https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-970-The-Divine-Lord-Ascends-Southern-Frontier-Settled/13463560/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-972-Soul-Severing-Cliff-Yellow-Spring-Sea-Top-Desolate/13463562/
Chapter 971: Crossing the Southern Ocean, Turbid Waves Swallow the Flames
Chapter 971: Crossing the Southern Ocean, Turbid Waves Swallow the Flames
“Farewell to the Ancestor as he ascends!”
...
The deafening cheers of farewell still echoed faintly, but they gradually faded away with the rhythm of the waves beneath his feet.
Luo Chen gazed out at the unfamiliar sea, where no birds were seen, only a dense fog, evoking a vague sense of familiarity.
“Is this... the Southern Ocean?” Luo Chen murmured, his voice hesitant.
Suddenly!
“Hmm...”
A low groan escaped his lips, and Luo Chen's expression changed slightly.
Only now did the extreme weakness he felt suddenly become apparent.
Scanning his body with his divine senses, Luo Chen instantly understood the dire state of his condition.
His nascent soul was weakened, and his mystic power was depleted.
His limbs, organs, and even his meridians and acupoints all ached fiercely.
This was the aftermath of the battle in the Yin-Yang Remnant Realm!
But during the brief time he spent with the Divine Lord Youli, the latter had suppressed his injuries with powerful abilities, so he hadn't felt them.
Now, having left the peak of the cloud sea, with no one to suppress him, the injuries began to take their toll on Luo Chen.
The only good news was that his essence power, which had been nearly depleted, had quietly increased, giving him enough strength to protect himself.
Essence power differed from mystic power. Mystic power was externally sought and internalized, while essence power was a physical strength derived from powerful flesh and blood. As long as the body remained intact, essence power could be replenished endlessly.
The term "essence" in essence power referred to the intrinsic power of the body and also conveyed the idea of an endless supply.
Of course, there was no such thing as truly infinite power.
The cost of an endless supply was the continuous exploitation of the body.
If overused, it would significantly reduce one's lifespan.
On his attribute panel, Luo Chen's originally impressive lifespan of 1,500 years had been reduced due to the battles in the Medicine King Domain and the Yin-Yang Remnant Realm.
Having experienced these two battles firsthand, Luo Chen understood even more why the path of body refinement had gradually declined in the Mountain and Sea Cultivation Realm.
Each intense battle led to a loss of lifespan. Who would willingly choose such a path?
If not for his concurrent practice of mystic energy cultivation, which provided additional lifespan, he might not have withstood such depletion.
Exhaling a turbid breath, Luo Chen understood why the Divine Lord Youli had sent him to the Southern Ocean.
In his current state, he was extremely weakened.
If he were in the Southern Border Cultivation Realm and encountered a powerful nascent soul cultivator, unexpected incidents might occur.
While the Southern Ocean was equally bizarre and dangerous, it wasn't as terrifying for the Primordial Cauldron, which still retained the aura of a fifth-rank divine insect.
“Truly thoughtful of that senior!” Luo Chen sighed in admiration.
Despite still having many questions, he was deeply impressed by the other's actions.
Before ascending, the Divine Lord Youli had helped the Life-Death Sect defeat their formidable enemy.
With the retreat of Tianguan and the collapse of the Malignant Peak Alliance, the entire Southern Border Cultivation Realm was severely weakened and left in a state of emptiness.
In this situation, the Life-Death Sect, with its intact strength, could easily unify the Southern Border!
What the Abyss Sect had once aspired to but failed to achieve, the Divine Lord Youli had almost accomplished with a single move.
Especially with the Yin-Yang Remnant Realm's threat now resolved, the Gate of Death could return and merge with the Gate of Life, providing the Life-Death Sect with a complete defensive barrier.
Even if the cultivators of the Southern Border were to rally against the Life-Death Sect in the future, they would have a strategic advantage and wouldn't be vulnerable to another invasion.
“A pity, though.”
“Despite achieving our goals in the Southern Border, the journey was rushed, and there was much I didn't get to see or experience.”
Reflecting on this, Luo Chen turned his attention to the sea, shrouded in a faint black mist.
When he first entered the nascent soul stage, he had accidentally ventured into this sea, hoping to use it to cross Dong Huang. Unfortunately, his lack of strength and cautious nature prevented him from delving deeper.
This time, he could give it a try.
But to be safe, some preparation was necessary.
With a thought, Luo Chen's left shoulder twitched.
Black light flickered, and his spirit pet reappeared.
Seeing Hei Wang lying listlessly in the water, Luo Chen asked calmly, “Can you still move?”
“Hardly!” Hei Wang drooped his eyelids, speaking weakly, “That big guy almost tore me apart.”
“Don't pretend. I need you to carry me for this journey.”
Though he said this, Luo Chen was genuinely concerned for Hei Wang.
In a regular battle, a few injuries to Hei Wang wouldn't be a big deal.
But the Nether Dragon was a fifth-rank beast, and it seemed to share Hei Wang's earth affinity.
Being severely injured by such a creature must have been extremely painful for Hei Wang.
With a flick of his wrist, streams of light emerged from his storage ring, all precious healing elixirs Luo Chen had personally refined or collected before his departure.
At this moment, there was no time for careful identification. Luo Chen simply stuffed a large handful of items directly into Hei Wang's mouth.
Hei Wang closed his eyes and swallowed everything whole.
Not only that, he even pretended to cough a few times, with great difficulty.
"Master, it's a bit hard to swallow!"
Luo Chen, helpless, understood what Hei Wang was up to.
But considering Hei Wang's proactive protection during the previous danger, he no longer held back. The light from his storage ring flickered, and a wine jar appeared.
A rich aroma of wine wafted out subtly.
Hei Wang opened his drooping eyelids, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"This is the last jar of the thousand-year-old Wu Temple Immortal Brew. I'll reward it to you!"
"Thank you, Master, thank you!"
Hei Wang tilted his head back, and a large amount of wine gushed out of the jar, which he gulped down in large mouthfuls, his face full of satisfaction.
This was indeed the last jar of the thousand-year-old Wu Temple Immortal Brew.
Although the Diyun Sect had a large stock of this spirit wine, it couldn't withstand Luo Chen's continuous consumption over thirty years!
There were only a few hundred jars in total, and they had long since dwindled to almost nothing.
Of course, the benefits this brought to Luo Chen were undeniable.
After making no progress in the "Ten Thousand Dao Convergence", Luo Chen could still cultivate to the late Fourth Rank of the Ancient Era, not just because of the "Hundred Toxins Body Tempering Technique."
The foundation built by thirty years of Wu Temple Immortal Brew consumption had created the miracle of his rapid advancement.
At this moment, giving away the last jar of Wu Temple Immortal Brew, Luo Chen felt a twinge of pain but wasn't particularly heartbroken.
Firstly, the brewing method for this wine had already been roughly deduced by the cultivators of the Luotian Sect, so it could be brewed in the future.
Secondly, he had the "Hundred Toxins Body Tempering Technique", and as long as the materials for toxin cultivation were sufficient, he wouldn't lack the effects of body tempering.
"I've heard that the Southern Ocean is the birthplace of Southern Frontier insect cultivation. Over thousands of years, countless wondrous insects have emerged from these waters."
"Along the way, we can pay attention. If we can find a few high-grade poison insects for free, they can assist in the refinement of the Hundred Toxins King Insect."
Looking out at the vast, boundless sea, Luo Chen mused, then sat cross-legged on Hei Wang's smooth, scaly back.
"Head northeast, and try to return to Dong Huang as soon as possible!"
After giving the order, Luo Chen took out a top-grade Hongyuan Pill and began to restore his mystic power.
Hei Wang let out a cry and immediately broke through the black mist, heading towards the vast sea.
...
One month later.
On the vast sea, a blue-green vulture circled in the sky, its sapphire-like eyes fixed intently on the slowly moving black shadow below, like a patient hunter waiting for its prey.
On the massive black shadow, a white-robed Daoist sat cross-legged.
Having left the Southern Frontier, Luo Chen had resumed his original appearance.
The Mystic Dust Armor he had been wearing was stored in his Purple Mansion, with his nascent soul continuously emitting mystic power to refine and nourish it.
The battle with the Nether Dragon had severely damaged the Mystic Dust Armor, and without suitable materials for repair, it could only be slowly nourished and restored by mystic power.
However, he still wore the Peace Mountain Hat.
This magic treasure not only looked excellent but also had outstanding defensive capabilities, having been used daily by the ancient demon Ping Shan Jun, the Heavenly Emperor of the Mountains.
The reason it didn't show its prowess during the previous battle was that Luo Chen wasn't familiar enough with it.
If he took the time to get to know it better, its defensive power would surpass that of the Mystic Dust Armor.
At this moment, Luo Chen had just finished his meditation and was intently examining a treasure in his hand.
It was a vigorously beating heart!
The heart of Master Litian!
Even though it had been separated from its owner for many days, this heart remained bright red and continued to beat in a five-breath cycle.
Moreover, with each beat, it emitted a large amount of vital energy, filling the blood vessels around it.
Such a bizarre phenomenon was truly astonishing.
Luo Chen compared it to his own heart and concluded that it was no less impressive.
"Fortunately, I acted swiftly and dug out Master Litian's heart. Otherwise, with this heart's assistance, Master Litian's strength would have been even greater under the suppression at Stormy Pavilion", Luo Chen muttered, his words tinged with admiration.
However, this admiration was not for Master Litian's body tempering skills but for the Demon Heart Insect that had fallen into a deep sleep within the heart!
After Luo Chen personally erased the Shenxi mark on the Demon Heart Insect, this peculiar insect fell into a deep sleep.
But even in its sleeping state, the powerful vital energy it naturally absorbed and expelled was still astonishing.
It was hard to imagine the level this insect had reached after hundreds of years of cultivation.
It was probably just a step away from the Fifth Rank.
"Perhaps Master Litian's desperate desire for the Life-Death Bond Insect, even at the Fourth Rank, was because of this Demon Heart Insect!"
"Both are derived from the same source. If I refine this Demon Heart Insect into the Fourth Rank Life-Death Bond Insect, could it have a chance to break through to the Fifth Rank?"
Luo Chen didn't know the answer, as he had no great expertise in insect cultivation.
But with Master Litian's skills, achieving that should not be difficult.
"Never mind, I don't need it to be too high a rank. As long as it can remove the restriction on Lingxi, that's enough."
Luo Chen cast a series of seals to temporarily seal the heart.
Then he began to inventory the other spoils of war!
Indeed, the trip to the Yin-Yang Remnant Realm, although it ended abruptly, had yielded a large amount of loot.
Apart from the Golden Dragon Lion's origin blood, even some of the "miscellaneous items" that Divine Lord Youli had fished out were of great use to him.
A long, shimmering, crystal-clear sword, like a piece of crystal.
This was a True Artifact left behind by Meng Shen Tong, named the Void Cleaver.
In attack, it is formless and intangible, unpredictable and undefined.
It can change shape at will and traverse space, unleashing immense power.
The only drawback is that it requires the Vacuum Insect to be used in tandem to amplify its effectiveness.
A piece of tortoise shell, adorned with ancient patterns and countless seals, was precisely what Old Lady Hongye had been yearning for.
When Luo Chen’s Wither-Flourish Divine Fire affected his opponent, most of the treasures in the storage magic treasures disintegrated and vanished, but this tortoise shell remained intact.
Later, when Divine Master Youli used the Boundary Moon-Fishing Technique, numerous items were swallowed, and this tortoise shell was given to Luo Chen.
At the moment, Luo Chen couldn’t immediately determine whether this item was a magic treasure or an insect.
It carried the aura of an insect and the techniques of an array, all embedded in a single piece of tortoise shell.
He knew that this item seemed to possess a living essence, and once a cultivator refined it, they could use the seven fundamental array seals on it to quickly set up most of the world’s array formations.
Although it was a True Artifact, its practicality was likely on par with spiritual treasures.
Luo Chen gleefully left his divine imprint on the tortoise shell.
This would make setting up arrays much more convenient in the future.
While Luo Chen was sorting through the spoils of war, Hei Wang finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
"Master, that Blue-Eyed Poison Vulture has been following us for three days. Let’s take it down!"
Without lifting his head, Luo Chen replied, "The Southern Ocean is fraught with dangers. We should avoid conflict unless it provokes us first."
Hei Wang grumbled, "But don’t you need potent toxins for your treasures? The Blue-Eyed Poison Vulture is a highly venomous beast, and it’s in the Southern Ocean, so it might even carry parasitic poison insects. Aren’t you tempted?"
Luo Chen frowned, glancing up at the azure bird circling in the sky.
As Hei Wang said, this beast was indeed highly venomous and would make excellent material for his Hundred Toxin Body Cultivation Technique.
But this was the Southern Ocean...
"Never mind. I still have plenty of Poison Spirit Grains to last me for a while. It’s better not to invite unnecessary trouble."
The blue bird seemed to sense the danger and flapped its wings to fly away, distancing itself from the two.
"Sharp senses, indeed."
Luo Chen smiled and turned his gaze away.
Then he estimated the time.
It had been a month since they entered the Southern Ocean.
Due to their injuries, they hadn’t moved as quickly as they could, to avoid encountering powerful creatures.
Now, apart from the Mystic Dust Armor lacking materials to be restored, everything else was back to its peak condition.
Hei Wang was also nearly fully recovered.
So, they could now travel at full speed.
The sooner they returned to the Luotian Sect, the sooner Luo Lingxi could resume his cultivation.
Time to pick up the pace!
With this thought, Luo Chen gave the order.
Hei Wang cheered and sped up.
The Southern Ocean was far from friendly. Whether in the black mist or the turbulent waters, insect pests frequently appeared.
The deeper they went, the more numerous the insects became.
Even with Luo Chen constantly emitting the aura of the Calamity Insect from the Primordial Cauldron, some low-level insects without intelligence would still collide with them.
Hei Wang was more than happy to leave as soon as possible.
His massive body twisted, pushing through the waves and moving swiftly.
Wherever he went, huge waves surged, resembling a tsunami.
Occasionally, they would disturb some powerful creatures, but none dared to approach due to Luo Chen’s emitted aura of the Calamity Insect.
The sense of unimpeded travel filled Hei Wang with joy, and he occasionally let out long roars.
One day, Luo Chen, finding the journey boring, took out the Mystic Realm Secrets given by Divine Master Youli and began to read.
He wanted to understand the origins and landscapes of the Five Great Holy Lands of the Mountain and Sea Realm.
However, before he could start reading, Hei Wang’s voice interrupted him again.
"Master, that blue-furred beast is still following us."
Luo Chen frowned and looked up.
Sure enough, several miles above, the Blue-Eyed Poison Vulture was flapping its wings, circling overhead.
"Beast, are you truly courting death..."
As he spoke, Luo Chen’s expression changed.
It wasn’t the anticipation of a hunt, but the fear that made it shrink back!
"Something’s wrong! Retreat quickly!"
Hei Wang’s reaction was a bit slow, and he asked in confusion, "Why is the seawater turning yellow?"
Suddenly, he felt a powerful force from behind, lifting him up.
It was Luo Chen, who had grabbed his massive body out of thin air and threw him backward.
In mid-air, Hei Wang was filled with shock, turning to look back.
"Master?"
A vast surge of mystic power rose into the sky but dissipated in an instant.
Golden flames spread out, only to be extinguished by a wave of turbid yellow seawater.
As the waves rose and fell, greenish-white flames flickered and gradually disappeared.
Seeing this, Hei Wang’s mouth dropped open, and fear gripped his entire body.
"Master!" (End of Chapter)
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