Chapter 313: Conspiracy (I)

After a night of discussion and research, Sima Huiniang, Qin Liangchen, and the others agreed that taking the conventional route was the best choice. They would detour through Glowing Stream Market, pass through Gaoling Plains, and head north, skirting the edge of the Jade Cauldron Domain’s inner region.

With the Skyhawk Flying Boat traveling by day and resting at night, the entire journey was expected to take around two months.

That was, of course, assuming no mishaps along the way. Even an established power like the Lianyun Trade Alliance had taken years to map out this conventional route. Though more tedious, it was undeniably safer than the other two paths.

The Skyhawk Flying Boat wasn’t fast, not by any means. Its speed didn’t even come close to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator flying at full force.

Luo Chen stood quietly on the deck, gazing down at the turbulent waters of the Lancang River surging beneath them.

Only now did a trace of homesick melancholy stir within him.

"It’s not really leaving home... more like returning." The corners of Luo Chen’s lips curled upward slightly.

From what he remembered, not far beyond Glowing Stream Market lay the borders of Yuan Zhao Nation. The original owner of this body had once traveled from Baixiu Mountain in Yuan Zhao Nation all the way to Dahe Market, enduring countless hardships. He hadn’t passed through Glowing Stream Market simply because he’d taken the river route and missed it altogether.

Otherwise... The Luo Chen who transmigrated might not have become a Dahe Market rogue cultivator at all. More likely, he would have ended up as a raiding cultivator in Glowing Stream Market.

Thinking of the massive difference between those two fates, Luo Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.

"President, the Li and Nangong families are following us," reported Sima Huiniang as she stepped forward.

Luo Chen turned and looked into the distance. With his sharp vision, he could make out the great crowd several li behind. There were late stage Qi-Refining cultivators activating Light-Evading, and numerous mortals aboard smaller flying boats.

On the ground, early and mid stage cultivators guarded teams of muscular martial mortals, riding camel-beasts and dragon-horses, kicking up clouds of dust as they shouted to maintain order.

This was what a family migration looked like. Cultivators of vastly different realms, an overwhelming amount of miscellaneous supplies, and a large number of mortals who couldn’t fly at all. There was simply no way to move quickly.

In short, troublesome!

At this rate, the distance between their group and the Luo Tian Society’s Skyhawk Flying Boat would only grow wider.

Luo Chen hesitated for a moment and was about to instruct Sima Huiniang to slow down so they could maintain proximity without completely leaving the migration’s sphere.

But in the very next moment, his expression shifted dramatically. His eyes snapped toward the upper reaches of the distant Lancang River, where the currents surged with relentless force.

From that direction, an immense and barely restrained presence began to stir, vast and primal, like some ancient beast drawing in the river's flow and exhaling it with breath that trembled the heavens.

“Veer toward the land! Speed up!” Luo Chen’s voice rang out sharply.

Sima Huiniang was briefly puzzled, but she didn’t question it. She immediately turned and relayed the command.

Under Duan Feng’s precise control, the Skyhawk Flying Boat began to shift course. It's great wings adjusted angle, and the vessel slowly arced away from the turbulent waters below, leaving the skies above the Lancang River entirely behind.

"The River-Swallowing Toad is fed, and it's still restless."

Luo Chen was certain, he hadn't misread it. That colossal presence from upstream belonged to none other than the third-tier demonic beast that had blocked their path before—the River-Swallowing Toad.

But... it doesn’t seem like it’s out hunting this time. Could it be...

A vague suspicion took shape in Luo Chen’s mind, one that actually made him a little excited.

Back then, he had poured a generous amount of Jade Essence pills into feeding the River-Swallowing Toad, and just in case the beast turned violent after eating its fill, he’d even tossed in a little “extra.”

Supreme-grade Myriad Wonders pills!

Yes, he had thrown in three of those supreme-grade pills. As the saying goes, once full and warm, the mind turns to lust [1]. After all, a well-fed creature always needs something to help with digestion.

Luo Chen had originally done it on a whim. He hadn’t expected that, after so many days, there would be any reaction at all.

That was just a first-tier pill,

he thought to himself.

Even if it was a supreme-grade one, could it really affect a third-tier demonic beast?

The possibility made his heart race with excitement.

Still, excitement was one thing. He had no intention of confronting that toad again.

As the Skyhawk Flying Boat veered away from the main route, gliding inland and leaving the river behind, the Li and Nangong families trailing behind were momentarily caught off guard.

But instead of confusion, both Li Yixian and Nangong Jin felt a surge of gratitude toward Luo Chen.

Previously, the flying boat had soared above the Lancang River, while they were forced to travel on land, leaving no practical way to keep pace or coordinate. Now that the vessel had moved inland, following the ground became much easier.

Though, admittedly... it was still a bit fast.

Nangong Jin took a deep breath. "Qin’er, tell the others to pick up the pace."

"Yes!" Nangong Qin cupped his fists and relayed the order.

Soon, the Nangong family began moving faster.

As for the Li family, they struggled to keep pace.

There was a reason for this. After enduring two full migrations and multiple battles, the weaker members of the Nangong family had long since been weeded out. Those who remained, whether cultivators or mortals, were hardened by survival. Even the ordinary people among them had practiced martial techniques and grown physically robust through prolonged exposure to spirit energy.

The Li family, however, was a different story.

They had lived relatively peacefully in Dahe Market for many years, and their group still included many elderly, women and children. The pace simply wasn’t something they could match.

Seeing this, Li Yixian could only instruct the mortal warriors riding dragon-horses to catch up as best they could.

The Li family had long been known for their dragon-horse breeding. These beasts were somewhere between ordinary animals and first-tier spirit beasts, sturdy, enduring, and incredibly fast.

With some effort, they managed to keep the larger group barely within sight.

Looking back at her own family’s struggling procession, Li Yixian let out a bitter smile.

I’ve reached Foundation Establishment, and yet... there’s none of that joy of flying freely through the skies. This is what it means to bear the weight... of family.

***

"The Dajiang Gang’s base will remain at the docks," Wang Haichao said calmly, standing atop windswept Chican Mountain. "But moving forward, most of our trade will shift toward Glowing Stream Market and the Yuelang Market. We won’t be going back to Dahe Market."

He paused, then added, "As for Snow Lotus Market, the waterways are no longer viable. We’ll have to consider opening a land-based trade route. What about spirit land?"

Atop Chican Mountain, Wang Haichao laid out the Dajiang Gang’s future plans to Huo Hu. It seemed like a casual exchange, but the tone leaned more toward a report than a conversation between equals. Their difference in status was unmistakable.

Huo Hu chuckled, as if amused by the concern. "No need to worry about spirit land. While Taishan Market appears to have only one second-tier spirit vein, there’s actually another one, five hundred li out, beneath a particularly turbulent stretch of the Lancang River. It’s a small second-tier spring vein, but it’ll be enough for your needs."

At those words, Wang Haichao visibly relaxed. A long, restrained breath escaped his lips.

To others, it had always seemed like he was simply too cautious, afraid to gamble everything in major Immortal Cities. But what did they know? Who would have thought that even a place like Taishan Market could offer a path to Dao advancement?

A second-tier spirit land was no small resource. For someone like him, it offered immense benefits. But that wasn’t the sole reason he had gone to such lengths or chosen to throw in his lot with the Huo family.

No—the real reason was far greater.

The Flame Alliance! The chance to form a Golden Core!

That was his true objective.

He had long since realized that the Lianyun Trade Alliance couldn’t be trusted. Back during the final days in Dahe Market, he had already cut ties with them. In fact, he had even managed to steal away Min Longyu, a formation prodigy, right from under Zhou Qing’s command.

Only a Golden Core major sect like the Flame Alliance had the proper, established methods for Core Formation. And with the Huo family maintaining such close ties to them, pledging allegiance offered a genuine chance to glimpse the threshold of the Golden Core Realm.

"Serve the Huo family well, and you won’t be mistreated, Fellow Daoist Wang!" Huo Hu’s proud voice rang out.

Wang Haichao nodded slightly.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he said pointedly, "Those three families—they left this morning."

Huo Hu’s eyes lit up immediately. "They left? Which direction?"

"Toward Glowing Stream Market. But if I had to guess, their real destination is probably Tianlan Immortal City."

Huo Hu frowned. "Why go to Tianlan Immortal City? That place is a mess. Just a bunch of rural rogue cultivators. What, they are planning to dig in the mines?"

Rural rogue cultivators!

Those words made Wang Haichao’s expression freeze for a moment. He, too, had once come from Dahe Market.

Suppressing his irritation, he replied quietly, "I can't speak for the others, but I know Luo Chen well. He’s bold, meticulous, and refuses to remain ordinary."

"Back in the Qi-Refining Realm, he already had the guts to fake ties to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect just to trick me. Now that he’s reached Foundation Establishment, he absolutely has the guts to venture into a rogue cultivator’s Immortal City."

Huo Hu sneered. "He just doesn’t know how high the heavens are!"

Tianlan Immortal City was far more than just a rogue cultivator stronghold. The number of sect-affiliated Foundation Establishment Initiates there outnumbered those in places like Taishan Market by ten—no, a hundred times over.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

These rural rogue cultivators had no idea just how vast the gap was between themselves and major sect cultivators. Even he had to restrain himself in that place—no more swaggering around like a lord as he did in Taishan Market. If these rogue cultivators offended even the wrong low-ranking person there, they might as well start digging their graves,

Huo Hu mused.

"Young Master Huo is right. They really are overestimating themselves," Wang Haichao said with a cold sneer, remembering how Nangong Jin had forced a painful concession out of him, and the words that followed. He also recalled the way Li Yixian and Luo Chen had looked at him.

Those people... they’ve already chosen a path that leads to death.

1. 饱暖思淫欲 (bao nuan si yin yu) is a traditional Chinese saying that literally means "When fed and warm, one begins to desire pleasure." It reflects the idea that once basic needs like food and shelter are met, people begin to pursue sensual or indulgent desires. Often used with a cautionary tone, it suggests that comfort and abundance can give rise to complacency or moral decline. It’s similar in spirit to the English phrase "Idle hands are the devil's workshop," though with a more sensual connotation. ☜