When he first met Sovereign Thatched Mountain, he was somewhat surprised. He had assumed someone with such a powerful-sounding Dao title would be a man, but it turned out to be a woman, and a fairly delicate one at that. Xiao Buhuan had not mentioned her gender before, and Luo Chen had not thought about it.

Men accounted for as much as eighty percent of rogue cultivators, while women were few and far between. The reason for this was not hard to understand. After stepping into the Great Dao, the difference between men and women became less important, yet even so, many women preferred stability. The cultivation world was filled with danger and uncertainty, so many low-tier women chose to attach themselves to powerful men. Moreover, women tended to be more meticulous and perceptive. They often excelled in crafts, which made them valuable to larger forces. And if they became members of these forces, they found it much easier to pass down their own cultivation lineage. When cultivators with spirit roots became Dao companions, their children were more likely to awaken the same spirit roots.

Luo Chen had never discriminated against women. In fact, along his path, he had met many powerful women, and some were dangerous enough that he didn't even dare to bat an eyelid in their presence. From his perspective, a female rogue cultivator who held a proper Dao title rather than just a self-assigned nickname was certainly worthy of respect.

Inside a mountain palace on Winding Island, this graceful woman looked Luo Chen over with a hint of confusion on her face. "Azure Yang?"

"That would be me." Luo Chen smiled faintly and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Sovereign Thatched Mountain."

After confirming his identity, Sovereign Thatched Mountain smiled. "I thought it would take you a few more days to arrive. I didn't expect you to get here so quickly. And the first thing you do is visit this humble Daoist! I must say, I am quite surprised."[1]

She calls herself Daoist? A flicker of surprise appeared in Luo Chen's eyes as he looked at her hair. It was styled in the traditional Daoist nun fashion, simple and elegant. It gave her an effortless grace.

Among cultivators, it was common to address one another as "fellow Daoist." But in truth, it was used with the literal meaning of "someone who walks the same road." Very few would actually refer to themselves as Daoists, and those who did were almost always actual followers of Daoism.

In the Mountains and Seas Realm, the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism all existed, but they were most prominent in the mundane world. In the cultivation world, the distinctions between them were far less rigid. Luo Chen had not expected that Sovereign Thatched Mountain would be an actual Daoist nun.

Even so, he continued conversing with her in a calm and leisurely manner. Daoism lacked many of the subtle taboos and rules of other cults, so he did not need to be overly cautious. And as expected, their conversation went smoothly. Sovereign Thatched Mountain's explanations allowed Luo Chen to learn more about the people stationed on Winding Island. The teams Xiao Buhuan mentioned were only general categories and were further subdivided. For example, the formation teams were divided into frontline formation units, central formation units managing the island's core formation, and a unit dedicated to maintaining teleportation formations. As for the logistics teams, as the name implied, they handled the supply needs of the stationed cultivators. In fact, the logistics teams were the most complex. They managed daily provisions, distributed cultivation resources, coordinated between the first defensive line and Dragon Abyss Immortal City, and kept records of demon-hunting gains. There were also workshops at the foot of the mountain that were staffed by specialists. They handled the identification, dissection, and initial processing of demonic beast corpses.

After giving such a detailed explanation, she seemed a little tired. Still, seeing Luo Chen frown, she reassured him, "Azure Yang, there's no need to worry about all that. It's enough to have a general idea; you won't need to deal with the details yourself. You're on a short-term garrison mission. Aside from joining the occasional patrol, most of your time is your own. There's also a third-tier spirit vein on Winding Island; just treat it as cultivating in a different place."

Luo Chen's expression eased. "In that case, it sounds quite manageable. Thank you for clearing things up."

Sovereign Thatched Mountain tapped her fingers lightly on the table. Before long, an Initiate walked in. She introduced him, "This is Captain Wu. He oversees the cave residences for the logistics team. He'll take you to your assigned cave. If you need anything else, you can speak to him directly. As long as it's something we can provide, it will be arranged for you."

Wu Ruofu bowed. "Greetings, Senior Azure Yang."

Luo Chen nodded slightly. Sovereign Thatched Mountain then produced a talisman from her storage pouch and sent it over with her mana. "This is a transmission talisman I made myself. If you infuse it with your divine consciousness and burn it, I will hear you instantly as long as you're within ten thousand li."

Luo Chen took the white transmission talisman, feeling shocked. "You made this?!"

Instantaneous transmission at such a great distance was something practically unheard of. Sound transmission talismans were usually slow, and they were often criticized for this exact reason. Most were only used for short-range communication or for visits. Because of this, many cultivators had devised alternative methods. Some used flying sword transmissions, others relied on paper crane artifacts from Skysail City, and some major forces even used teleportation formations to transmit messages. As for the commonly used sound-transmission jade token, its range was only about a thousand li, and even that was after substantial efforts for optimization. Luo Chen had obviously not expected Sovereign Thatched Mountain to improve the talisman to this extent. She had to be a real talisman master.

Sovereign Thatched Mountain smiled and nodded.

"Does it only work for you?" Luo Chen asked.

Sovereign Thatched Mountain shook her head. "They come in pairs, and the user requirement is to be an Initiate. Anyone can use them with either spirit consciousness or divine consciousness."

She blinked lightly. "Interested in picking up a few, just in case?"

A distance of ten thousand li was not truly significant for an Adept. At normal speed, it took no more time than it would take to drink a cup of tea. In fact, even an initiate could cover it in about an hour at full speed. They could easily convey a message, so there was little need for such a transmission talisman. However, in a life-or-death moment, even a single breath could make all the difference.

Luo Chen was clearly tempted. Noticing this, she smiled and said enthusiastically, "Although this is a third-tier talisman, it is not expensive. If you want some, I'll give you one pair for ten thousand."

Luo Chen didn't hesitate. "I'll take five!"

He accepted ten white talismans and took out fifty thousand spirit stones. He couldn't help but ask, "Do you have any that can transmit over even longer distances?"

Sovereign Thatched Mountain looked at him in surprise. "There are, but those are custom-made. They can't be used for open communication, and the message has to be inscribed in advance. Once one side activates it, the other will be notified. It's less a transmission talisman and more like a token. As for the price... that would need to be discussed in detail."

Luo Chen nodded. It was a good thing to keep in mind. At any rate, he did not plan to order any long-distance transmission talismans. He had no need for them at the moment, and a few ten-thousand-li talismans were enough for emergencies. Beyond that range, even if something urgent happened, help would not be able to arrive in time.

Afterward, Luo Chen followed Wu Ruofu to his cave residence. Along the way, they passed over a stretch of low hills with several rock caves and many wooden and stone houses. According to Wu Ruofu, those were residences for Qi Refinement cultivators and Initiates.

***

Luo Chen nodded in satisfaction. The cave was spacious, the surroundings were quiet, and the spirit energy was fairly abundant. It was indeed a low-grade third-tier residence. It was clear that someone had lived here before, but he did not mind; this was only temporary.

He turned to the open space in the cave and took out some large jade tiles from his storage ring, laying them neatly across the ground. Then he opened his mouth and spat out the Primordial Unity Cauldron, which settled atop the jade. Then, he walked around the area and placed down a couple of small formation flags that he had crafted himself. With his mastery of formations, he no longer needed to purchase them. Just like that, a simple alchemy and artifact creation chamber was formed. If Fei Ming of Ailao Mountain were present, he would surely be impressed. The setup looked simple, but it reflected a deep understanding of formations and materials that surpassed many architects.

Afterward, he took out a large amount of third-tier wood and neatly stacked it beneath the cauldron. He extended a finger, and a strand of Withering-Flourishing True Fire flowed out. Flames rose at once and began to heat the cauldron.

The Dark Blue Profound Armor he had crafted before coming here had only gone through the initial refinement and still needed a lot of fine tuning.

I've already invested so many materials into it... I can't just let it go to waste.

As he smiled faintly, movement stirred within the cauldron. It was Black King. He had grown substantially larger, and even after shrinking himself, the space inside the cauldron felt increasingly cramped.

"Alright, come out now."

A flash of light flickered within the cauldron. A streak of black shot out, turning into a small snake that coiled at Luo Chen's feet. "Master, why not just let me out into the sea? It's uncomfortable here."

"Give it a few days," Luo Chen said calmly.

Black King did not understand. Luo Chen explained, "The other Adept has not arrived yet. If I let you out now, someone might mistake you for a wild beast and attack you. That would just cause trouble."

Black King snorted. "You think they can actually kill me?"

After spending more than a decade digesting the Cliff Serpent's corpse, Black King's cultivation had surged to the peak of the middle stage. He now stood only one step away from the late stage. On top of that, Luo Chen had given him two mid-grade enchanted treasures, which he refined day and night with demonic power. As a result, his combat strength now rivaled that of any mid-stage Adept. With his tough body, he even dared to challenge late-stage Adepts. During the battle at Surging Lake, his sudden strike had suppressed Elder Ye and left the man with almost no room to fight back. That went to show how strong he had become.

Luo Chen looked at him with a faint smile. "You're pretty confident, huh?"

Black King froze for a moment, then let out an awkward chuckle. "That's not what I meant... I just meant... Well, you know, anyone who touches me should think about you first."

"Hmph!" Luo Chen snorted and waved his hand. "Go on, find somewhere to lie down. Don't disturb me."

After Black King left, Luo Chen sat cross-legged on the stone bed and settled his thoughts. He had no intention of wasting this year. He would continue cultivating day and night. Even in a low-grade third-tier spirit land, with the help of True Flame Pills and Black Sovereign Paste, his progress would remain fast. At the same time, he could not neglect his work in artifact creation.

He believed that ven if he could not refine a low-grade enchanted treasure, as long as he mastered all seven components of the Two Poles Six Shields Formation, he would be able to refine the Demon Emperor's remains. Penglai's crafting method demanded technical precision, but also materials of high quality. That being the case, he could use materials of extremely high quality to make up for his deficiencies in skill.

At first, his plan had focused only on cultivation and crafting. But now, a new idea had taken shape. With a flick of his hand, a small black flag appeared.

Soul essence was, as the name implied, the refined essence of souls. When used with the proper methods, it could greatly strengthen a cultivator's divine soul foundation. This was because the essence carried no trace whatsoever of its original owner; it was the purest form of soul energy. Supplementing one's divine soul with something like this was simply logical. At the same time, it was a devilish method, direct and domineering.

Unfortunately, Luo Chen could not do that. First, he lacked the techniques required, and he couldn't just drink it and hope for the best. Second, the soul essence within the black flag was not at all pure. It carried a significant amount of Yan Zhixian's remnant will, and after five years of attachment, it even contained traces of Duan Li's divine soul aura. There was no way he would dare absorb something like that.

But that did not mean he had no other way. When he achieved Perfected Mastery of the Dragon-Slaying Art, Luo Chen had gained the ability to cut the divine soul, but he had never actually tested it. He was thinking of using a similar method to when he practiced Soul Intimidation: capturing a few low-tier demonic beasts, bringing their souls into his sea of consciousness, and using the Dragon-Slaying Art on them. But he was scared that something would go wrong and he'd end up causing irreversible damage to his divine soul. The divine soul was practically the most important thing for a cultivator. There was no room for error when it came to it. Even someone as strong as Duan Li had been forced into a desperate gamble and sought help from Luo Chen, despite their shallow ties, because he absolutely had to heal his soul injuries. That alone showed how dangerous such injuries could be.

But this soul essence was different. Yan Zhixian was long dead, and only a trace of his will remained. The fragment of Duan Li's aura was even weaker. If he used this soul essence to test the Dragon-Slaying Art, even if something went wrong, it wouldn't go all that terribly wrong. And if it succeeded...

A sharp glint flashed in Luo Chen's eyes. "Even if someone manages to break through the Forsaken Chess Piece's defenses and invade my sea of consciousness, I'd still have a way to defend myself."

Luo Chen rarely wasted effort, especially when it came to practicing techniques. He already had a style of his own. In his judgement, this method was feasible. Now that he had settled in, he did not want to delay any longer. After instructing Black King to watch the cauldron and add wood if the fire weakened, he sent his divine consciousness into the black flag.

A strand of soul essence surged toward him, as if it had found prey. Luo Chen reacted at once. He withdrew his consciousness and pulled a portion of it into his sea of consciousness. The moment it entered, the golden sea churned. Deep within, a faint soul phantom appeared. It struggled to move, then forced itself to use the Dragon-Slaying Art and sever the foreign will that was invading Luo Chen's body.

***

Five days later, Wu Ruofu stood respectfully outside Luo Chen's cave residence. Before long, the red-robed Daoist stepped out. Wu Ruofu looked up out of habit. The moment their eyes met, his heart jolted. Luo Chen's gaze was astonishingly sharp. It felt like a keen blade. Anyone who met it could sense its edge.

"Is something wrong?"

A gentle voice reached his ears and snapped him back to his senses. Everything seemed normal again. The red-robed Daoist's eyes were as calm as still water. He swallowed dry. "Senior Azure Yang... Elder Sang has arrived. Sovereign Thatched Mountain asks me to invite you over."

Elder Sang? That should be the third Adept. Luo Chen nodded. He summoned a cloud and headed toward the main hall.

Soon, the cloud stopped at the slope of the mountain. He noticed a group of unfamiliar Initiates standing outside and frowned slightly. These people... don't seem to be rogue cultivators from the Society.

1. In the raws, she actually refers to herself using "this Daoist" as a first-person pronoun. This is very awkward in translation, so we have rendered it in an appropriate way for Luo Chen to express his surprise. ☜