Chapter 956: Withered Wood Ridge; Depart! (II)
Ah, shit, it’s my physique!
It could only be this. In earlier years, the Angler had discussed methods of physique cultivation with him. Although he himself had gained little from those exchanges, his understanding of Luo Chen had deepened over time. It was precisely Luo Chen's physique that gave him combat strength comparable to a grand cultivator and made the Angler value him so much. And with the fearsome reputation of Devil Lord Azure Yang already known throughout the region, how could the man possibly overlook such a capable ally when assembling forces for this mission?
"Azure Yang, there's no need to worry so much. Blood Hermit gave me a few things specifically meant to deal with the vine. This trip won't be particularly dangerous for you. At most, it's just a long journey. And once the mission is complete, you'll earn merit points and raise your demon hunter rank as well. Those seven-star demon hunters are already too high up, so there's not much room left for them to advance. But you're only at four stars right now. This alone could raise you by an entire rank."
Angler spoke confidently, every word filled with certainty that the mission would succeed. Under his persuasion, the resistance in Luo Chen's heart gradually weakened. Still, before agreeing, there were questions he needed answered.
"Where's the mission taking place? I've got urgent matters of my own as well, so I can't be tied up for too long."
"What could possibly be so urgent?" Angler casually asked.
Luo Chen did not answer. The Angler chuckled and pulled a jade scroll from his robes. Just as Luo Chen reached out to take it, he paused and kept hold of the scroll. "Let's make an oath first. Nothing about this mission leaves this room."
Luo Chen frowned slightly, but in the end, he still agreed and swore the oath through his divine consciousness. Oaths of this sort were not particularly restrictive, but if one side violated it, the other would immediately sense it. And once the leak was exposed, the consequences were self-evident. After taking the jade scroll from the Angler's hand, Luo Chen sent his divine consciousness into it and began carefully examining the contents. "Depart from the Myriad Immortal Society and head east... cross seven mountains and five seas... Withered Wood Ridge..."
"You're done reading it, right? Hand it back!" Angler took back the jade scroll as he continued, "I'll let you know the exact departure date. It should be around three months from now. Use this time to prepare yourself and get into your best condition. The mission may not sound particularly dangerous, but if something unexpected happens, you're on your own. I'm not making any guarantees here. Oh, right. As for the other three coming along, you've been keeping such a low profile these past years that you probably don't know them. They are... Ah, looks like I'm the one getting forgetful. There's no way you wouldn't know Huangfu Song, right?"
As Angler listed the names and backgrounds of the others involved, Luo Chen's expression turned strange. The Angler merely assumed he felt awkward about traveling alongside Huangfu Song and did not think much of it. After offering a few final reminders, he hurried off, while Luo Chen also left the division on his own. As he walked through the streets, the odd look on his face slowly faded. "So it's actually along the way..."
If he had not mistaken it, the route marked on the jade scroll pointed in the exact same direction as Purple Spirit Island. The only difference was that one destination lay before the other. Withered Wood Ridge came first, while Purple Spirit Island lay farther beyond. Only then did Luo Chen suddenly recall something Black King had once mentioned. On the way to Purple Spirit Island, Black King had deliberately taken a massive detour to avoid an extremely dangerous mountain ridge. Looking at it now, that place was clearly Withered Wood Ridge, where the fifth-tier Withered Blood Vine resided.
Once he figured this out, Luo Chen's reluctance toward the mission immediately lessened. As a renowned master artisan, he had spent recent years almost entirely secluded within Surging Lake. If he suddenly vanished without explanation, it would not only attract attention but also make it difficult to explain himself to Endless Valley and the Zhou and Chen families. And if anyone connected his movements to the Purple Monkey Flower matter, there was always a chance that someone keen might deduce his true objective. If that happened, it could easily invite disaster.
But if he left under the pretense of being forcibly dispatched on Blood Hermit's mission, then no one could question it. Even if others grew curious, their attention would naturally fall upon Blood Hermit rather than himself.
Three months, huh? Looks like I'll have to send Sovereign Thatched Mountain and the others ahead.
***
After returning from the division, Luo Chen shut himself away once more. During that time, the Zhang family gathered large quantities of materials and delivered them into the Alchemy-Artifact Hall through Heavenjade.
Naturally, quite a few people were secretly keeping an eye on Luo Chen's movements. To Endless Valley and the Zhou family, it simply looked as though he was crafting defensive enchanted treasures for them. Meanwhile, Ding Yi and Devil's Cloud assumed Luo Chen was hurriedly refining a Black Tortoise treasure to cross the Sunken Sea. Even the Angler learned of Luo Chen's recent activities through his subordinates. After hearing the reports, he merely smiled to himself. The busier Luo Chen appeared, the more convinced he became that Luo Chen had truly taken the mission to heart.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Finally, Ding Yi found the time to personally visit Luo Chen, only to be informed by Heavenjade that he had already left. "It's a compulsory mission from the division. My master had no choice."
Ding Yi was stunned. His expression darkened and shifted several times before he finally left behind a single sentence. "Once your master returns, tell him to come to Devil's Cloud Mountain immediately."
From the looks of it, Ding Yi seemed rather anxious. And he was not the only one—Zhou Shanshan also arrived with a young Adept from the Zhou family, only to be turned away as well. Naturally, neither side was pleased by this. Yet after returning to the Zhou family and finding out some details about Luo Chen’s mission, they couldn’t say anything anymore. Blood Hermit's domineering reputation had long been well known throughout the Society. Aside from Moon Hermit, very few within the Society dared refuse the missions he issued. Even major forces like Endless Valley and the Zhou family, despite having Sages of their own, were no exception.
The reason was simple: Blood Hermit himself was a middle-stage Sage, and had even fought and escaped from a late-stage Sage. By comparison, the Grand Elders of Endless Valley, the Zhou family, and the Chen family were merely early-stage Sages. How could they possibly dare oppose him?
In any case, whatever troubles loomed in the back, those were matters for later. Right now, Luo Chen was finally meeting the two seven-star demon hunters who would be traveling alongside them.
"This is Envoy Star Catcher, a master of astral arts and one of the last survivors of the fallen Heavenly Demon Star Sect," said the Angler
Luo Chen looked in surprise at the extraordinary man in dazzling robes decorated with stars. "The Heavenly Demon Star Sect? The one famed for slaughtering countless demons and refining demon cores into stars?"
Hearing someone remember his fallen sect, Envoy Star Catcher revealed a bitter smile. "Just glory from the past. Now it's nothing more than sand beneath the waves. Even the sect stronghold was swallowed by the sea long ago."
"My condolences." Luo Chen sighed softly, and the words came from the bottom of his heart.
The Northern Sea had countless spirit veins, which in turn gave rise to many sects and families. Among them, the Heavenly Demon Star Sect had once stood among the most renowned. That sect had maintained extremely close ties with the Primordial Devil Sect, to the point that their territory bordered that of the devil sect. Its disciples knew countless techniques specifically designed to counter demons and took great pride in the number of demons they slew. Yet three hundred years ago, the sect was destroyed by a terrifying demon. Countless died; almost none of the disciples survived.
At the time, people believed that they had simply provoked a demon they should not have offended. Only much later did they gradually realize that the attack was likely part of the Northern Sea demonic beasts' retaliation against the devil sect, a calculated move to eliminate its allies in advance.
Beside Star Catcher stood the other seven-star demon hunter, a silent and burly man. Luo Chen had heard of him before; his title was Saberstorm, and he was one of the most iconic figures within the Society, even though he rarely appeared. It wasn’t because he was the reclusive kind, but because he had spent decades stationed at the Flowing Defensive Line carrying out garrison duties. Rumor had it that Saberstorm was the most likely to become the next eight-star demon hunter. He was a true warrior, someone who treated battle itself as a form of cultivation. The killing intent surrounding him was so dense that strangers instinctively kept their distance.
After meeting the two seven-star demon hunters, Luo Chen could not help but sigh inwardly. The Angler had truly gone all out for this operation. A surviving disciple from a once-great sect, the supreme powerhouse of the front lines, and he himself, a cultivator skilled in Physique Refinement.
Oh, and there was one more person. Luo Chen glanced toward one of the tightly shut rooms aboard the flying boat. Huangfu Song was inside. The man remained as arrogant as ever, unwilling even to come out and greet the others. But such arrogance felt strangely out of place, especially with a dangerous mission about to begin. Now that I think about it, Purple Empress once said she'd make him personally come serve me tea and apologize. Could that be the real reason he doesn't want to come out?
Luo Chen let out a soft chuckle. The Angler shot him a strange look. With a mission issued by a Sage looming ahead, everyone else was treating the matter with utmost caution, yet Azure Yang appeared unexpectedly calm.
He then clapped his hands together and raised his voice. "Since the mission is about to begin, let me first give you all a proper rundown of the situation at Withered Wood Ridge. Better to be prepared now than run into trouble later."
As he spoke, a strand of divine consciousness extended outward from the tightly shut room as well. Seeing this, the four outside exchanged amused glances with one another. So the man was not completely foolish after all!
