Chapter 288: Outside the Debate Platform, Reunion with an Old Friend, Bitter Cultivation at Fallen Phoenix Mountain (II)

Before long, he passed through the desolate expanse of Whitestone Plaza.

The silence was strange and unnatural. Not a single wandering ghost lingered in the area, as if there was a natural force that suppressed all ghostly activity.

At last, he reached the towering jade plaque at the plaza’s center.

Luo Chen gave a slow shake of his head.

What had once been a place of gathering beneath the plaque was now nothing more than a shattered circle of stone. Its former splendor had vanished without a trace.

Without hesitation, Luo Chen passed through the ruins of the old ticket booth and stepped into the corridor that led to Fallen Phoenix Mountain..

Once, that passage had been veiled in enchantment, a mystic gateway that inspired awe. But now, stripped of its formation barriers, it was just a tunnel—broad, cold, and paved with slabs of weathered bluestone.

It’s close. Very close! I can feel it, not far ahead, a surge of spirit energy is radiating outward.

Life and death coexist... this spirit land hasn't completely faded away yet!

Just as Luo Chen was about to step into the bounds of the Debate Platform, his body froze—an involuntary reaction that made every muscle tense. Slowly, warily, he turned around.

A figure had drifted into view at the corridor’s mouth, gliding through the air like a lost wraith. It appeared to have lost all memory and purpose, as evidenced by the blank, hollow confusion in its eyes. And yet, from time to time, a flash of clarity, sharp and intelligent, would flicker through that empty gaze.

It stepped out from the corridor and began to slowly circle Whitestone Plaza. From time to time, whenever a wandering, mindless ghost entered the plaza by accident, the figure would instantly tear it apart and devour it.

Ghostly energy twisted and surged in the air, clashing and overlapping like crisscrossing blades of pale light.

Luo Chen watched in silence, a deep, aching weight forming in his chest.

So it is him...

The figure was none other than Luo Tianhong—a disciple of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, once a True Inheritor in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

He had once been dispatched to Dahe Market to complete his Foundation Establishment mission. Originally, he could have returned to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect after fulfilling his ten-year term, but fate had not been kind and he had died here.

And now, even as a ghost, Luo Tianhong lingered in this place, bound by instinct alone, still guarding the ruins of the Jade Cauldron Pavilion as if it were sacred.

Luo Chen’s expression softened as he thought,

He was one of the few who treated me kindly. Even if he had his reasons, he removed the hidden mark Mi Shuhua left on me. During the battle at the Lancang River, he watched over me, protected me when he didn’t have to.

Haih......

He let out a quiet sigh, full of the weight of helplessness and gratitude. Then, with a faint shake of his head, Luo Chen turned and stepped into the heart of Fallen Phoenix Mountain, his figure fading into the mist, leaving the ghost of a man who once stood proud to wander the ruins alone.

***

Fallen Phoenix Mountain!

According to ancient legends, this was the sacred site where a celestial phoenix had once fallen from the heavens. But Luo Chen had never been one to put much stock in old tales.

Just like how some claimed the Lancang River was formed by a water dragon named "Lancang" ascending through transformation. In truth, it was nothing more than snowmelt from the Great Snow Mountains, cascading down in streams that eventually merged into a mighty river.

Luo Chen didn’t care for such tales. What mattered was that Fallen Phoenix Mountain was the core of the spirit veins in a thousand-li radius of Dahe Market.

The reason the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had established a market here, even building the Debate Platform, was entirely due to the massive spirit vein that stretched for hundreds of li beneath it.

As Luo Chen stepped through the underground palace into the Debate Platform, he remained at full alert. Other areas might be safer, but this place had been the heart of a great battle. If there was any place in the entire ghost city of Dahe that was most dangerous, it would undoubtedly be here.

He had come fully prepared. If anything felt off, he would withdraw without hesitation.

But as he stepped into the Debate Platform, he saw only vast ruins—collapsed structures, fractured stone—nothing else. Not a single ghost in sight.

Makes sense,

he thought, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

After all, what ghost could survive in the aftermath of such a battle?

Feeling the dense sword energy lingering nearby, Luo Chen chuckled at himself.

Even after all these years, the lingering energy from Golden Core sword cultivators radiated with undiminished lethality. Though his body had nearly reached the first stage of physical cultivation, Luo Chen felt the hairs on his arms rise in response to the pressure.

With a swift leap, he launched himself forward, moving like an agile ape through the jagged ruins of the Debate Platform. He wove between fallen stones and broken pillars until he crossed beyond the platform’s range and entered a stretch of unfamiliar terrain.

His Spirit Eyes gleamed with radiant light as they scanned the surroundings.

There it is!

He spotted it immediately and headed without hesitation toward the depths of Fallen Phoenix Mountain.

Not long after, he arrived at a section of the mountain obscured by large boulders near the mountainside. Without delay, Luo Chen released the sword orb from his mouth. With a flick of his finger, it transformed into a gleaming longsword and began slicing through the stone, carving a path ahead.

Luo Chen followed close behind in a measured, deliberate manner.

After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, he stopped the sword’s advance. With a push of his hand, the carved wall crumbled under force, revealing a hidden cave behind it.

It had nothing inside.

It was the very picture of austerity.

"I didn’t expect Pang Renxiong to be such a devoted ascetic," Luo Chen murmured in surprise.

Staring at the barren cave, Luo Chen let out a quiet sigh of admiration. He didn’t step inside right away.

This place was indeed overflowing with exceptionally pure spirit energy, far beyond what a first-tier spirit vein could offer. It even made Luo Chen suspect that it might qualify as a third-tier spirit land.

However, mingled within the spirit energy were frigid yin and ghostly energies, along with traces of fiend qi.

With such conflicting forces saturating the environment, the place was utterly unsuitable for cultivation. Even with a spirit-gathering array, separating the impurities and isolating the pure spirit energy for use in cultivation would be extremely difficult.

In truth, this was precisely why the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Dahe Market had lost interest in this place after a few expeditions. They simply lacked the techniques to handle such a predicament.

But Luo Chen? He had the technique!

Good thing I frantically ground my proficiency to reach Perfected Mastery on so many spells just to learn the Imperial Nectar. Right now, the Cleanse is perfect for handling this situation!

Cleanse had been listed by Luo Chen as one of the four most important first-tier spells, and it wasn’t without reason. At the stage of Perfected Mastery, it exhibited unimaginable results.

In its basic form, Cleanse was little more than a utility spell, useful for washing away dirt or grime. Even after Luo Chen advanced it to Grandmaster level, its primary use was still internal: purging foreign elements from the body—demonic energy, alchemical residue, or refined spirit power, like the refined energy Mi Shuhua had once planted in him. Externally, it was merely useful for cleaning alchemy furnaces.

But everything changed when

Cleanse

reached Perfected Mastery. It underwent a complete, qualitative transformation!

Now, Cleanse could be cast instantly! More importantly, it no longer worked only on his body. It extended to the world around him, neutralizing external threats with startling efficiency. He had already demonstrated its power during his Foundation Establishment Ceremony by dispersing a water-based spell from Wang Haichao with a single flick. And a few days earlier, Li Da’s attacks with the Ghostmother Needles and Soul-Refining Banner had likewise been rendered completely ineffective.

Those attacks were rendered entirely ineffective under the Perfected Mastery Cleanse.

This spell truly held boundless potential. Even now, with it reaching Perfected Mastery, Luo Chen still sensed untapped potential waiting to be refined and expanded. However, unlike Fireball, he had yet to find a clear path to optimize and evolve it further.

Now, with the aid of his spirit consciousness, what Luo Chen needed to do was purge all foreign energies from this spirit land, leaving behind only pure spirit energy.

"Haha! Nothing but a big clean-up job!" he laughed, robe sleeves sweeping in wide arcs.

Thick waves of yin energy surged outward, expelled from the cave. The remaining ghostly and malevolent traces were wiped out one after another.

In no time, the cavern within the mountain brimmed with fresh, vibrant spirit energy. Its purity far surpassed the second-tier spirit vein environment that Mi Shuhua had once activated. It even outclassed the temporary second-tier spirit land formed by the Ice-Fire Spirit Spring at Xiao Huan Mountain.

Most importantly, it didn’t require the consumption of mid-grade spirit stones!

Suppressing his excitement, Luo Chen set up a first-tier defensive array at the cave’s entrance. He also laid down a concealment formation for added security.

With that, everything was foolproof.

After wrapping everything up, Luo Chen finally exhaled in relief and sat down cross-legged in the cave. His breathing gradually steadied, and his mind entered a state of clarity.

The Medicine King Codex of Yimu slowly began to activate. Spirit energy flowed into him without resistance. Deep in his core, the vast reservoir of medicinal energy he had long stored began to stir. With every breath, with every cycle, more of it awakened.

Drip...

The moment the first drop of liquefied spirit energy fell into his sea of qi, it signified the official beginning of Luo Chen’s secluded cultivation.