Chapter 644: Nascent Souls at War; The Secret of Withering and Flourishing; Old Grounds Revisited, Old Friends Returned (II)

Half a month later, a vast blue demonic cloud swept across the sky, letting out irritable cries.

The wind howled, the land was in disarray, and the snow on the mountain peaks was scattering in all directions.

After a long while, deep within the woods, movement stirred beneath the roots of an ancient tree. From it, a lone figure stepped out. No trace of aura lingered around him; his presence was so still it might have been mistaken for deadwood. He looked up toward the receding blue cloud and let out a long breath.

This figure was none other than Luo Chen, who had stirred up tremendous chaos in the Great Snowy Mountains not long ago. After shaking off the Seven-Ring Snow Python's pursuit, he had slipped along in secret and entered the Ancient Plains Mountain Range. He had not expected that his Sky Roc True Form, the very same form that had saved him thus far, would attract the attention of a powerful demonic bird like the Azure Eaglet. It was fortunate that the creature, for all its speed and strength, was not skilled at tracking aura. With the help of his Perfected Mastery Spirit Suppression and the protection of the Turtle Spirit Armor, he had slipped into the dense forest, constantly shifting his aura until the eagle finally lost his trail.

Even so, he had truly hit bottom rock again. His spirit power had nearly run dry, and the once-surging blood qi within him was now faint. The strength of his body could no longer sustain the Sky Roc Transformation.

"This place still isn't safe. I need to find somewhere to recover first."

Luo Chen glanced around wearily and swept the surroundings before his figure leaped toward the direction where the flow of spirit energy felt weakest. He did not use any spells, only the most basic lightness art he knew, Carefree Wander. His figure darted through the forest like a fleeting hawk and soon vanished among the trees.

***

"

Eh

? What a cute little rabbit. What a pity we're in the wild, or I could have made that shredded rabbit dish Master likes..." muttered Bai Meiling in a low voice.

A faint motion of her hand released a wisp of ghostly energy that struck the small rabbit nearby, a creature that had barely reached the first tier. It collapsed at once, unconscious. After walking around the area once, she slipped back into the cavern within the mountain. As soon as she entered, she felt an almost tangible gaze fall upon her.

"Master, you were awake!" Bai Meiling said, hurrying over in delight. A look of happiness crossed her face.

From his meditation mat, Luo Chen gave a slow nod. "How long has it been?"

Bai Meiling counted carefully on her fingers before answering, "You have been recovering for a month."

Luo Chen murmured to himself, "Damn, a whole month again?"

He swept his body with his spirit consciousness and sighed. He was faring slightly better than before, but just slightly. He was barely at ten, maybe twenty percent of his normal strength. At this point, let alone facing a third-tier demon king, even a late-stage second-tier demonic beast would pose a difficult fight. Killing one would be possible, but if it drew the notice of others, the result could be disastrous.

The status of the healing supplies in his storage ring made his predicament painfully clear. Over the past month, every qi-consolidation pill and supreme-grade Blood-Boosting Pill he carried had already been consumed. Only the Dustfall Pill remained untouched. What he needed most now were Blood-Boosting Pills or something similar to restore his blood qi. Otherwise, spirit power alone would not be enough to use Ninety Thousand Li again.

At the thought of Ninety Thousand Li, regret crossed Luo Chen's face. The Crimson Cloud Wings created by Elder Gongsun of Hundred Forge Mountain had given out under the strain and were completely ruined. As a result, in human form, his speed when using Ninety Thousand Li would likely be cut by more than half. It would be only a little faster than an ordinary Initiate. If only that desperate flight from the Azure Eaglet had never happened....

Luo Chen shook his head and refused to dwell on it. In truth, there had been signs long before. From the moment they entered the Great Snowy Mountains, Fu Jiusheng had repeatedly mentioned changes along the previously safe route. There were far too many low-tier demonic beasts that had moved from their old habitats to the outskirts. Now it seemed those creatures, born with an instinct for danger, had perceived an overwhelming threat.

Naturally, that overwhelming threat had been the lightning tribulation summoned by Ice Torrent's attempt to form her Nascent Soul.

"She not only invited Han Zhan to serve as her guardian, but even mobilized the sect's top-grade enchanted treasure, the Moon Radiance Ice Fortress. Not only that, but Fairy Ruthless, Yinyue, Light Frost..."

If he had not seen wrong at the time, each of the first eight levels of the fortress had held an Adept. In other words, for her breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm, Ice Torrent had mobilized her sect's entire foundation.

A quiet thought lingered in his heart.

I wonder if she succeeded....

Luo Chen hoped she had. And interestingly enough, the main reason was not that Ice Torrent's advancement would grant him a powerful backer, but rather that she truly possessed a kind nature. Among the many high-tier cultivators he had encountered, she was one of the very few who had shown him genuine goodwill. The only other person was Hao Ranzi, whom he had met merely twice.

It was only a pity that his condition was so poor. Otherwise, he would have stepped forward to help, even if his aid amounted to little.

He shook off his thoughts, and his gaze settled on the first-tier demonic rabbit dangling from Bai Meiling's hand. Its fur was glossy and its nose bright red; it was clearly still alive, just unconscious.

Suddenly, a thought stirred in Luo Chen's heart and said, "Give it to me."

Bai Meiling handed it over with practiced ease and asked casually, "Master, are you going to cultivate Soul Intimidation again?"

She didn't know that Luo Chen had already reached Perfected Mastery in Soul Intimidation. Otherwise, he could not have slain Hermit Xiao in an instant during the battle, nor defeated Yousha and He Lianyun.

Luo Chen fell into thought as he gripped the unconscious demonic rabbit by its ears. With a flick of his right hand, a wisp of azure flame flickered into being at his fingertips, like a lighter's spark. In his mind, he returned to that battle in the cavern, where he held Hermit Xiao's severed head high and overlooked Yousha and He Lianyun from above. That time, he burned Hermit Xiao's head to ash with his primordial true fire, and at that moment... something strange had stirred within his body. Yet due to the immediate danger of the situation, he hadn't had the chance to investigate. Now, he wanted to see if he could recreate that phenomenon.

"If it worked on a human, it should work on a demonic beast too," he murmured.

Luo Chen pressed his lips together as the Withering-Flourishing True Fire slowly wrapped around the demonic rabbit. The moment the flames touched, the creature jolted awake, shrieking in agony. A shrill scream escaped its mouth. Bai Meiling flinched, her expression twisting with fear.

"Maintain the formation, don't let the sound leak out," Luo Chen said calmly.

He continued roasting the beast. Gradually, a mysterious force began to flow toward him. After a while, he brushed aside the ashes, and a contemplative look crossed his face.

"That... was life force?"

Something stirred within him. The Withering-Flourishing True Fire that had been refined into his primordial true fire seemed to draw in a strange energy after burning the creature's life away. The flame itself appeared to swell with newfound strength, and as it grew, a faint strand of that same energy flowed back into Luo Chen's body. A gentle warmth spread through him. The wounds marring his flesh began to knit faster under the nourishment of that mysterious power.

"Perhaps this... is the true wonder of the Withering-Flourishing Fire!"

Still uncertain, he beckoned for Bai Meiling to come closer. "Are there any other low-tier demonic beasts that wandered into the illusion formation?"

Bai Meiling quivered, but she nodded at once. "There are a few left!"

"Bring them all," he said.

The second was a Cloud Sparrow. Luo Chen guided his spirit power once more, summoning the primordial true fire to burn it slowly. His spirit consciousness spread outward, and his Spirit Eyes opened wide, seeking to capture every trace of that mysterious energy.

One... two... three... four...

By the time the last of the low-tier demonic beasts that had strayed into the formation was incinerated, certainty had settled in his heart. The nature of that force had become clear. Whether it truly enhanced the fire's offensive power remained uncertain, but it undeniably strengthened the fire. At the same time, a portion of that life force was absorbed into Luo Chen's body. Under its effect, his wounds began to close, at a speed visible even to the naked eye.

"Withering and flourishing... When one dies, another thrives. To absorb the life of others to nourish oneself... So cruel in essence, yet so profound in mystery."

A faint gleam stirred within his eyes, and the look that followed seemed to pierce through the rough cave walls, reaching far across the endless sprawl of the Great Million Mountains. A long silence passed before the restless urge in his chest began to fade.

"That would be far too reckless. In my current state, I should play it safe. It is best to leave the Ancient Plains Mountain Range first. Along the way, I can refine a few low-tier demonic beasts for strength, but it must be done discreetly."

Luo Chen had no intention of fully recovering within these mountains. First, the environment was unsuitable; second, he lacked the materials needed for large-scale refinement. The spirit power within his body far exceeded that of others in the same realm, yet that very abundance made recovery painfully slow. Without pills or a high-tier spirit land to assist him, it was impossible to say how long he would need to return to peak condition. Back in the Qi Refinement Realm, mastery of the Long Spring Art had passively replenished his energy, but that effect had become less relevant over time and was now barely noticeable.

Having made up his mind, Luo Chen hesitated no longer. He instructed Bai Meiling to return to the Soul-Nurturing Banner and packed away the formation tools. After activating Spirit Suppression to restrain every trace of his aura, Luo Chen stepped forward with steady composure and entered the shadowed wilderness of the Ancient Plains Mountain Range.

***

The Ancient Plains Mountain Range! A return to this old ground made Luo Chen feel a little nostalgic.

During his time at Dahe Market, he had generally refrained from entering these mountains the way demon hunters often did. Back then, his cultivation was too low and his methods too few. At most, he could barely cast Fireball. At that level, venturing into the mountains to hunt demonic beasts for survival would have been far too dangerous. And after picking up alchemy and joining the Poshan Gang, there had been even less reason to take such risks. Even when the Valley of Ghosts and Divinities' Golden Core ruin caused an uproar, he had suppressed his desire for treasure and chosen not to participate. Instead, he had occasionally traveled to Changyin Mountain, in the Howling Moon Range.

"When I was weaker, I was far more cautious," he muttered. "The stronger I grew, the easier it became to kill, and the bolder I became."

Memories of countless battles since reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm stirred a mix of reflection and regret. Some of those fights had been unnecessary. Others, he might have handled with greater precision.

Between reflection and regret, his pace through the mountains quickened. He moved faster partly because he was familiar with the Ancient Plains Mountain Range. Though he had never explored them personally, he had studied many maps left by the Poshan Gang. The other reason was his occasional use of the Withering-Flourishing Fire to refine captured first-tier demonic beasts. By absorbing their life force, his body's recovery grew stronger and stronger. The faster his body healed, the faster his strength returned. Thus, his cautious creeping evolved into confident, swift strides.

Two months later, Luo Chen stopped at a fork in the path. Back during his Qi Refinement days, he had entered the Ancient Plains Mountain Range once. That time, Miao Wen had personally led him here. It was then that he found the surviving members of the Mi family, and they were all slaughtered by Miao Wen, leaving only Mi Li alive.

Luo Chen raised his head toward a towering mountain. It rose a thousand zhang high, yet no clouds gathered around it, for which reason it was called the Cloudless Mountain. The mountain was known to harbor many demonic beasts, several of them second-tier, and few of Dahe Market's demon hunters ever dared to venture there. Of course, with Luo Chen's current strength, such danger was no longer a deterrent. The reason for his pause rested within that mountain itself rather than the creatures living there.

"The miniature Magnetic Essence Valley should be within this place," Luo Chen murmured and let out a sigh. Inside his Thundernet Hoard Ring rested a single puppet. It was crafted from the corpse of Mi Shuhua.

Since I'm already here, I should let Old Man Mi rest in peace and be reunited with his family.

With a thought, Luo Chen leaped into the sky and flew toward the mountain. As he flew, his spirit consciousness spread outward. With his keen perception, he soon detected a few powerful second-tier demonic beasts, including a Bloodthirst Crocodile, a Black Marsh Python, a Cloudless Leopard...

Luo Chen felt no desire toward those beasts, even though their life force was strong. He could kill them easily, but causing trouble would defeat his goal of returning safely. Before long, guided by memory, he reached Magnetic Essence Valley.

It had once been one of the Poshan Gang's secret outposts within the Ancient Plains. They had chosen this place because it contained faint Magnetic Essence power—a force that disrupted the five elements and thinned spirit energy, making even mildly intelligent demonic beasts instinctively avoid it.

Just as Luo Chen began to descend through the clouds toward the valley, a figure came into view, and he froze in midair. "

Hm

? What is he doing here?"