Chapter 1245: Greetings, Senior Luo (II)

He then moved on to the physique refinement arts. At first, Luo Chen had not expected much from them. But after reading through several volumes, his interest quickly grew. Every technique focused on speed and movement, which explained why the Ethereal Sect had gone out of its way to collect them. After all, movement arts were one of the sect's greatest strengths. The techniques themselves were not that high-tier, but every one of them was complete, which made them far more useful as references.

I'll have someone bring these back to Wang Yuan. He might be able to use them as references and complete the final two forms of Four Aspects Immortal Tread.

By the time Luo Chen finished sorting through everything, he was in a rather good mood.

Wind Listener's payment was nowhere near as valuable as the large amount of crimson firmament energy Nine Spirits had given him, nor could it compare with the alchemical formulas and talisman parchment he had received from Old Tal. Even so, everything here had some use to him. More importantly, he had gained a promise from Wind Listener to lend him a hand in the future. Whichever way one cut it, Luo Chen had certainly not lost out in this transaction.

***

After a brief rest, Luo Chen officially took up his patrol duties the following day. In truth, there was very little that required a Sage to handle personally. The Luo Tian Sect cultivators who had accompanied him joined the forces already inside Skypiercing Pass and began helping reinforce the western defenses.

Most of their work was routine: inspecting and repairing the city's formations, patrolling the walls, and sending small squads to sweep the area within a hundred li of the pass. The Sages had a simpler task. From time to time, they only needed to extend their divine consciousness across the areas assigned to them and watch for powerful demons trying to slip through the front lines.

As long as one was detected in time, Skypiercing Pass could respond before they reached the city. Once its grand formation was activated, even a late-stage Demon Emperor who had transformed would find it hard to break in.

Still, Luo Chen did have one concern about this. While visiting Ye Lingtian's residence, he brought it up directly. "There's a Demon Emperor named Azure Frost. She is an Azure Luan, and she's mastered the Laws of the Void. If she comes here herself, can we stop her?"

Ye Lingtian gave him an unequivocal answer. "If anything, I'm only afraid she won't show up!"

That was enough to put Luo Chen's mind at ease. Azure Frost was not an opponent anyone could afford to underestimate. She had once defeated five Sages in a single encounter, fought three late-stage Sages head-on, and even managed to hold out briefly against an Ascendant. If Skypiercing Pass had no way to deal with someone of that level, then its reputation as the Eastern Wilderness's top stronghold would mean very little. No matter how formidable its ordinary defenses were, Azure Frost could simply tear through them with the Laws of the Void.

Of course, Ye Lingtian's confidence only made Luo Chen more curious about what Skypiercing Pass had prepared for an enemy like her. Ye Lingtian, however, refused to reveal anything and merely told him that such a measure would not be used lightly until the moment it was truly needed. Since the man did not want to say anything, Luo Chen could only put his curiosity aside for the time being.

***

After sweeping the surrounding area with his divine consciousness one last time, Luo Chen withdrew it and settled himself.

Now that he had become familiar with the patrol routine, he had also discovered its greatest inconvenience. For a Sage, spreading divine consciousness every so often was hardly taxing, but the constant interruptions made it difficult to focus on anything else for long. Whether he wanted to cultivate or work on some other matter, he would inevitably have to stop halfway and check the surrounding area again.

Fortunately, Luo Chen had a way around that. With a faint smile, he took two puppets from his storage ring—Black Ape and Red Dog!

He sent a subsidiary soul into each of them, then gave Black Ape its instructions. The puppet immediately flew toward the walls of Skypiercing Pass and took over the patrol. A subsidiary soul's divine consciousness was naturally inferior to Luo Chen's own, but it was still comparable to that of an ordinary early-stage Sage. Better yet, it could maintain its watch day and night without interruption. For a task like this, it was actually more efficient than Luo Chen handling everything himself.

As for Red Dog, it would not be left unused either. He handed Wind Listener's alchemical formula to the second subsidiary soul and had it begin studying the refinement process. Although the pill was fourth-tier, it was actually not very hard to refine. Compared with the Nascent Soul Pill and the Nine Separation Pill, it was far simpler, and even the Transformation Pill was somewhat more demanding. In Luo Chen's estimation, its difficulty was only slightly greater than that of Black Sovereign Paste and roughly comparable to the Poison-Repelling Pill.

Thinking about it now, Wind Listener had probably gone so long without obtaining the pill because he was simply too poor to find anyone willing to refine it for him. At this level of difficulty, Luo Chen did not even need to spend any achievement points. He could simply let the subsidiary soul study it until every step had been worked out, then directly handle the actual refinement later on.

Just like that, he was freed up.

Of course, Luo Chen had never been the sort to actually do nothing. With a soft whoosh, a wisp of sword energy shot from his fingertip. Seven already. Three more in three years shouldn't be difficult. Once I reach ten, that'll be minor mastery... Let's see what changes then.

As he considered that, Luo Chen took out the main tendon of the Nine Hells Enchanting Python and turned it over in his hand. Gu Caiyi had always wanted her life-bound enchanted treasure to take the form of something like a ribbon or long whip, and this tendon was almost perfect for the purpose. It was more than tough enough, and its attributes suited her well.

The only thing he still lacked was a suitable blueprint. I guess I should go ask around while I'm here. If I manage to get one, I can use this time to refine her life-bound treasure!

In just a short while, Luo Chen had already planned out his three years at Skypiercing Pass. It had to be said that Han Zhan's legacy truly helped him greatly. Without those subsidiary souls, there was no way he could juggle so many matters at once. He would probably have been like an ordinary Sage, forced to devote nearly all his attention to one thing at a time.

***

As many cultivators in Skypiercing Pass had expected, Luo Chen all but disappeared from public view after entering the city. For most people, the brief glimpse they caught of him upon his arrival would be the only time they ever saw him in person.

But that did not mean his influence had faded!

Before long, word began spreading through unofficial channels that Dragon Fiend, the leading figure of the Luo Tian Sect's younger generation, had a large stock of pills in his possession, and all were personally refined by Luo Chen. They covered everything from Qi Refinement to Golden Core and included cultivation pills, auxiliary pills, and even the far rarer breakthrough pills.

As long as Dragon Fiend was willing, cultivators could obtain what they needed at a fairly reasonable price. If he refused, however, no amount of spirit stones would make him change his mind.

For a time, cultivators began using their rest periods to make special trips to the western district just for a chance to meet him. Those who lacked the right connections instead turned their attention to the other members of the Luo Tian Sect, hoping someone might introduce them or at least put in a good word.

As a result, the several dozen Luo Tian Sect cultivators stationed in Skypiercing Pass soon noticed a clear change in how others treated them. Whenever they went out, there was always someone eager to strike up a conversation. During patrols, other squads became far more willing to coordinate with them, and when trouble arose, they were often quick to lend a hand or steer them away from unnecessary danger.

It might sound a little unreal, but that was simply how things were. Even cultivators who had no urgent need for pills saw no reason to offend someone who might be able to obtain them in the future. Building a little familiarity and goodwill cost almost nothing, and it might prove useful one day.

And that was exactly the outcome Luo Chen wanted!

At first, he had considered using the low-tier pills to build his own reputation among rogue cultivators. But after thinking it through, he realized there was little value in doing so. Most low-tier cultivators had very little he actually needed, and even fewer possessed anything worth trading for his personal attention. It made far more sense to use his reputation and his pills to open doors for the Luo Tian Sect instead.

In that respect, it was no different from how cultivators of Green Pill Valley and the Medicine King Sect had once been treated with courtesy wherever they went. People respected them because of the alchemical forces standing behind them. Now, the Luo Tian Sect could enjoy the same advantage. The sect stood behind its disciples, and Luo Chen stood behind the sect. That alone was enough to make others think twice about how they treated them.

Once he had given the necessary instructions, Luo Chen stopped concerning himself with the details and left everything in Zeng Yilong's hands. This also happened to fit neatly with what Wang Yuan wanted for him.

Zeng Yilong had spent too much of his life solving problems with strength alone. Wang Yuan wanted him to gain more experience dealing with people and learn to judge good intentions from bad through constant interaction with others. Hopefully, after enough of that, he would not be fooled by another woman.

One day, Luo Chen returned from Ye Lingtian's residence in an exceptionally good mood. He really is a good man!

During their conversation, Luo Chen had "casually" mentioned that he happened to possess the main tendon of a Nine Hells Enchanting Python but had yet to find a suitable use for it. Ye Lingtian had generously produced a refinement blueprint and given it to him.

The blueprint was for an enchanted treasure known as the Profound Nether Whip. Its most important materials were the tendon of a flood dragon or python-type demon and Netherwater unique to the Nether Origin Sect. Once refined, the whip would not only possess unparalleled offensive power but also the ability to corrode an opponent's enchanted treasures. More impressively, it could temporarily manifest the original form of the demonic beast whose tendon had been used to refine it. Better yet, the man had also given him three drops of Netherwater, which was enough for the refinement.

No wonder he has such a good reputation. He's really generous... Maybe I really am a little stingy sometimes.

Still thinking about the Profound Nether Whip, Luo Chen returned to his cave residence wanting to study the blueprint in detail. Before he could go inside, however, he saw Xu Xiaoliu waiting outside. The man was already white-haired now, and from the look of him, he had been there for quite some time.

"Supreme Elder, someone's here to see you."

"For pills?"

The question came almost out of habit. Ever since he arrived at Skypiercing Pass, there had been many who tried to approach him for alchemy. Some were even disciples sent by the upper sects to sound him out, though most of them went through Chu Kui or Zeng Yilong rather than Xu Xiaoliu. For someone to approach him this way instead, there had to be another reason.

Sure enough, Xu Xiaoliu lowered his voice. "Not for pills. They want to ask you to save someone."

"Save someone?"

Luo Chen stopped in his tracks.

A short while later, he stood before the window of his cave residence with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly waiting for his visitor. It was not long before footsteps approached from outside, and the moment his divine consciousness swept over the newcomer, he recognized her.

She still carried the same distant air he remembered, but the arrogance she had once worn so openly was gone. Her steps slowed as she reached the door; Xu Xiaoliu opened it for her respectfully, yet she remained at the entrance for a brief moment before drawing a deep breath and walked inside.

The moment her eyes fell on Luo Chen's back, her eyes narrowed. After a moment of hesitation, she gritted her teeth, lifted the hem of her dress, and knelt down. "G-greetings, Senior Luo...."

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