Chapter 499: The Luo Tian Society Goes to War, Jade Cauldron Is Falling Apart

This was the first time Luo Chen had stepped into a third-tier cave residence on Tianlan Peak. The moment he entered, he sensed a concentration of spirit energy no weaker than that of a lesser third-tier spirit land. And this was only the living room! He could hardly imagine what the density would be like in the actual cultivation chamber. If he trained inside that chamber, how much faster would his progress be?

As he was processing his own shock, a cool voice echoed beside his ear. "You certainly know how to be patient."

Luo Chen's heart tightened. The words clearly referred to his delayed visit after returning to Tianlan Immortal City; not only had he not come over as she'd requested, but he'd even needed her to summon him. For an Initiate to keep an Adept waiting was nearly unthinkable. He immediately cupped his fists and offered a formal salute. "Adept, please forgive me. A close companion of mine suffered grave injuries from a failed Foundation Establishment attempt. Since my return, I have been fully focused on healing her. Moreover, Fellow Daoist Tantai mentioned that you were in seclusion. That is why I delayed my visit for a few days."

Having said this, he lowered his head and remained silent, in a posture that showed sincere repentance.

Though he couldn't see it, Fairy Ruthless's expression shifted.

Healing a close companion?

After a moment, her voice sounded, calm and cold. "How is that companion of yours now?"

Luo Chen raised his head and carefully explained the situation in detail. At the end, he sighed. "Had I returned earlier with you, perhaps none of this would have happened. Because of me, she suffered this grievous wound. It is only right that I do all I can to help her walk the path of cultivation again."

By his calculations, Gu Caiyi's failed attempt at Foundation Establishment had taken place just a month after the end of the Dao Scion competition. If he had returned in time to watch over her attempt, even if she had failed, she wouldn't have ended up nearly crippled like now.

After hearing his explanation, Fairy Ruthless's expression eased slightly, and her tone softened.

Luo Chen, ever the observant one, noted the change with some surprise.

So her title of "Ruthless" doesn't reflect the whole truth. She seems far more reasonable than her reputation suggests.

With the misunderstanding cleared, she no longer pressed him about the delay. Instead, she shifted the conversation toward the matter of Green Pill Valley, where those sects had once competed to recruit him. She said, "The benefits they gave you were offered on behalf of their entire sects. My Ruthless Lineage is not nearly as wealthy."

"Adept, please don't worry," Luo Chen replied immediately. "Your protection alone is already a blessing worth three lifetimes. I would not dare ask for more."

Despite his modest words, the gleam of anticipation in his eyes betrayed him. He could not hide the hope that she might still provide something further.

Fairy Ruthless's lips twitched faintly. With a graceful wave of her hand, two objects appeared in the air before him. One was a battered cauldron. It had cracks all over and one of the feet was broken off, which made it look less like an alchemy tool and more like an old cooking pot. The other was a delicate crystalline bracelet, shimmering with translucent light.

Luo Chen looked at both with surprise. "These are...?"

"This is called the Shangshu Cauldron.[1] It was once the life-bound enchanted treasure of a Golden Core cultivator..."

At this point, Fairy Ruthless paused, a flash of sorrow and nostalgia flickering in her eyes. However, in the blink of an eye, she sealed up that extraneous emotion and continued, "As you can see, it's damaged, but only its combat abilities are lost. Its core alchemical function is still entirely usable. You can use it as a low-grade enchanted treasure for alchemy without any issue."

Luo Chen stared at the cracked two-legged copper cauldron in his hand with surprise. The image in his mind of a top-grade alchemy treasure was something closer to the Medicine King Sect's Sun and Moon Pot or Green Pill Valley's Azure Sky Glazed Cauldron. Could this cracked thing truly refine pills? Yet given her words, it was obvious she was not bluffing.

"Adept, thank you for the gift!"

Fairy Ruthless averted her eyes from the ruined copper cauldron and instead explained the purpose of the other treasure. "The Blue Flood Dragon Bracelet is a low-grade water-element enchanted treasure. It holds the essence soul of a third-tier water-element flood dragon. Channel spirit power into it, and the dragon will be summoned. It's quite a good treasure."

She paused for a moment, then added, "It's not for you. It's for your companion."

How generous!

Faced with such an unexpected gift, Luo Chen couldn't help but say, "She hasn't reached Foundation Establishment yet. I fear she won't be able to use it."

"With your abilities, are you saying you can't help her reach Foundation Establishment?" Fairy Ruthless retorted.

The retort left him stunned for a moment before a smile tugged at his lips. With his current cultivation and access to resources, he indeed had the capability to nurture a Qi Refinement cultivator into Foundation Establishment. Unlike Duan Qiankun, whose wealth and network had been limited, Luo Chen possessed far greater means. If he was willing to bear the cost, Gu Caiyi's success in Foundation Establishment was all but certain. How could he not be confident?

This time, he sincerely bowed again. "Adept, thank you so much!"

Fairy Ruthless nodded slightly before saying, "Lastly, that old man Chi Ding from Green Pill Valley said he could apply to his sect to let you use a third-tier spirit land once every ten years, correct?"

Luo Chen's mind stirred as he looked at Fairy Ruthless with anticipation.

Could it be...!

"I can offer you the same terms. However..."

The first part made Luo Chen's heart leap, but the word "however" instantly doused that excitement. As expected, things were never that straightforward.

"The third-tier spirit vein on Tianlan Peak is artificially enhanced," she explained. "Only three cave residences can truly provide third-tier spirit energy that is suitable for cultivation. One belongs to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. Even if it sits empty, no one else is permitted to use it, and I do not hold the formation key to open it."

That was only natural. Tianlan Immortal City had been co-founded by seven sects, yet the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had once stood as the dominant force in the region. It was expected that they retained such privileges.

"One is permanently occupied by a Golden Core Adept. He is a survivor of the fallen Haoran Sect and now serves as an official retainer of Tianlan Immortal City."

That surprised Luo Chen. He had heard of the retainer who had long been stationed in Tianlan Immortal City. In the process of management rotation, there would be a brief period when no Golden Core Adept was in the city, and during that period, this person would take charge of protecting the city. Luo Chen hadn't expected this person to come from the Haoran Sect. According to ancient texts, the Haoran Sect had been one of the sixteen sects that attacked Lianxia Mountain Range together, but like the Valley of Ghosts and Divinities and the Imperial Bright Sword Sect, the Haoran Sect had been wiped out and lost to history. Yet unexpectedly, one of their descendants still lived and had even reached the Golden Core Realm!

"That leaves just one more, the one I currently reside in."

With a calm tone, Fairy Ruthless pointed to the enormous cave residence beneath them, one worthy of being called a palace. "Cave Residence Jia One does not belong to any sect. It is assigned to whichever sect holds authority over the city at the time. In other words, I am using it now, but I may not be using it in the future."

Luo Chen's brows furrowed. There was no telling how long the Ice Fortress would remain in control of the city. And while they did, Fairy Ruthless would need the residence herself. Under such circumstances, how could she possibly spare a place for him?

No, hold on a moment. If that was the case, why would she even bring it up? Since she did, then... does she have a way to vacate a cave residence for me?

Luo Chen looked at Fairy Ruthless in puzzlement.

The stunning woman curved her lips into a faint smile. "There is an opportunity before us to vacate a third-tier cave residence. Luo Chen, it depends on whether you can seize it."

Luo Chen asked curiously, "What kind of opportunity?"

"It is simple. Have your Luo Tian Society join the war and destroy the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. When that happens, one of the currently vacant third-tier cave residences will be yours to use for the next hundred years."

"Absurd!" The word slipped out of Luo Chen's mouth before he could stop it, but the moment he met the eyes of his interlocutor, his heart trembled.

He quickly said, "What right or strength does my Luo Tian Society have to go destroy the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect? Adept, please don't tease me."

"You think I'm joking?" Fairy Ruthless spoke softly, her eyes narrowing. Her long lashes hung like icicles decorating her frosty gaze.

A chill ran through Luo Chen's heart.

She isn't joking! What right did I have to think a Golden Core Adept would joke with me?

To involve the Luo Tian Society in a conflict of that scale was no different from throwing an egg against a rock. All the wealth and resources he had painstakingly accumulated... How much of that would remain if he joined the war?

Luo Chen said hoarsely, "Haven't the battles between the two Nascent Soul sects settled down over the past decade?"

Fairy Ruthless answered coolly. "You spent a year cultivating in Green Pill Valley's Dao Scion Palace, so you've fallen out of touch. After the Dao Scion competition, the negotiations between the two upper sects collapsed completely. Now, both sides have dispatched Foundation Establishment True Inheritors and even Golden Core elders to the battlefield. Their allies and vassals are also steadily moving toward the front. My Ice Fortress is an ally of the Falling Cloud Sect, and your Luo Tian Society, as a vassal of my Ice Fortress, is naturally an ally of the Falling Cloud Sect as well. Joining the war is entirely reasonable!"

Luo Chen's body trembled slightly.

How could this be happening... How could this be happening!

As silence fell between them, Fairy Ruthless's lips curved into a strained smile. "Of course, you are the alchemist I value most, a genius famed throughout the Jade Cauldron Domain. I will not mistreat you. You need not join the war personally. Stay here on Tianlan Peak and cultivate in peace."

Luo Chen lifted his head and forced himself to meet her frosty gaze beneath that faint smile. "And what of my Luo Tian Society?"

"All Qi Refinement cultivators above the seventh stage will go to war. One Foundation Establishment cultivator may stay behind to manage Danxia Peak for you."

"Adept, isn't this a bit too—"

"I am informing you, not negotiating."

Her soft words rolled out with the crushing weight of the Golden Core Realm. The pressure swept over him, and in that instant, Luo Chen's hands and feet turned ice-cold.

***

Luo Chen stumbled out from the summit of Tianlan Peak like a man drifting through fog. He rode atop a white cloud, slowly descending from the heavens, his thoughts scattered, his heart heavy.

That change in how she addressed me... it showed her regard, even respect, for me. But the Luo Tian Society participating in the war?

He could not bring himself to picture such a scene. Even True Inheritors of great sects had fallen in that kind of war. How many of the Luo Tian Society's cultivators, who had only just stepped into Foundation Establishment, could hope to survive? He had led them out of Dahe Market, struggled alongside them, watched them grow and break through. Now he was supposed to send them to die?

Even with Luo Chen's habit of always putting benefit first, at this moment, he still couldn't make up his mind. Or rather, he didn't even have the right to decide. Fairy Ruthless had not discussed matters with him; she had simply informed him that the Luo Tian Society must go to war.

If I had not clung to Ice Fortress, if I had not borrowed their power, would I be in this situation?

Without the Ice Fortress, the Luo Tian Society would have ended up like Sky Eagle Peak or Divine Craftsman Sect, stranded at the bottom of the hierarchy. Under the crush of great powers, it would have been even worse. Yet after all his painstaking efforts, he had now been forced to this ending. What was the point of it all? What use were all the ties he had cultivated across Tianlan Immortal City? What use was it to win three consecutive first places in Green Pill Valley?

Luo Chen drifted downward in a daze until he reached the level of his second-tier top-grade residences.

Suddenly, a long howl pierced the air. A figure burst out from Cave Residence Bing Thirteen and soared into the clouds. The immense pressure of the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment spread recklessly through the sky. The surging spirit energy showed just how powerful the person who had howled was. Within that long cry was joy so pure it brimmed over, unrestrained and exuberant.

As he watched the departing figure, melancholy tugged at the corner of Luo Chen's mouth. Rogue cultivators lived without chains. They cried when they wished, laughed when they pleased, and roamed the cultivation world freely.

But just as he was looking away, that figure suddenly turned and landed right before him.

"Yo! Isn't this the famous Dan Chenzi!"

What should've sounded like teasing praise now carried a strange trace of irony. Luo Chen forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Congratulations, Brother Chu. With this breakthrough, the Golden Core Realm is surely within your grasp."

Chu Kui laughed heartily. During their trip to Green Pill Valley, the candidate he had supported, He Yuanqing, had not won the Dao Scion title, but the promised rewards had been handed to him as soon as the first round ended. After all, securing second place in the first round of the True Inheritors trials had taken a great deal of effort from Chu Kui. It was precisely those resources that allowed him to return and break through from the eighth to the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment. Now, he only needed to polish off the final stage, and then he could attempt Core Formation.

He waved his hand dismissively, pretending to be modest as he said, "

Ah

, the road is long and winding. Forming a core? Still a long way off! Anyway, I'm in a good mood today, want to have a few drinks at my place?"

Luo Chen shook his head, declined the invitation, and turned away. He looked somewhat despondent. Chu Kui stood puzzled. He could not fathom what had happened to Luo Chen. This dispirited man was nothing like the one who had dominated three contests in a row and crushed the Seven Prodigies of Green Pill Valley.

As he lingered in confusion, Luo Chen suddenly turned back. "Brother Chu, what you said back then was right!"

With those words, he flew toward the nearby Cave Residence Bing Seventeen, leaving Chu Kui rooted in place, utterly baffled.

What did I say back then?

***

That night on the main street of Green Pill Market, the bright moon hung high in the sky. Chu Kui had snorted with disdain.

"What's so respectable about the women of the Ice Fortress? They're fickle and unpredictable."

Now, Luo Chen wholeheartedly agreed! Women of the Ice Fortress were indeed moody and capricious! He had once heard that Fairy Ruthless personally killed her Golden Core Dao companion, thus earning her now-infamous title. At the time, he assumed she was heartless and cruel, with no understanding of kinship and sentimental bonds.

Yet after a few interactions, he had found her cold in demeanor but approachable in manner, and more importantly, generous in what she bestowed upon him. Not long ago, she had presented him with a Black Ice Talisman in front of several Golden Core cultivators from other sects. Then, just earlier today, she had offered enchanted treasures without hesitation. If he counted the third-tier alchemy insights she had offered, the Ice Emperor Cauldron, the Divine Ice Jade, and even Shi Lan's reassignment of his residence at her command... Luo Chen realized that Fairy Ruthless was the most generous high-tier cultivator he had ever encountered in his life! He hadn't even needed to hint or ask; she had simply given without prompting.

Yet earlier today, that one cold line—

I am informing you, not negotiating—

made everything clear. Every so-called gift of fate had long been marked with an invisible price. The favor of those in power was fickle and unpredictable. On a whim, they could grant, and with a single word, they could destroy.

Sure enough, the realization he'd reached a few days ago was correct. A mere sixth-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was nothing in the grand scheme of the cultivation world.

Inside the cave residence, Luo Chen drew in a long, steady breath. The storm behind his eyes gradually stilled, settling into quiet clarity. Self-pity was pointless. What mattered was resolving the situation at hand.

Could he send the entirety of Luo Tian Society into open war? That was absolutely out of the question. It was his life's work, and among the members were many of his friends! Some had followed him for profit, others out of loyalty, and a few because of debts owed. But whatever the reason, they had gathered around him, placing their trust and admiration in his leadership. Yet now, he was supposed to lead them into the flames of war? That was something Luo Chen could not accept.

He recalled her words vividly.

"The departure is scheduled for one month from now. Every force connected to the Ice Fortress, Green Pill Valley, Ailao Mountain, and even the Falling Cloud Sect will mobilize."

A month wasn't long, but it was enough. Right now, what he needed most was clarity; he had to understand exactly what had unfolded over the past year. Without hesitation, Luo Chen took out a sound-transmission jade token.

1. 尚书(shangshu) literally means "Esteemed Writings," but in this context, it is likely derived directly from its owner's name. ☜