperor to join the Northern Sea Demon Coalition and are currently launching a large-scale attack on the human territories. I was left behind due to my weak strength..."

Indeed, this Red Rock Crab was not very powerful and seemed to have just advanced to the Demon King stage.

Luo Chen furrowed his brows, "The Demon Coalition?"

"It's a coalition of Northern Sea demon tribes led by the Northern Departure Great Sage and the Sea Emperor Whale. It's said to consist of dozens of major tribes and thousands of minor tribes, making it incredibly powerful. They are said to possess nine-tenths of the strength they had when they attacked the Primordial Demon Sect!"

Luo Chen took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with shock.

He had, of course, heard of the Northern Departure Great Sage and the Sea Emperor Whale.

They were two renowned ancient demons from the Northern Sea, both at the Divine Transformation stage.

Back then, it was under their leadership that millions of demon tribes launched an invasion into the Northern Night Mara Heaven.

Logically, they should have been trapped within the Yama Heaven, but how come they have now formed the Demon Coalition?

He wanted to ask more questions, such as how they managed to break free from their confinement and the current situation of the war.

But this little Demon King, secluded in a corner, had no knowledge of these details.

In the end, Luo Chen waved his hand and tossed the confused Demon King back into the sea.

The Six Empyrean Flying Cloud Cart continued its journey, now controlled by Tianxuan.

She and Sang Jing He had been taking turns driving, conserving their strength while maintaining their flight speed day and night.

On the cart, Black King's puzzled voice could be heard.

"Master, why didn't we slaughter them? These guys had relentlessly pursued us back then."

"It was us who hunted down the people from the Human Clan first. Don't twist the facts!"

"Well... I just don't like seeing these claw-waving guys. Their shells are so hard, they make my stomach hurt."

"Forget it. Since we don't need their resources, why create unnecessary bloodshed? Speaking of which, you're also a demon, why are you so bloodthirsty towards your own kind?"

"Who said we're the same kind? 'Demon' is just a term used by cultivators to refer to non-human beasts. We're not even related. Now, what race should I consider myself, Master? Do you know?"

"Hehe, that's a tough one for me."

...

Luo Chen indeed found it difficult to determine Black King's current race.

He used to be a giant black-scaled python that rolled around in mud.

Later, someone used a secret technique to force his growth, turning him into a black-scaled flood dragon. But at that time, Black King was not really a flood dragon; he was, at best, a dragon snake.

Even after consuming the remains of the Cliff Snake, he did not undergo a complete transformation.

Subsequently, he absorbed the blood of millions of dragon worms, along with Luo Chen's essence blood, and was also influenced by the residual soul of a savage beast stone dragon.

Throughout this process, the Imperial Flow Paste, a demon beast holy medicine that aids in uncovering deeper bloodline potential, was continuously taking effect.

By now, if one were to determine Black King's race, neither his bloodline nor his soul could be definitively classified. Only his appearance resembled the legendary Yinglong described in some ancient texts.

However, he lacked wings!

Let's just call him a flood dragon!

Luo Chen couldn't be bothered with these trivial matters and hurriedly passed through the Granite Sea.

This place had once held great promise for him, almost becoming his backup choice for advancing to the Nascent Soul stage. But now, with his current perspective, it seemed extremely lacking in spirit energy.

Especially the Granite Island, which had not been properly developed. After a hundred years, its rank had still not recovered to the fourth tier, remaining at the third tier.

It seemed unlikely that a Demon Emperor would emerge from this sea for at least eight hundred years.

...

The cart continued on its journey, and wherever it passed, Luo Chen's divine sense quietly scanned the area.

He found that it was mostly unchanged from his memories, but there were a few missing islands.

For example, there used to be a large island inhabited by humans, with a Golden Core sect occupying it. Now, both the island and its inhabitants had disappeared without a trace.

This was strange.

Even if it had been damaged in battle, there should still be remnants of the original site.

Moreover, Luo Chen remembered that the immortal island had been protected by the Linked Island Formation, a technique passed down by the Cang Hai Righteous Alliance. Ordinary demon beasts couldn't possibly have destroyed it.

However, this strange occurrence paled in comparison to another event—the disappearance of Soul Severing Cliff!

After traveling east from Dragon Abyss Island, Luo Chen carefully approached the Nether Sea where he remembered Soul Severing Cliff to be, traversing thousands of miles along the way.

But there was nothing there!

Yes, the sky was clear, and the seawater was a vibrant blue, with no trace of the turbid and terrifying scene of souls being severed.

Even when flying along the outskirts of the demon sea, there was no sign of Soul Severing Cliff or the Nether Sea.

"Did they run away?"

"Is that sea a living creature?"

This speculation had once crossed Luo Chen's mind.

He remembered that the puppet he had used to house a portion of his soul using Han Zhan's Opening the Bamboo Grove Technique had, before its demise, vaguely conveyed a scene to him.

The endless Nether Sea surged, washing over the void.

The vast ocean roared, and the sound of chewing echoed in his mind.

If he had to explain the strange disappearance of the Nether Sea, the only answer would be that the sea was a living creature.

...

One month later.

An albatross soared in the sky, and Sala trees swayed gracefully.

Luo Chen quietly descended from the luxurious carriage.

"You all go to the Swallow Island Archipelago and wait for me. If there are no unexpected events, I'll be there shortly."

Tianxuan was a little confused. Was this the same area where the albatross was circling? She recalled that when they had returned from the Granite Sea, her master had also stopped here and asked her to scout the Swallow Island Archipelago first.

At that time, she had thought that her master was preventing a potential ambush at the archipelago.

But now, her master had already achieved the Nascent Soul Stage; why would he still need to stop here?

However, since her master had given the order, there was no room for questioning.

"Yes, Master!"

Watching the carriage depart, Luo Chen took a deep breath and directed his gaze towards the few islands in the Albatross Sea.

He didn't release his divine sense but relied solely on his memory to search for his target.

Soon, he spotted a familiar small mountain.

"Back then, I passed by this mountain without entering. This time, I must face it."

Luo Chen waved his sleeve and flew towards the mountain.

When he reached the foot of the mountain, he began to climb on foot.

Wherever he passed, the lush vines seemed to have a consciousness of their own, actively coiling away.

Soon, Luo Chen stood in front of a cave entrance, his heart pounding with trepidation, hidden behind the dense natural vegetation.

"Go in!"

Luo Chen pushed aside the vines and stepped into the darkness.

...

Standing before an ancient array, Luo Chen tightened his lips.

His hand brushed over a corner of the array pattern, and a slight tremor could be seen.

It had been repaired!

This array had been restored!

He remembered very clearly that when he had arrived in the Northern Sea through the Cangwu Mountain teleportation array, he had awoken and destroyed a corner of this array to prevent the Cangwu Mountain demon cultivators from tracking him down.

Now, the ancient array patterns looked brand new, not a speck of dust on them.

It was clear that the array had been repaired recently, at most two or three decades ago.

Who could it be?

Was it the Demon Emperor Qing Shuang, or the Vice Hall Master You Quan of the Crossing True Hall? Or perhaps, it was that person...

A name stirred in his mind, like a forbidden thought.

Luo Chen's reason for coming here was not only his homesickness for Dong Huang, but also the grudges between the Heaven Forging Lord and Qixia Supreme Lord in the Demon Subduing Land.

He, who had mastered the Qixia Technique and also obtained the Heaven Forging Lord's inheritance, wanted to see the condition of this teleportation array that led directly to Cangwu Mountain. If Cangwu Mountain had been destroyed by the Abyss Sect's Divine Transformation expert, they wouldn't have the spare energy to repair this teleportation array. In that case, his return to Dong Huang would be less risky. If it had been repaired, he would have to face the fact that he had once refined pills for the demons, and there was a risk of them exposing him.

Upon seeing the repaired array, Luo Chen's inner conflict dissipated.

It was as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

The array's restoration meant that Cangwu Mountain was still standing, and they even had the spare energy to travel tens of thousands of miles to the Northern Sea to repair this teleportation array.

They were so confident that they didn't even bother relocating the array, unafraid of him, who knew the truth.

"Some things can't be avoided forever; I must face them eventually."

Luo Chen's eyes flickered, and the tumultuous emotions in his heart gradually calmed.

"Han Zhan is dead, and no one else knows what I did at Cangwu Mountain. All the human cultivators who could have known died in that Nirvana Holy Flame incident."

"Now that I've formed my Nascent Soul, as long as I deny doing those things, no one should question me, except for those in the Divine Transformation Stage."

"If the Abyss Sect pursues the matter, I also have the ability to refine Fifth Rank Divine Pills, which I can use as a bargaining chip."

"I must return to Dong Huang!"

"However, I can't use this teleportation array."

Luo Chen shook his head and turned to leave.

He didn't dare to use the array, and without the protection of the Azure Feather, he couldn't activate it.

Just then, Luo Chen's heart stirred.

He instinctively reached for his lower abdomen.

In the Purple Mansion, the Withering Vigor Fire Spirit was eager to try.

Luo Chen was surprised, "Can you activate this array?"

Then, he realized the key to it.

The Withering Vigor True Flame had once devoured a bit of the Nirvana Holy Flame, and even that small amount had given it a hint of the Holy Flame's essence.

The Demon Emperor Qing Shuang might be able to rely on the law of space to create a super-large teleportation array, but she wouldn't have the resources or the need to do so. The main purpose of her setting up this array was probably for Qixia Supreme Lord's use.

Qixia Supreme Lord, who mastered the Nirvana Holy Flame, might also be one of the keys to activating this array.

That's why his Withering Vigor Fire Spirit resonated with it.

"Forget it, I don't need this array. I can find another way back to Dong Huang."

Luo Chen shook his head and walked out of the cave.

Without causing further damage, he left the Albatross Sea as if nothing had changed.

He didn't need to retrace his steps.

Now that he had formed his Nascent Soul, he was confident that he could forge his own path to the heavens!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end

Report