https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-801-The-Ancient-Stronghold-The-Abyss-School-s-Scheme/12942947/
Chapter 802: Ice Fortress Heartless, Meeting a True Immortal
Chapter 802: Ice Fortress Heartless, Meeting a True Immortal
Luo Chen's arrival eased the tense atmosphere of preparation for battle within the Ling Tian Pass.
At this time, all resources were scarce, especially those that could quickly enhance the cultivation of cultivators, like elixirs, which were highly sought after.
Previously, there was a Medicine Monastery in Dong Huang, but it had been destroyed.
High-level alchemists were either secretly absorbed by major sects or were too busy to spare time, creating a vacuum in the market.
Luo Chen's appearance indeed filled this vacuum.
This was the main reason for his rapid rise to fame within a short period.
Therefore, the Ling Tian Pass treated Luo Chen with exceptional hospitality.
Among the five Nascent Soul cultivators, Qin Bai Xiang of the Hundred Beasts Sect was positioned at the forefront, facing the extreme east direction, where the demonic beast army was most likely to launch an attack.
Xiao Shi Niang and Idle Crane True Man were positioned on the left and right flanks, a thousand miles apart, guarding the front line.
Luo Chen's patrol area was assigned to the relatively rear western direction, where he would only face pressure from scattered demonic beast squads.
Listening Wind Son, renowned for his extraordinary flight speed, served as a mobile force, ready to respond at any moment.
It was said that he would occasionally be dispatched to scout the front line.
This was the general arrangement.
On the same day, Luo Chen went to the inner mansion that the Ling Tian City Lord had arranged for him.
"So, this is where I'll be staying for the next three years!"
Luo Chen stepped out of the cultivation room, feeling quite emotional.
It had been a while since he had enjoyed a cultivation environment with a fourth-rank spirit vein.
Fortunately, the Ling Tian Pass was not lacking in such inner mansions.
According to rumors, when the pass was established, a group of Nascent Soul experts moved mountains and seas, forcibly relocating these inner mansions from some fallen domains.
In the future, if a fierce battle were to break out, these inner mansions could accommodate the rest and recuperation of numerous Nascent Soul experts, meeting their needs for recovering their cultivation power.
"If you're satisfied, that's all that matters. This inner mansion is second only to the City Lord's Manor within the city," said Listening Wind Son.
Luo Chen blinked.
No wonder! He had felt that the inner mansion was filled with abundant spiritual energy, surpassing both his previous residence on Dragon Spring Island and the seventy-eighth cave mansion in the Heaven Earth Peak where he had briefly stayed.
It seemed that the Ling Tian City Lord had put a lot of thought into his arrangements.
Seeing Luo Chen's satisfaction, Listening Wind Son could barely contain his excitement.
"I heard that Nine Spirit Fellow Daoist has obtained the elixir he wanted. It seems the rumors are true, and your alchemy skills are indeed heavenly!"
Luo Chen smiled lightly, "Flattery, flattery. At this point, there's no need to beat around the bush. If you want me to refine a specific elixir, just tell me."
Listening Wind Son's expression brightened, and without hesitation, he took out an elixir formula.
Unlike Nine Spirit Lord, who would hesitate, he directly handed it to Luo Chen.
"This elixir is related to my sect's life-saving method. If you can refine it for me, I'll be eternally grateful."
Luo Chen waved his hand and didn't make any promises. Instead, he looked down and carefully examined the formula.
Listening Wind Son didn't dare to disturb him and quietly waited for his response.
For Luo Chen, scrutinizing elixir formulas like this was a routine task.
After about an hour, he had a clear understanding.
"I can refine this elixir."
As soon as he spoke, Listening Wind Son's eyes lit up.
"However, you'll need to provide the materials yourself."
Listening Wind Son nodded repeatedly, "That's only natural. If you're willing to refine the elixir for me, it's already a kind gesture. How could I let you bear the cost?"
Luo Chen smiled and said, "What about the price?"
Just like before, Listening Wind Son was at a loss again.
He was well aware that these days, it was already kind of others to help with alchemy.
But to spend a lot of energy and time on alchemy was a luxury for Nascent Soul cultivators like them, who valued every second.
Compensation was a must! But he was poor!
He clearly remembered the three conditions Luo Chen had proposed during his Nascent Soul Formation ceremony.
However, whether it was the Crimson Sky Qi or various elixir formulas, he hadn't collected much.
He did have some body tempering techniques, but their grade wasn't very high, and he feared that Luo Chen wouldn't be interested.
Gritting his teeth, Listening Wind Son said, "I can offer three hundred superior-grade spirit stones."
Three hundred superior-grade spirit stones?
That was only three million inferior-grade spirit stones, which was still considered acceptable given the current strategic value of high-grade spirit stones.
But it wasn't enough!
Luo Chen's expression remained unchanged.
Listening Wind Son continued, "I have several ancient body tempering techniques of around third-rank."
A third-rank body tempering technique was too low.
Luo Chen continued to smile at him.
Listening Wind Son thought for a moment and said with gritted teeth, "I can also give you a fourth-rank Netherworld Venomous Python's large tendon. This beast is extremely powerful, and it was only with great difficulty that I and several fellow Daoists managed to slay it. Its large tendon is an excellent material for forging weapons. If you obtain it..."
Luo Chen sighed, "Listening Wind Son, you know very well that these things are of little use to me. On the contrary, if I were to spend a year or more refining an elixir for you, the cost to me would be hard to estimate. Do you think these conditions can buy a Nascent Soul cultivator's precious time for a year?"
Listening Wind Son's expression changed.
The items he offered could indeed entice a Nascent Soul cultivator, but only if they needed those items.
Moreover, it would take a whole year!
Seeing his dilemma, Luo Chen suddenly said, "But I've always been kind to fellow cultivators and can't bear to see them in difficulty. If you can agree to one condition, then even if it takes a year or more to refine the elixir for you, it's not impossible."
"What condition?" Listening Wind Son blurted out.
Luo Chen smiled slightly, "It's simple. Just help me out once in the future, or if you see that my sect is in trouble, offer some assistance."
Rest assured, the scope of my assistance will not put you in a perilous situation, causing you any difficulty."
Listening Wind Son's expression changed from initial hesitation to joy with just a few words from Luo Chen.
He clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your help!"
He was genuinely grateful to Luo Chen.
Helping others was not uncommon for a Nascent Soul True Man.
Moreover, Luo Chen specifically mentioned that it wouldn't be a highly dangerous task, so it would likely be an easy task for him.
The Alchemy Sect is truly benevolent!
The Nine Spirit Lord had not spoken falsely; Luo Chen indeed possessed the demeanor of a gentleman.
After leaving the necessary raw materials and the previously mentioned trivial rewards, Listening Wind Son left with great delight.
Luo Chen first collected the raw materials, then checked the compensation given by the other party.
300 Superior Spirit Stones—for a Nascent Soul True Man, this was indeed a meager amount.
But at this critical moment, the use of Superior Spirit Stones was too great, and their consumption had naturally increased significantly.
Perhaps this was the last batch of Spirit Stones the other party had.
Luo Chen carefully put them away; he needed Spirit Stones too!
"Maybe I can sell a batch of low-grade elixirs to earn some Spirit Stones. At the same time, I can also increase my favorability among those low-level cultivators."
"However, I'll have to figure out how to sell them. If I use an auction format, the highest bidder will get it, but they won't be grateful to me; they'll just think they deserved it for paying a high price."
Luo Chen thought carefully, and many ideas came to mind.
His hands didn't slow down, and he multitasked, checking the other items.
The Netherworld Venomous Python's core material! Its rich blood essence and sturdy quality indeed made it a rare fourth-rank material.
"The core material for Caiyi's Lifebound Treasure is now available!"
Then, he glanced through several third-rank Body Tempering Arts. Luo Chen took a brief look and became interested.
"They all emphasize speed, no wonder the Ethereal Sect specifically collects these items; their sect is famous for their flight speed."
"Although the rank is not high, they are complete, with nothing missing."
"Have these books sent back to the sect and give them to Wang Yuan for research. Maybe he can complete the last two styles of the Wind Moon Thunder Cloud Ascension Path."
After checking everything, Luo Chen was quite satisfied.
Although the overall value of these items was not too high, far inferior to the large amount of Crimson Heaven Qi that the Nine Spirit Lord provided, the talisman skins, and the elixirs given by the old talisman master, they were all useful to him.
Moreover, he also obtained a promise of assistance from the other party.
This deal was not a loss for Luo Chen.
...
After a brief rest, Luo Chen began his official patrol duty the next day.
In fact, many tasks didn't require the personal involvement of a Nascent Soul True Man.
The Luo Tian Sect cultivators he brought with him joined the other cultivators who were originally forced to stay in the city, led by the Luo Tian cultivators, and began setting up defenses in the western area.
They inspected the city's formation, patrolled the walls, and formed small teams to patrol within a hundred li radius of Lingtian Pass.
The task for the Nascent Soul True Man was actually quite simple.
From time to time, he would release his divine sense to unilaterally investigate and prevent the top demonic experts from forcibly breaking through Lingtian Pass.
Once detected, they would notify the city, and with the Lingtian Pass formation activated, even a late-stage fourth-rank Shaped Demonic Beast couldn't break through.
However, Luo Chen had a concern about this.
When he was at the City Lord Manor, he directly asked about it.
"There's a Demon Sovereign named Qing Shuang, whose true form is the Divine Bird Qing Luan, and she can manipulate spatial laws. If she were to arrive, could Lingtian Pass hold her back?"
This question received an affirmative response from the Lingtian City Lord.
"I'm afraid she won't come!"
Only then did Luo Chen's worry subside.
The Demon Sovereign Qing Shuang's battle records were indeed terrifying. She had instantly defeated five Nascent Souls, fought against three Grand Cultivators, and even managed to hold her ground for a moment against Divine Transformation experts.
Such an existence, without a method to restrain her, would render Lingtian Pass, the so-called thousand-year-old stronghold of Dong Huang, as fragile as paper.
Of course, Luo Chen was also curious about what could restrain the Demon Sovereign Qing Shuang.
Unfortunately, the Lingtian City Lord kept it a tight secret, saying that it wouldn't be easily used until the time to meet a True Man arrived, and Luo Chen had no choice but to suppress his curiosity.
...
After scanning with his divine sense, Luo Chen calmed himself.
As he became familiar with the patrol task, he realized its troublesome aspects.
He would need to release his divine sense from time to time, which wasn't too exhausting for a Nascent Soul True Man but was very distracting.
Whether cultivating or handling matters, it was quite inconvenient.
"However, this isn't a problem for me."
With a slight smile, Luo Chen took out two puppets from his storage ring.
They were the Black Ape and the Red Dog! He infused a portion of his soul into the two puppets.
Luo Chen's main body issued a command, and the Black Ape flew out towards the Lingtian Pass walls.
The soul sense in the puppets was slightly weaker but still had the strength of a normal early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, making them more efficient in investigating day and night.
Luo Chen didn't let the remaining Red Dog puppet idle; he directly gave it the elixir formula from Listening Wind Son.
Although this elixir formula was also fourth-rank, its refinement difficulty wasn't high.
It was far less challenging than the Nascent Soul Elixir and the Nine Departure Pill, and even slightly inferior to the Shaped Demon Pill.
In Luo Chen's opinion, its refinement difficulty was probably just higher than the fourth-rank Black Emperor Paste and similar to the Purple Qi Poison-Suppressing Elixir.
Listening Wind Son probably hadn't refined it before because he lacked the resources, and no one was willing to refine it for him!
With such a low difficulty, Luo Chen didn't need to use the system achievement points.
He would let the divided soul research and familiarize itself with the formula, and then the main body could directly refine it.
This way, the main body could take a break.
But when did Luo Chen ever have free time? A strand of sword qi hissed from his fingertip.
"I've refined seven strands of Crimson Heaven Sword Qi; in three years, I should be able to refine three more strands."
"Once I reach ten strands, I'll attain the initial stage of the Sword Canon, and it will also be a breakthrough for my Proficiency Panel. Perhaps, I might witness some additional changes."
Luo Chen was deep in thought.
At the same time, the large tendon of the Netherworld Venomous Python appeared in his hand.
"Caiyi wants a flying sleeve, ribbon, or whip-like weapon as her Lifebound Treasure. This material is highly suitable, and the attributes are also fine."
"I only lack the refining blueprints for such a treasure."
"I'll have to move around and see if anyone else has the corresponding blueprints. If I can get them, it would be a good thing to refine Caiyi's Lifebound Treasure during these three years."
In a short while, Luo Chen had already planned out his arrangements for the three years at Ling Tian Pass.
It had to be said that the Soul Severing Art left behind by Han Zhan had been a great help to him.
If not for the divided soul, he wouldn't be able to handle so many matters with such ease.
He estimated that he could only focus all his energy on a single cultivation path, like an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
...
Just as countless cultivators at Ling Tian Pass had thought, ever since the Alchemy Sect entered the city, they had been like a dragon that appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The entrance to the city became the only opportunity to meet them.
But this didn't mean that the Alchemy Sect had lost its presence!
There were rumors that in the hands of the young leader of the Heavenward Sect, the Savage Dragon Son, there was a large quantity of elixirs!
These elixirs were all refined by Luo Chen of the Alchemy Sect and given to the Savage Dragon Son.
They included elixirs for the Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages, each with three grades, and their uses were very diverse. There were cultivation-related elixirs, auxiliary elixirs, and even the rarest type—the boundary-breaking elixirs.
As long as the Savage Dragon Son agreed, one could obtain the needed elixirs at a relatively reasonable price from him.
However, if he disagreed, no matter how high the price offered, it would be impossible to obtain even a single pill!
In no time, many cultivators, during their breaks, specifically went to the West District to seek an audience with the Savage Dragon Son.
Some who lacked connections even started to befriend other Heavenward Sect cultivators, hoping to get an introduction to contact the Savage Dragon Son.
As a result, the dozens of Heavenward Sect cultivators gradually received different treatment within Ling Tian Pass.
When they went out, they were accompanied by many friends.
During patrols, other cultivator teams often maintained close contact, ensuring they avoided extremely dangerous areas.
Perhaps this sounded exaggerated.
But the fact was that no one wanted to offend the Heavenward Sect cultivators, even if they didn't need the elixirs.
It was common for people to try to get acquainted and establish a good relationship.
And this situation was exactly what Luo Chen wanted to see.
Initially, he had planned to use a large number of low-grade elixirs to enhance his reputation and status among the loose cultivators.
But after careful consideration, he found that such a move wouldn't benefit him much.
The help from those low-grade cultivators was too minimal.
On the contrary, if he could rely on his reputation and the advantage of elixirs, allowing his disciples to establish extensive connections, the gains would be even greater.
In such a situation, following the precedent, it would be similar to the previous case of Qing Dan Valley and the Medicine Monastery's cultivators. Whenever they went out, they often received respectful treatment.
Because they had the backing of their sect and Luo Chen, they were treated with respect.
After giving instructions for this matter, Luo Chen didn't pay much attention to it.
Anyway, he had handed the matter to Zeng Yilong, and at the same time, he fulfilled Wang Yuan's desire to teach. He wanted Zeng Yilong to learn to discern the goodness of people's hearts through extensive social interactions, so he wouldn't be easily deceived by a woman like what happened on the Battle Platform.
One day, Luo Chen returned from the City Lord Manor with a relaxed expression.
The Ling Tian City Lord was indeed a good person!
When Luo Chen "casually" mentioned that he had a large tendon of the Netherworld Venomous Python but lacked the corresponding method to utilize it, the City Lord generously gave him a refining blueprint.
The blueprint recorded the refining method for a treasure named the Dark Abyss Whip.
The main material required was the large tendon of a dragon-python-like demonic beast, as well as the Abyss Water unique to the Abyss School.
Once this treasure was refined, not only would its power be immense, capable of eroding enemies' treasures, but it could also briefly transform into the original appearance of the large tendon before its death, which was truly wondrous.
For this reason, the Ling Tian City Lord also gave Luo Chen three drops of Abyss Water, allowing him to dilute and use it.
"No wonder the Ling Tian City Lord has such a good reputation; he's indeed very generous!"
"Compared to him, I sometimes feel like a petty person."
Luo Chen sighed, eager to study the blueprints of the Dark Abyss Whip.
But just as he returned to his Inner Mansion, he was surprised to see the white-haired Xu Xiaoliu standing outside the manor, looking as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Supreme Elder, someone wants to meet you."
"For the elixirs?"
Luo Chen asked habitually. Recently, many people had requested him to refine elixirs, including some Nascent Soul stage cultivators sent by their sects to make contact and test the waters.
However, most of them sought out Chu Kui and Zeng Yilong.
It was rare for someone to come through Xu Xiaoliu's connection.
Rarities often have their reasons.
Sure enough!
Xu Xiaoliu spoke softly, "It's not for the elixirs; it's to ask you to save someone."
Save someone?
Luo Chen's footsteps paused.
After a moment, Luo Chen stood by the window with his hands behind his back, quietly waiting for the visitor.
Footsteps could be heard outside the manor.
In his divine sense, he recognized the familiar appearance.
Still as cold and detached as before, but the former arrogance was long gone.
The footsteps gradually slowed down, until Xu Xiaoliu respectfully opened the door for the visitor.
The figure hesitated at the door for a moment, then took a deep breath and strode inside.
Upon seeing Luo Chen's back, the visitor's pupils constricted.
Then, biting her teeth, she lifted her skirt and knelt on the ground.
"Ice Fortress Heartless, I pay my respects to Luo Zhenren!"
(End of Chapter)
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