Chapter 732: Golden Core Second Stage; The Moonbreak Wings; Mirror Flower Water Moon; Tears of Blood Once More (I)

"Defiant Howl will tear you to pieces! You have no idea what you are facing! Defiant Howl is the first to awaken the bloodline of the ancestral Heavenly Wolf! AAARGH!!!! Kill me! Kill me!"

Within the mountain valley encircled by peaks, a voice kept roaring unceasingly, in an increasingly awkward manner. As it continued, the words eventually degenerated into the purest wolf howls.

Luo Chen sat cross-legged in midair and watched it calmly.

After a long while, he finally said, "You're too noisy!"

A moment later, his hands stopped forming seals.

In all directions, enormous Water Mirrors appeared at once. Within those mirrors appeared figures of women as beautiful as celestial fairies, who sang softly and danced gracefully, their slender waists swaying in graceful rhythm. This was Mirror Flower Water Moon unleashed at full power!

As the third-tier Grayleaf Wolf King gazed upon the water mirrors, confusion flickered briefly in its eyes. It then shook its head violently as he attempted to break free from the spell. Yet as Luo Chen resumed forming spirit seals and his mana surged in ripples after ripples, a perfectly round full moon seemed to appear within the mirrors.

When the Grayleaf Wolf King saw that full moon, it could not help but let out a soft growl. The singing, dancing immortal fairies vanished, transforming into flowers refreshing to the senses. The Wolf King extended a claw and touched those flowers. The petals scattered as ripples spread across the water, and the full moon shattered.

The Wolf King erupted in fury and was about to roar. However, a new mirror appeared as flowers, water, and moons emerged without end. It became soothing once more. It was an illusion! Once trapped within, it became endless!

Luo Chen exerted himself to the utmost to maintain the illusion. But even while doing so, he split his focus and summoned his status panel. As he watched the proficiency tick upward by a single point at last, he knew that his path was right!

***

Inside a newly built palace filled with a fresh fragrance, Luo Chen listened quietly as Xing Zhonghan reported on the situation on the front lines.

Half a year had passed since that major defeat. After suffering that loss, the Falling Cloud Sect had refrained from launching a furious large-scale counterattack. Instead, they methodically mobilized cultivators from all directions.

They no longer tried to attack the core region of the Defiant Howl Wolf Court. Instead, they went the opposite way and began clearing out major and minor spirit vein sites throughout other areas of the Howling Moon Mountains.

Any location occupied by demonic beasts was subjected to systematic sweeps. Even those major sects whose targets were large third-tier spirit veins had no choice but to comply under such command. It came straight from Adept Cheng Yan of the Falling Cloud Sect, who had made a small adjustment to the rules. Sects were not to target specific places and entrench themselves there anymore. Instead, once the new domain was firmly secured, rewards would be distributed according to merit, with territory allocated based on contribution.

Although some were dissatisfied with the precedent of the five sects' defeat and the heavy losses suffered by the Sword Enforcer Hall, those dissatisfactions were suppressed.

After hearing this intelligence, Luo Chen showed a contemplative expression. Besieging a city works very differently once the suburbs are swept clean—it's a classic tactic. Smaller territories would be consumed first, before concentrating forces to eliminate the core strength of the Defiant Howl Wolf Court.

This marked the start of a strategy entirely different from the previous one, which had sought to sweep straight through the Howling Moon Mountain Range. Under this new approach, cultivator casualties were finally brought under control.

Even though demon clans under the Defiant Howl Wolf Court had begun to grasp the principles of human warfare, the distances and logistics worked against them. Their absolute strength could not match that of the human side, and they could only watch helplessly as their territory was gradually taken away.

"During this period, the Defiant Howl Wolf Court dispatched several support units consisting of second-tier demonic beasts led by Demon Kings. However, they were all discovered in advance by our side. They either got ambushed or split up and annihilated..."

Yet another classic tactic: encircling a target and striking at the incoming reinforcements; something generally employed around strategically important territory. Since the Defiant Howl Wolf Court dared to use schemes to lure the enemy deep into wolf territory, the Falling Cloud Sect side could naturally respond with the same tactic to wipe out the enemy's active forces.

"Oh, right, there is also the Hundred Flowers Palace. Just like the initial reports said, they participate in the war under the banner of the Silktree Sect. Grand Elder Peach Blossom actually fought personally, which hasn't happened in a very long time. I personally witnessed that battle. Peach blossoms filled the sky, and the fragrance was like musk mixed with blood. The demonic wolves became entranced the moment they smelled it and died the instant they touched it. It was truly bizarre!"

As Luo Chen listened to this stream of intelligence, he gradually felt reassured. He asked about the situation of Cen Qiusheng and the others, and the answers he received were also good news. Although Cen Qiusheng had been injured in one battle, it was only a minor wound. There had been some casualties among the Luo Tian Alliance cultivators under his command, but all were within acceptable limits.

The only regrettable matter was the fall of a promising younger disciple of the Luo Tian Sect. Luo Chen vaguely remembered the young man's name, but was not particularly familiar with him. That disciple had reached Foundation Establishment during the period when Luo Chen was in seclusion forming his core.

"Continue monitoring the front lines and send intelligence as usual," Luo Chen said.

"Yes!"

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

After Xing Zhonghan left, the urgency in Luo Chen's heart finally eased. It was good news that the Falling Cloud Sect was no longer acting recklessly. At the very least, casualties could be kept under control. By the time he went to the battlefield himself, in two and a half years, the situation would have tipped decisively in their favor. At that point, it would merely be a matter of showing up.

But even though this sounded like an excuse to relax, Luo Chen did not stop cultivating. One month earlier, his body had fully adapted to the Concealment Veil Formation. With that, he could once again cultivate at full capacity. Before this, whether casting spells or absorbing spirit energy, he had needed to be extremely careful as he feared any misstep might disrupt the integration of the formation patterns. This was also why he had left the auction early. He truly did not want to get involved in any pointless disputes. Not only was he wary of revealing something, but in that state, it was impossible to fight at full strength.

Back in the cave residence, Luo Chen sat cross-legged and glanced at the status panel once more. He checked his progress on Mirror Flower Water Moon. It had risen by a full hundred points, and he now had less than four hundred before Perfected Mastery. This was all thanks to that Wolf King serving as a training dummy!

That million spirit stones was well spent. The wolf is an excellent sparring partner. Actually, if I can tame it and then enslave it with the Myriad Beast Sutra, the Luo Tian Sect can gain another guardian spirit beast. Too bad that I had to hit him with the illusion spell so much... its mind is in a terrible state. Its strength will probably drop quite a bit.

Luo Chen shook his head and did not dwell on it further. He formed the spirit seals of Wood Ignition as mana circulated within his body. His Golden Core generated a powerful suction force, and Luo Chen began to voraciously absorb the spirit energy of heaven and earth.

Three months later, a streak of light rose into the air from the Grand Hall of Luo Tian Sect at Snow Wolf Plateau. After circling once, it headed straight toward Moonbreak Immortal City. News had arrived from the Treasure Pavilion—a certain enchanted treasure had been successfully refined!

***

"Alright, how about you give them a try?"

"Let me refine them a bit first!"

"There is no need for all that trouble. Just bind them with a drop of blood."

"Blood refinement?"

"That's not what I said. Binding a treasure with a drop of blood is not some unorthodox blood refinement. These wings are meant to be mounted on your body and driven by blood qi. Using blood to bind them will not damage the enchanted treasure's grade or potential. On the contrary, it will forge a closer connection between you and the treasure. If you do that, it will be basically like your own limbs, and you'll be able to use it to full power."

Luo Chen was somewhat surprised. He had not expected such a method to exist. Huyan Zhuo did not mind his ignorance; many rogue cultivators were unfamiliar with these basic principles.

"In truth, all life-bound treasures can undergo three stages of refinement. First comes blood binding, then mana tempering, and finally nourishment with the divine soul. The only way to create a truly secure bond is to go through all three, so that others cannot easily sever the connection between the treasure and the master in battle. Ordinary enchanted treasures are different. They are easily destroyed, so as long as you can properly control them, that's enough. Refining them excessively makes them more of a liability than an asset."

Luo Chen nodded in understanding. As expected, exchanging knowledge with sect cultivators blessed with the teachings of a proper lineage often yielded priceless insights. Without hesitation and under Huyan Zhuo's watchful gaze, he forced out a drop of blood essence and bound the enormous wings to himself. When fully spread, they spanned more than three zhang. As the blood bind was completed, Huyan Zhuo continued explaining the specific details of the enchanted treasure.

"This is the normal size. After the binding is complete, you can activate the Wish Alignment Formation to shrink them. I know you practice a beast transformation technique, so I made sure to adapt the formation. The wings can get bigger, so you can still use them just as well after transforming. As per your request, the wings are made entirely of fire-attribute materials, and they only do two things: extreme speed, and one killing move I call the Rain of Blazing Feathers. As per our standard procedure, an enchanted treasure like this should be nurtured within the furnace for at least five years before it's considered complete. But since you needed it urgently, we had to cut that short. You'll have to do that part yourself."

Luo Chen listened carefully to the steady stream of explanation while infusing blood qi into the wings. Only after he felt the black-tinged red wings forming a connection with him did he finally let out a breath. "Let me test them first, and then we can settle the remaining payment."

Huyan Zhuo nodded with a smile. He looked somewhat eager as well.

Compared to the Crimson Cloud Wings, which had required literally cutting open his back, this enchanted treasure set was far less troublesome. With a single thought, the wings embedded themselves seamlessly into Luo Chen's back. He then jumped up, turning into a streak of light that vanished above Moonbreak Immortal City. A powerful blast erupted as the air was split by an object moving at tremendous speed. The sudden explosion immediately drew the attention of many cultivators.

Huyan Zhuo stroked his beard with obvious pride. In the capable hands of someone like Luo Chen, a treasure like this would surely shake the cultivation world. When word inevitably spread, he would have yet another masterpiece to boast about!

Before long, a Daoist in fluttering white robes descended excitedly above the Treasure Pavilion. He retracted his wings, and he went straight inside.

"Do they have a name?"

"Of course!" Huyan Zhuo said proudly. "The Moonbreak Wings!"

"The Moonbreak Wings?" Luo Chen murmured twice and felt it was extremely fitting.

Whether because the wings were created in Moonbreak Immortal City, or for the speed that seemed capable of breaking through clouds and cleaving the moon in half, the name Moonbreak Wings fit perfectly. During the brief test just now, his flying speed had gone up fifty percent, and that was nowhere near the limit. If he used mana in addition to blood qi, he felt that the speed could almost double. If he further took the Sky Roc True Form, he even believed that most mid-stage Adepts would be unable to catch up to him.

Of course, he had not witnessed the escape speed of late-stage Adepts and did not yet know if he was stronger, but that was a problem for later. In any case, with this treasure in hand, Luo Chen's confidence surged severalfold. He felt a bold sense that the Mountains and Seas Realm was open for him to roam freely.

"Satisfied, eh?" Huyan Zhuo asked with a smile.

Luo Chen nodded. "How couldn't I be? A real masterpiece, as expected of a master artisan famed across the Eastern Wilderness! Fellow Daoist, thank you!"

"There is no need for thanks!" Huyan Zhuo waved his hand dismissively. "I mean, really, this is business. You can thank me in currency."

Luo Chen froze for a moment and asked cautiously, "About that..."

Huyan Zhuo raised his hand again, but this time, it was not in a casual wave. Rather, he held all five fingers outstretched in front of Luo Chen's eyes.

Luo Chen's eyes widened. "Five hundred thousand!? Why not just rob me outright? This is only a low-grade enchanted treasure!"

"

Ahem, ahem

. Fellow Daoist, please."

"My apologies." Luo Chen drew a deep breath. He had indeed lost his composure just now. It had nothing to do with his temperament; the price had simply exceeded his expectations by far. It did not even align with market prices. Back at the Tianlan auction, a mid-grade enchanted treasure had sold for only 305,000 spirit stones. Now, a mere low-grade enchanted treasure, even one he was very pleased with, was priced at half a million! That was excessive by any measure.

Huyan Zhuo's eyes nearly narrowed into slits from smiling. "Alright, alright, listen here and you'll understand why."

He counted on his fingers. "First, this is a mystical enchanted treasure, not an ordinary one. It naturally comes at a premium."

Luo Chen frowned.

"Second, I spent eight full months refining this treasure, and I failed three times along the way. The materials consumed and the labor expended should not be mine to bear alone, should they?"

Luo Chen's brow furrowed even more deeply.

"Furthermore, this is a custom order, tailored specifically for you. It is no different from someone asking you to refine an unfamiliar pill exclusively for them. You would not evaluate the price based on market prices in that situation, would you?"

Luo Chen's expression eased somewhat.

That seems reasonable enough.