Celestial Capital Peak, the stench of blood was strong.

Chen Sheng stood in front of the cave that once belonged to the Huang Monster, his gaze coldly sweeping over the stewards and servants kneeling on the ground.

In the square, the thirty or so former domineering leaders, including Yan Yu, had long since been decapitated, their blood staining the bluestone slabs red.

Chen Sheng's bloody purge had a tremendous deterrent effect on the remaining people.

"Li Wu, Huang Yu."

Chen Sheng's voice was calm, yet carried an indisputable authority.

In the crowd, two medium-sized Qi Cultivators shuddered and hastily crawled out to kneel on the ground, keeping their heads bowed low.

Though they were considered leaders, they still retained some conscience and had scarcely partaken in the stewards' atrocities.

Chen Sheng cut to the chase, his tone without the slightest ripple:

"The two of you will temporarily serve as stewards, responsible for managing the miscellaneous affairs on the peak and inventorying resources."

Li Wu and Huang Yu were stunned for a moment before realizing they had been chosen.

Immense joy washed away their fear, and they quickly kowtowed repeatedly, their voices trembling:

"Thank you for the promotion, master! We will devote ourselves wholeheartedly and dare not slack in the slightest!"

"Leave now, and quickly sort out the situation on the peak and report back to me."

Chen Sheng waved his hand, disinterested in their grateful expressions; he did not trust these people, merely using them for the time being.

"Yes!"

The two retreated in a tumble, not forgetting to support each other as they left, eyes filled with the relief of having narrowly escaped death.

After handling internal affairs, Chen Sheng moved to the summit of Celestial Capital Peak.

He pulled out thirty-six array banners, each a Tier Two High Grade Magical Artifact capable of forming a Tier Two Top Grade Grand Array, stock he had brought from the Secret Mansion.

Now that his Cultivation had reached late-stage Foundation Establishment, his mastery of the Divine Inference Array far surpassed others of the same rank, making it increasingly easy to manipulate the banners.

"Rise!"

Chen Sheng formed hand seals and chanted a spell. He required no array disc, for he himself was the array disc!

The thirty-six array banners immediately floated into the air, revolving rapidly around him with a faint, buzzing hum.

As the spell changed, the banners appeared to gain life, flying towards the Nine Palaces positions on the mountainside and embedding themselves accurately within the mountain.

Instantly, a hazy spirit light burst from the banners, quickly spreading to envelop the entire Celestial Capital Peak.

The spirit light was like a thick curtain, isolating the inside from the outside view; from outside, Celestial Capital Peak appeared shrouded in a light mist, the inside no longer visible.

"With my current Array Dao Cultivation, I can barely be considered a Tier Two Top Level Array Master."

Chen Sheng nodded in satisfaction.

The eighty years of secluded cultivation not only allowed his Cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds, but also deepened his understanding of arrays.

He lacked neither inheritance, talent, nor time and practice... thus naturally progressing steadily!

He touched an array banner, thinking to himself:

"Once my artifact refining skill improves further, refining these banners to Tier Two Top Grade and setting up a Quasi-Tier Three Array won't be difficult."

As for a complete Tier Three Grand Array, it required too much spiritual power, usually structured as a Tier Three Sect Protection Array, drawing on earth vein spiritual power for support.

...

Standing at the cliff's edge.

Chen Sheng produced a jet-black compass, engraved with complex runes; its pointer, crafted from bone, emitted a faint Yin Qi.

His occupation of Celestial Capital Peak was not for the Tier Two High Grade Spirit Vein but for the Corpse Nourishing Evil Acupoint on this mountain.

Holding the compass, Chen Sheng formed a spell and, using Profound Yin Evil Qi as a guide, began searching within the mountain.

The compass's pointer spun continuously, sometimes shaking violently, sometimes slowly swaying.

Finally, it halted before a seemingly serene woodland, the pointer fixed on the ground, emitting a faint hum.

"Here it is."

A smile played on Chen Sheng's lips.

Though the trees in this woodland appeared lush and verdant, the compass indicated that the area's concentration of evil Qi far exceeded other places, a natural treasure ground for corpse nourishment.

From his Storage Pouch, he retrieved a Cold Jade Coffin, its icy aura long gone, revealing the withered corpse inside.

With a flick of his fingers, seven silver needles, thin as cow's hair, shot out, precisely piercing the corpse's seven orifices, sealing its remaining vitality.

He then forcefully pushed the coffin upright into the ground, leaving only a small part of the lid exposed.

Next, Chen Sheng set up a small Corpse Nourishing Array around the coffin.

He took out eight black Sha Crystals, arranging them in accordance with the Eight Trigrams, and dropped a drop of his own essence blood at the array hub.

As the spell activated, the array slowly began, and the surrounding evil Qi surged towards the coffin like a tide.

Chen Sheng's Divine Sense penetrated the ground, clearly feeling the rich evil Qi constantly pouring into the corpse, being absorbed and refined by the Dantian's evil core.

Under the nourishment of evil Qi, the evil core was undergoing transformation, emanating an increasingly profound aura.

Chen Sheng made a calculation, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes:

"Under normal circumstances, it would take at least a hundred years to cultivate the evil core into a Corpse Pill."

"However, with the Tier Three Demon Beast Core as assistance, in just thirty to forty years, I can successfully transform the Evil Core into a Corpse Pill."

He estimated his own cultivation progress—reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection would take about twenty years, in addition to enhancing his Artifact Refining Skill, culminating in the forging of a suitable Lifebound Flying Sword.

This would perfectly align with the time required to cultivate the Corpse Pill, without wasting any time.

...

Within the Li Fire Pavilion of Linglong Immortal City, sandalwood incense curled, dispersing the damp mist seeping through the windows.

Xu Longhu sat behind a purple sandalwood desk, twisting a Communication Jade Scroll between his fingers, his Divine Sense repeatedly scanning the intelligence contained within, a satisfied smile playing at his lips.

A thick stack of dossiers lay atop the desk, the uppermost one open to reveal detailed records of the Celestial Capital Peak incident.

"With a single sword, three demons were slain, seizing Celestial Capital Peak, Fellow Daoist Tingyu indeed trustworthy."

"A mid-stage Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator, who also comprehends Refining Sword and Condensing Silk, and is a Tier Two Middle Grade Refiner..."

Xu Longhu rapidly calculated in his mind.

"Bring me the map of the Thousand Peaks Mountain Range."

The steward did not dare delay, hurriedly retrieving a roll of beast hide map from the shelf and spreading it out on the desk.

On the map, cinnabar marked the territorial ranges of various families.

Xu Longhu picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and marked a cross at the location of Celestial Capital Peak, then drew a red line from Linglong Immortal City straight towards the depths of the Thousand Peaks Mountain Range.

"From here, bypass the Miasma Forest of Hundred-Year Mountain, and passing through the Spirit Herb Garden of Futu Mountain, you can reach Celestial Capital Peak."

"Though this route has several dangerous places, with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator escorting, it should not pose too many problems."

Xu Longhu took out a Jade Scroll engraved with the Li Fire Pavilion's emblem and wrote meticulously.

He detailed the changes at Celestial Capital Peak, Tingyu Daoist's strength and cooperative potential, and outlined the specific plan to open a new trade route, emphasizing:

"If this trade route succeeds, spiritual materials from the Thousand Peaks Mountain Range can reach Linglong directly, increasing the pavilion's annual revenue by at least ten percent."

After finishing writing, he stamped his Spirit Seal and handed the Jade Scroll to the steward:

"Deliver it to the sect immediately, ensuring it's given directly to Master Li."

"Yes!"

The steward accepted the Jade Scroll and quickly departed.

...

In the days that followed, Chen Sheng settled into a routine and fulfilling life.

Every morning, he cultivated the "Supreme Profound Sword Scripture" at the most spiritually abundant part of the Spirit Vein, practicing the Sword Light Division Skill, and contemplating elevating his Sword Heart Clarity to a higher realm.

In the mornings, he delved into Artifact Refining, using the spiritual materials acquired from the Li Fire Pavilion to create Tier Two Magical Artifacts, transforming his artifact refining insights into tangible items.

Afternoons were spent studying arrays, repeatedly performing Array Formation, optimizing the defensive array of Celestial Capital Peak.

In the evenings, he checked on the progress of the Corpse Nourishing Array, observing the growth of the Corpse Pill, while nights were devoted to running cultivation techniques to solidify his realm.

Such leisurely days passed for three years.

One day, Chen Sheng's calm life was disrupted by an unexpected event.

Li Wu respectfully handed over a Jade Scroll:

"Master, this is from Elder Xu of the Li Fire Pavilion, expressing urgent matters."

Over the past three years, the Li Fire Pavilion's trade route had been established.

Chen Sheng, practicing artifact refining, had produced many Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts, gradually channeled through the Li Xiao Commerce Association's networks.

The parties had become well-acquainted.

Chen Sheng accepted the Jade Scroll, his Divine Sense scanning its contents, and his expression subtly changed.

The message was simple, just one sentence: "[The two sects have joined forces to crush the Demon Sect, but rogue Demon Cultivators are fleeing, please be cautious, Dao Brother]."

Here, "Demon Sect" naturally referred to the White Bone Demon Sect.

Chen Sheng initially intended to break the formation with his sword, after reaching Core Formation, and seek them out.

To uncover the secrets behind the White Bone Dharma King's attempt at Nascent Soul ascension, but unexpectedly, the Qinghua Sect and Li Xiao Sect had preemptively allied to destroy the White Bone Demon Sect.

"They do exhibit some audacity."

Chen Sheng chuckled lightly, a glint of appreciation in his eyes.

If Hua Taixuan were still in power, such a bold assault to destroy a sect and capture a city would never have been rashly initiated, as that Sect Leader's method was always one of caution.

It seemed the current Qinghua Sect, under the leadership of Hua Xiu and his cohort, had become much more aggressive.

Of course, what he could speculate, the higher-ups of both sects could probably also deduce, and with the allure of Nascent Soul, aggression was also understandable.

Putting down the Jade Scroll, Chen Sheng's mind was awash with thoughts:

"Once sweeping through the Three Sects, destroying sects, besieging cities, how rampant the demon flames were."

"Two hundred years later, it's come to this form..."

Chen Sheng shook his head:

"Indeed, when the demonic forces rise, the Daoists ascend even higher, tides ebb and flow, tirelessly surging!"

"In this world, there isn't a wave that only rises without falling!"

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