Luo Chen's confusion came quickly, and it passed just as fast. He was pragmatic; that was simply his nature. No matter how long the road in front of him might be, if he walked it step by step, he would eventually reach the end. There would be many problems along the way, of course. But they were to him like scenery going by, something to see but nothing to stop for. He rarely found himself caught up in them unless they blocked his way forward completely.

"Spells, enchanted treasures, Physique Refinement..."

His thoughts churned into a mess again, with no clear place to start. His gaze instinctively fell to the formation flag he had planted into the ground beneath his feet. One strand appeared to have been pulled loose from the knot.

***

The cliffside spot where the fourth-tier Purple Monkey Flowers once swayed was now occupied by a simple cave residence. The spirit energy here was barely at the third tier, but that was enough to sustain spirit plants. Compared to humans and demonic beasts, spirit plants did not require anywhere near the same level of spirit energy. Before awakening spirit intelligence, spirit plants drew in the natural spirit energy unconsciously, and some did not rely on it at all. What they depended on was the slow, fundamental transformation brought about by the passage of time. Of course, this mode of growth also meant that even after gaining spirit intelligence and reaching the fourth or even fifth tier, their combat ability remained extremely low. The Withered Blood Vine had been like this, and so were Purple Monkey Flowers. At the very least, the spirit vein here was enough to support Luo Chen's daily cultivation for the time being.

Inside the cave residence, two items lay before Luo Chen: a dark green ring and a jade box. The ring belonged to Liang Baizao, and aside from what had been lost in battle, the rest of his life's accumulation was probably within it. Luo Chen examined the ring carefully. The lock on the ring was very complex, with not only the usual divine consciousness restrictions and mana imprints but also blood binding. With safeguards of this level, the ring was clearly no ordinary enchanted treasure. The latter two were not difficult to deal with; once the owner had perished, the mana lock and blood lock could be easily removed. The divine consciousness lock, however, was a real obstacle.

Liang Baizao was not only a master artisan but also an accomplished formation master. That much had already been evident from the formation he had set up on Seven Star Island, tailored specifically to counter Luo Chen's powerful physique. So it was not surprising that the divine consciousness restriction on his storage ring was so complex. Even with Luo Chen's divine soul foundation and his own understanding of restrictions, he estimated it would take at least three to four years to fully break it. As for the jade box...

Luo Chen's eyes flickered as he sent a strand of mana into the jade box. At once, the dense restrictions collapsed one after another, like falling dominoes. A flash of light burst forth, revealing a dim Golden Core inside. "It's been a while, fellow Daoist."

The Golden Core trembled as it rose unsteadily into the air, swaying for a moment before dropping back into the jade box. Luo Chen watched as a faint understanding took shape in his mind. Before reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, a cultivator's divine soul remained bound to the sea of consciousness. Even when it was projected outward, it was merely an extension, never a true separation. Once the body was destroyed, the divine soul lost its anchor. Unless the cultivator fully transformed into a ghostly entity, exposure to sunlight or powerful forces would erase it entirely.

Yet this was not without exception. The Golden Core Realm was a transitional stage for the soul. A Golden Core was formed from mana, and mana itself was the fusion of refined spirit power and the cultivator's divine soul. In other words, the core carried traces of the soul. Even if an Adept's body was destroyed, the core could act as a vessel, carrying the divine soul like a boat crossing the sea. But this vessel was far from comparable to a Nascent Soul. It was too low-level, and the time it could bear the divine soul was brief. Without any replenishment, the mana within the Golden Core would gradually dissipate, and the divine soul it carried would be laid bare beneath the harsh light of the world.

I wonder... if I ever end up like this, how long will my Golden Core keep my soul intact?

The thought flickered past as Luo Chen looked at the dim Golden Core. "Mountain Lord... was it really worth it?"

A faint strand of divine consciousness drifted from the Golden Core. "Twenty years of pursuit... only to end up a prisoner today. Truly... what was the point?"

Luo Chen shook his head. "In the end, the fault lies neither with you nor with me. It was simply the command of a vengeful Sage. You had no choice."

Liang Baizao was taken aback. A trace of relief stirred in his heart, yet something about it felt off. It was true that Blood Nightmare had forced him into this, but to claim he bore no fault would be dishonest. Back on Coldlight Island, he had personally taken part in the attempt to kill Luo Chen. Without that, Blood Nightmare would never have sought him out. In the end, some measure of the responsibility lay with him. So why was Luo Chen speaking on his behalf?

His gaze drifted to the ring on his interlocutor's finger, and a mocking smile appeared on his face. "So... you've got your eye on my inheritance."

Luo Chen replied calmly, "We're both artisans. You've already seen a bit of my skill with restrictions from how I broke the jade box. So how long do you think it would take me to break the seal on your storage ring? Seven or eight years, at the worst? Maybe just three or four if I'm fast."

Indeed, there was no need for Luo Chen to beg over something already in his grasp. Thus, Liang Baizao hesitated for a moment before asking, "Then what do you want? My artifact creation techniques?"

"That's not what I'm after, either."

If it wasn't for the inheritance and not for the crafting techniques either... then what did the Devil Lord want? Liang Baizao fell into complete confusion, though it did not last long. Luo Chen had no need to speak in circles. The earlier conversation had only been meant to steady the mountain lord's emotions. Now that the atmosphere had eased, he spoke plainly. "When you ambushed me, what formation did you use?"

It was something Liang Baizao had modified from the Big Dipper Demon-Sealing Formation, a fourth-tier formation widely used in the Northern Sea to restrain powerful demonic beasts. After adapting it and integrating it with his life-bound enchanted treasure, it became especially effective against targets with strong physiques. In this case, physique cultivators such as Luo Chen. The thought stirred a hint of pride, but it faded just as quickly. Even with the advantage of striking first, he had still lost. What was there to be proud of?

He looked at Luo Chen in confusion. "What's the point of that? Are you worried you'll run into something like it again?"

Luo Chen shook his head. "Not really. After all, there are very few people like you who would spend twenty years hunting me down. I may not be some prodigy, but I'm not stupid either. Getting caught in an ambush once is enough. I won't fall for the same thing again."

Liang Baizao fell silent. He did not doubt Luo Chen's confidence, nor did he deny his own persistence. But how many fools like him were there in this world? After a long pause, he asked again, "Then what do you want to know?"

"I want to know how you made that formation and how you pushed its power to that level."

So that's what he's after! Realizing this, Liang Baizao narrowed his eyes, clearly weighing his options. "And why should I tell you?"

Luo Chen replied coldly, "Because you don't have a choice."

"I can just die!"

"You think you can die. In fact, your life and death are in my hands. Maybe you don't know this, but I've dabbled in puppet refinement arts, and I also happen to know an Adept from the Heavenly Demon Star Sect. From what I hear, that sect was quite good at refining treasures from demon cores... and even cultivators' Golden Cores. A Golden Core with an intact soul would make quite a decent material."

"You—"

His divine soul trembled, and the anger he radiated was unmistakable. But it quickly subsided as he forced himself to calm down. "Even if I tell you... What do I get out of it? Are you even going to let me go?"

"Go? Where would you even go?" Luo Chen's tone remained calm. "Out here in the middle of the sea, you won't find a single soul. Even if you wanted to possess someone, you'd have nothing to work with. And besides... there's a life-and-death grudge between us. I'm not letting you walk away."

Liang Baizao laughed from sheer anger. "Then what do you want?"

"Give me the answer, and I'll let you die on your own terms." Luo Chen's expression remained calm, and his words carried a quiet weight that made his sincerity hard to doubt.

Liang Baizao fell silent once more. Luo Chen did not press him, nor did he bother with any oaths or promises. There was no need to say anything more. Right now, he was the one in control. Liang Baizao's divine consciousness remained fixed on him for a long time before a faint voice finally sounded within the cave residence. "Fine."

***

On a small island fifty li away from Purple Spirit Island, Black King lay sprawled beside a freshly dug pit, staring into it with clear reluctance. "Master, what a waste! That's the Golden Core of an eighth-stage Adept. Even if there's not much mana left, if I eat it, I might step straight into the late stage."

Luo Chen did not even spare him a glance. After digging the pit, he took out a slab of stone from the Thundernet Hoard Ring, thinking of carving some words onto it. Just as he was about to begin, a voice sounded. "There's no need. In this life, I have failed my sect, wronged you, and even betrayed myself. How could I be so shameless as to have a monument to myself?"

Luo Chen gave a faint hum and put the stone away. "Sure. I mean, if there’s a gravestone, someone might take it as a lucky opportunity and dig up your grave one day." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Haha... Fellow Daoist, you do have a sense of humor." Liang Baizao laughed, though the sound was bitter.

Luo Chen looked toward the shallow pit, and the Golden Core within seemed to tremble faintly.

Four hundred years of bitter cultivation and moments of glory... and this is how it all ends?

The sea breeze drifted past, damp, salty, and faintly stifling. As though guessing what Liang Baizao was thinking, Luo Chen softly comforted him, "There are legends of reincarnation. Maybe a thousand years from now, you'll be able to walk the path of cultivation again."

"Reincarnation?" Liang Baizao murmured. "Is that in the Azure Heavens? Is it in the Yellow Springs of the Netherworld[1], or perhaps in the Abyss of Extinction where all things return?"

Luo Chen fell silent. Technically, he knew more about the transmigration of souls than the average person, but he had no recollection of actually dying, nor being to any heaven or Netherworld. How could he know whether those legends were true?

After a moment, Liang Baizao let out a quiet sigh. "Take out my storage ring."

Luo Chen was taken aback, but he took out the dark green ring from his robes. The dim Golden Core trembled once, and the last traces of mana within it flowed into the ring. Spirit light flared brightly, then faded. When Luo Chen looked again, the divine consciousness restriction and mana imprint on the ring had completely vanished. Even the blood essence fused into it had been forced out. As of right now, the ring was an ownerless item.

"Mountain Lord... why are you doing this?"

"Think of it as a little extra for keeping your word," Liang Baizao said with a faint smile. "You would have gotten it anyway, so I'm just saving you a few years of effort. Also... there are some things there I'd prefer to take with me."

As he spoke, he moved his mana and drew out a clean, bright-yellow Daoist robe, a top-grade enchanted-artifact flying sword, and a jade seal engraved with the words "Liang Family's Hundred Crafts." Under Luo Chen and Black King's gazes, the Daoist robe, flying sword, and jade seal all fell into the pit.

"The rest... will be yours from here on, Fellow Daoist. Farewell."

Liang Baizao let out a long, quiet sigh as the Golden Core flew down into the pit. Then his mana flow reversed, and the core began to crumble bit by bit. A wisp of remnant soul emerged, lingering briefly in the gentle sunlight before slowly fading away.

Luo Chen watched silently, and only after scanning the area with his divine consciousness and finding no trace of Liang Baizao's aura did he finally cover the pit with soil. Then, he simply turned and left.

No one would have imagined that the freshly covered mound served as a memorial for a dignified sect master and an eighth-stage Adept.

Black King slithered after him, dragging his massive body. "Master, that old man ambushed you. Why let him die peacefully like that and keep a chance at reincarnation?"

Luo Chen did not answer and simply quickened his steps. Soon, he was back on Purple Spirit Island. Back in the cave residence, he took out the jade scroll containing Liang Baizao's analysis of his formation, the Seven Peaks Formation. Looking at the words within, he sank into thought. A powerful life-bound treasure can amplify my mana, and a strong formation can both boost me and restrain my opponent. If I combine the two and back it with a solid energy source... could that become something like a Nascent Soul Domain?

Then he opened his mouth, and three streaks of light shot forth. They were two round beads and one cauldron: the Golden Core, the Nascent Core, and the Primordial Unity Cauldron.

1. Yellow Springs (黄泉 huángquán) refers to the realm of the dead in traditional Chinese belief. It is a term for the afterlife, often contrasted with the heavens (碧落 bìluò). The Netherworld (幽冥地府 yōumíng dìfǔ) refers more broadly to the structured underworld, its society, and the system that governs the dead—often associated with Daoist and Buddhist depictions of hell and judgment. ☜