Chapter 937: Guests Arrive; A Daoist Feeds a Flood Dragon (II
A month later, Zhang Jiadi delivered a green visiting card to Heavenjade, on Surging Island.
"He already said he won't be seeing anyone. Why are you giving me this?"
Over the years, many cultivators had tried to visit Luo Chen, and the number of invitation cards delivered had piled up like a small mountain. Many of them were well-known and capable rogue cultivators. Even so, Luo Chen had not met a single one. After releasing a second defensive enchanted treasure into the market, he predicted the reaction and instructed Heavenjade to turn all visitors away so they would not disturb his cultivation. Under such circumstances, Zhang Jiadi still dared to submit an invitation?
He swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Heavenjade's gaze. "The one who sent this invitation... has a rather special status."
"Hm?"
"It is from Huo Fang, the deputy city lord of Dragon Abyss City."
"Huo Fang?" Heavenjade repeated the name, and her expression shifted.
Huo Fang did not represent Dragon Abyss City so much as Endless Valley, as well as the Chen family of Sky Passage and the Zhou family of Coral Sea. In other words, he represented three Sages of the Society. Rogue Adepts could be ignored, but Luo Chen could not afford to disregard a Sage.
Heavenjade accepted the invitation and hurried toward the Alchemy-Artifact Hall. When she got there, it was completely quiet. "Is he not refining pills or creating artifacts?"
Thus, she went to the Starry Palace and stopped outside for a while. Even if there was something important, she did not dare to disturb her master's cultivation. Luo Chen's divine consciousness was strong, and he also shared a special connection with his spirit beast. It did not take long for him to notice her arrival.
"What is it?"
"Master, the deputy city lord of Dragon Abyss City has sent an invitation."
"Give it to me."
The heavy bronze door opened slightly, leaving only a narrow gap. He sent out a strand of mana to pull the invitation from Heavenjade's hands. The door then closed again. Everything seemed calm, but Heavenjade's expression turned ugly. Her mind churned violently, and even the demonic energy she had suppressed for years leaked out uncontrollably.
What was that aura?!
In that brief moment, she felt as if a Titan Beast was staring at her from behind the door. The natural pressure caused by a vast difference in rank made it almost impossible for her to breathe.
What exactly is Master doing...
***
Inside the Starry Palace, Luo Chen kept his eyes tightly shut. He continued to observe the state of his body; it was as if rivers and seas were rising within, and bulges rose as if someone were beating a great drum beneath his skin. Now and then, there were bell-like sounds echoing in the palace. All these sounds came from inside his body.
At the start, Physique Refiners went from external cultivation to internal cultivation. With some progress there, they reached the Vajra Realm. One step further, and their blood qi surged like a river; that was the Blood River Realm. From there, they explored the transformations of blood qi, gathered their intent, refined it into fortified qi, and stepped into the third stage, the Furnace Realm. That was the traditional path. But Luo Chen had taken a different route that imitated the Titan Beasts of primeval times. He didn't focus on blood qi transformations; he relied purely on strengthening the body itself. After years of cultivation, he had replaced his blood eight times and reconstructed all two hundred and six of his bones. With the Black Sovereign Paste, his body was even stronger than a puppet's. But his cultivation had been all over the place, and it had never fully come together. So now, he was using these artifact creation methods to refine his body. He took the principle of refining raw iron by endless hammering and developed it in order to temper his limbs, his bones, and even his meridians.
In time, my body will reach the power of a Titan Beast!
He pondered on his future path as his blood qi was refined under the heat of the Withering-Flourishing True Fire. The process generated waves of powerful force that struck his organs. Each impact forged them little by little, making his organs and meridians tougher.
This was the Physique Refinement method Luo Chen had recently developed. He used his blood qi as fuel and refined it with the fire to produce stronger internal power. Then he used that power to temper his body. He replenished his blood qi with large amounts of bloodfood, and constantly applied the fourth-tier Black Sovereign Paste to strengthen his physique. In this way, his physique improved by the day. He no longer rigidly followed the ancient methods but instead worked with what was suitable for his own body. The result was reflected on the status panel, where his progress advanced at an increasing rate. He was only a few steps away from the fourth tier!
When he felt that this cultivation session was satisfactory, he slowly opened his eyes. He read the invitation in his hand and smiled. "Fine, let him in."
***
Three days later, a large ship set off from the shores of Surging Lake. Zhang Jiadi personally took the helm, while Heavenjade accompanied them.
Huo Fang was not the only guest aboard. He had brought a junior Initiate from the Chen family of Sky Passage and another from the Zhou family of Coral Sea. In addition, there were three others: the master artisan Devil's Cloud, Purple Empress, and the Angler. The latter three had come by riding on Huo Fang's coattails, but since they had boarded the ship, it meant they had Luo Chen's approval.
Luo Chen had previously refused to meet anyone. Now that he had agreed to see Huo Fang, the precedent was set. Seeing the Angler and Purple Empress at the same time was a good idea. After all, they were among the top rogue cultivators in the Society, and it was best not to offend them if it could be avoided.
The group stood on deck, facing the wind as they took in the scenery of the eight hundred li Surging Lake. Under normal conditions, the waters stretched out were covered with mist, with no one in sight. Now the formation had cleared the mist, and the green hills and small islands came into view, while the lake shimmered with a deep jade color. It truly resembled a sacred land of immortals. Beneath the ship, Golden Dragon Carp swam past, leaping out of the water one after the other in a stunning display.
Huo Fang stood at the front and nodded as he watched. "It seems Azure Yang has been managing Surging Lake quite well!"
The others nodded in agreement. A woman with an oval face suddenly let out a surprised exclamation. "Hm? Why do these fish have black stripes and spots? The ones I've seen until now are just golden."
Heavenjade glanced at them and replied calmly, "They've lived here for a long time and picked up some of the flood dragon's aura. It makes sense that they've changed a bit."
The aura of what now?! The young woman froze for a moment.
An Initiate from the Chen family quietly explained, "The master of Surging Lake has a massive Black-Scaled Flood Dragon as his spirit beast. It once nearly swallowed a middle-stage Adept in a bite. It's incredibly powerful."
The woman's eyes widened. Indeed, that made sense. With a flood dragon residing here, the Golden Dragon Carp had awakened traces of dragon blood and evolved. She could not help but wonder what these black-golden carps would taste like.
Meanwhile, when these words reached the ears of the Adepts, they each had different thoughts.
Purple Empress thought, Azure Yang has built Surging Lake into something truly prosperous. Now, even Huo Fang has come in person to cooperate with him, which means his position in the Society is only getting more stable. I really have to clear up the misunderstanding from before. Otherwise, who knows what problems it might cause me.
More friends were always better than more enemies. Huangfu Song was still stirring up trouble, but even though he had some foundations and they had a longstanding connection, in her eyes, he was no real threat. Only the heavens knew how long it'd take him to restore the Great Zhou. More importantly, even at their peak, the Nascent Soul elders of the Great Zhou had to hide like rats, never daring to show themselves. As for that so-called imperial glory, Purple Empress had no desire to experience even a trace of it.
The Angler was different. He only wanted to meet Azure Yang and ask when he would end his seclusion and resume their normal discussion. He hoped to speak with him more and learn about forming the Nascent Soul.
As for the usually reclusive Devil's Cloud? At this moment, he looked conflicted, yet barely able to contain his eagerness. After studying the Bright Yellow Rock Armor, his heart had been scratched by the cat of curiosity. How did Azure Yang manage to inscribe the formations like that? They were perfectly integrated with the embryo! The materials are completely ordinary, but whatever method he used, the armor can even take attacks from middle-stage Adepts!
He had never seen or even heard of such a technique. If he could grasp even a part of it, he would advance by leaps and bounds in his artifact creation journey. Perhaps he might even reach the point of crafting a legendary True Artifact in this lifetime!
Huo Fang held a faint smile as he took in the scenery. "Fellow Daoist Heavenjade, how much longer?"
Heavenjade replied, "It's just past Flying Falcon Island."
Huo Fang looked toward the island ahead. Short-tailed black birds perched among the trees, darting with remarkable speed as they took off and landed. Unfortunately, they were not spirit birds. Otherwise, they could have been raised properly and sold for a good price.
As he took in the sight, the ship turned and passed Flying Falcon Island. A wide stretch of water came into view. A breeze stirred the surface, and faint dragon roars seemed to echo. The group focused their gaze and saw a white-robed Daoist standing by the water, scattering some pellets into it. A massive, black dragon head suddenly rose from the lake and swallowed the pellets as if they were some kind of delicacy.
At that moment, the white-robed Daoist turned toward them. He waved his hand, as if brushing something away, or maybe dismissing the flood dragon. The flood dragon flipped and plunged back into the lake, sending waves across the surface. The Daoist said aloud, "Greetings, everyone! What a pleasure to have you here!"
