A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 374 Schemes of All Parties

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Wang Tiangu spoke calmly and clearly, "Regarding appearance... According to the sect's secret files and some remaining records from the original Spirit Beast Mountain, the one whose appearance is most similar to this person is Luo Ming, a Spirit Beast Mountain disciple who was suspected of escaping through that teleportation array with Han Li of Huangfeng Valley more than a hundred years ago."

He paused, then added, "However, according to records, when Luo Ming left, his cultivation was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his spiritual root aptitude was mediocre, and he cultivated the orthodox Spirit Control Technique. I have never heard of him also cultivating any profound body-refining techniques."

Moreover, judging from his age, Luo Ming is at most 170 years old. While his bone age and the vigor of his vital energy are difficult to determine precisely due to his physical cultivation, the refinement and imposing aura of his golden body suggest that it could not have been achieved through over a hundred years of arduous practice. His face also appears… younger than the Luo Ming recorded in the text.”

"And that teleportation array, according to the two elders Tong Gui, is still the same as before, unable to be activated and used."

Wang Tiansheng remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It seems this person's face just happens to bear some resemblance to the missing Luo Ming. In the vast world of cultivation, it's not uncommon for people to look alike. As for body-refining techniques..."

He turned his gaze to Wang Tiangu, "Second brother, you and I have both cultivated some of the Ghost Path Body Refining Secret Techniques, so you should know how difficult the path of body refining is. Over a hundred years, from nothing to something, to cultivate body refining techniques to a level comparable to the Nascent Soul stage? Heh, even those great body cultivators recorded in ancient times may not have made such astonishing progress."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiangu gave a wry smile of deep sympathy, his eyes flashing with reminiscence: "Brother is right. Back then, in order to cultivate the 'Body of Ten Thousand Ghosts,' although I didn't focus on this path, I still spent nearly six hundred years of hard work, and I've only just managed to temper my physical body to the late stage of Core Formation. As for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage with the 'True Body of Ten Thousand Ghosts,' I have no confidence whatsoever."

Wang Tiansheng nodded slightly, no longer dwelling on the matter. He simply ordered someone to continue monitoring the area before turning the conversation to the most important matter for the Ghost Spirit Sect.

"The Righteous Path Haoran Pavilion is still holding a grudge about what happened last time and has been making moves lately, seemingly with the intention of revenge. Our Ghost Spirit Sect is located on the front line, and it is not advisable for us to make any more powerful enemies."

Since this person has taken a liking to the Qinghu area and has clearly stated that he will not participate in the power struggles and only seeks peace, then let him be. In any case, that place is a "white elephant" at the border of our three sects—uninteresting to eat, but a pity to throw away. Having a body cultivator of considerable strength like him stationed there can actually serve as a buffer and deterrent, which may not be a bad thing.”

He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and continued, "However, we must always be wary. Although this person has stated that he dislikes being constrained, it's hard to guarantee that he won't be lured away by the Spirit Control Sect or the Demon Flame Sect with substantial rewards. Send someone to prepare a generous gift, ostensibly to congratulate him on his advancement, so as not to make our Ghost Spirit Sect appear stingy. From now on, just keep an eye on this person and that Qinghu Market. As long as they don't harm our sect's fundamental interests, there's no need to interfere too much."

"Yes, brother. I'll take care of it right away." Wang Tiangu bowed and agreed.

In the days that followed, Lu Xuan was riding high, ushering in the most "glorious" period of his life.

As if by prior arrangement, the three major demonic sects—Ghost Spirit Sect, Demon Flame Sect, and Spirit Control Sect—sent delegations led by Core Formation elders and carrying valuable gifts to Qinghu Market within a short span of half a month. They congratulated Senior Luo on his Nascent Soul attainment and expressed their "welcome" and "support" for his choice of Qinghu as his cultivation ground.

These gifts were all rare treasures. The Ghost Spirit Sect sent a fist-sized piece of "Netherworld Iron," which could be used to forge top-tier ghost-path magic weapons; the Demon Flame Sect gifted several rare fire-attribute refining materials; and the Spirit Control Sect's gift was the most unique—a rather rare demon beast egg!

Each gift was enough to make even a Core Formation cultivator green with envy. And these Core Formation elders, who used to be aloof and didn't care much about Lu Xuan, the "Lord of the Marketplace," now greeted him with smiles, polite attitudes, and even a hint of flattery.

Lu Xuan knew perfectly well that all of this was because of Senior Luo. While he received the envoys from all sides with neither arrogance nor servility and accepted the gifts on behalf of Luo Ming, he was filled with emotion and gained a deeper and more direct understanding of the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

……

Three figures silently floated in the sky above the outer perimeter of Qinghu Market.

"Master, Elder Han," Duan Chen respectfully reported to the other two.

"This disciple has inquired with Lu Xuan. According to him, after that day of his breakthrough and brief encounter with Wang Tiangu and Yan Lie, that 'Senior Luo' said he had gone out to travel and has not returned since."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Han Chan frowned even more deeply, his white beard trembling slightly. He said in a low voice, "It seems this person is very cautious and understands that after his breakthrough, he will become an object of vying for and even being wary of by our three sects. Choosing to avoid him for the time being is a wise move. In this way, it becomes more difficult for us to win him over."

The elderly man surnamed Han stroked his white beard, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, and slowly said, "His avoidance might just mean he has no intention of joining any side, which is a pity. If we could win him over, the strength he has shown would be enough for us to deal with that old devil Dongmen Tu with ease."

Master Hanchan nodded slightly. The two of them had come here together not only on the surface to win over this Nascent Soul stage body cultivator for the Yuling Sect, but their greater intention was to bring him into their faction.

They were originally cultivators from the Spirit Beast Mountain lineage. Since returning to the Spirit Control Sect, they have not had a good life. They have been suppressed at every turn by the powerful Dongmen family. If they had not joined forces with Elder Han, who was also a rogue cultivator back then, they would probably have been dismembered and devoured by the Dongmen family long ago.

His gaze swept across the bustling market below, then drifted to the distant, spiritually rich surface of Qinghu Lake. He seemed lost in thought. "The spiritual energy here seems much denser and purer than before… It seems this person's breakthrough has unexpectedly created a good place for cultivation. Duan Chen."

"Disciple is here," Duan Chen replied hastily.

"Now that you are acquainted with Lu Xuan, you should keep a close eye on the movements here. If he returns, or if there are any unusual developments in the market, report them immediately," Master Hanchan instructed.

"Yes, disciple understands." Duan Chen respectfully accepted the order.

……

While various forces were secretly spying, speculating, and plotting, Luo Ming, who was at the center of all this vortex, seemed completely unaware of everything happening on the ground.

He remained seated quietly on the shell of the Xuanwu tortoise, his mind completely immersed in his body, like the most patient craftsman, peeling away and refining the remaining "Xuanwu True Blood" deep within his golden core, thread by thread.

Thousands of feet underground, all was silent except for the faint hum of spiritual energy flowing through the earth and the increasingly long and steady breathing of the Xuan Turtle. Time seemed to stand still here, yet it was quietly driving some kind of profound transformation.

In the blink of an eye, five years have passed quietly.

On this day, just like any other day, Lu Xuan was meditating and adjusting his breathing in his newly built cave, which was filled with even more spiritual energy, when the ground beneath him suddenly shook without warning!

Immediately afterwards, a dull tremor and hum, seemingly originating from the depths of the earth, began to emanate from the entire cave.

"Huh?" Lu Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them.

He quickly steadied himself, his divine sense instantly spreading out. At the same time, he stood up, frowning and muttering, "What's going on? An earthquake? Or..."

Before he finished speaking, the tremors in the cave did not stop, but instead intensified! A clearer, muffled rumble, like a giant beast turning over, came from beneath his feet, and the entire cave was shaking slightly!

Lu Xuan's expression changed slightly. Without further hesitation, he dashed out of the cave and into the air.

At this moment, the once orderly Qinghu Market had fallen into chaos! Many low-level cultivators ran out of the buildings in panic, gathered on the streets, looked around in fear, and discussed among themselves. Some ongoing transactions and cultivation were also forced to stop.

"Has the earth dragon turned over?"

"No! This tremor... it feels like the whole island is shaking!"

"Could it be that the Nascent Soul senior in seclusion is cultivating some earth-shattering divine power, triggering the earth's ley lines?!"

"Possibly! Besides that senior, who else could have caused such a commotion?"

Various speculations and exclamations arose one after another. Most cultivators' first reaction was to connect this strange event with the mysterious and unpredictable "Senior Luo," who had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage here but had not made a public appearance for a long time.

In their view, it was not impossible for a Nascent Soul cultivator to cause extraordinary phenomena in his secluded cultivation.

However, Lu Xuan, suspended in mid-air, looked even more grave, his face turning slightly pale. He knew perfectly well that Senior Luo had "gone on a journey" five years ago and had not returned since!

The cave's protective barriers had been in place all along, so it was impossible for him to be in seclusion cultivating! Then where did this sudden, violent tremor that engulfed the entire island come from? Could it be... that something happened underground?

"What if something goes wrong here? How can I explain this to Senior Luo?" Lu Xuan was anxious. He quickly unleashed his full power as a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, creating an invisible net that enveloped the entire Qinghu Island and its surrounding waters, carefully investigating the source of the tremors and the anomalies.

Just as he was covering the entire island with his divine sense, a discovery caused Lu Xuan's expression to change drastically. His mouth opened unconsciously, revealing an incredulous, almost stunned expression!

"This island...this Qinghu Island...it...it seems to be...growing taller?!"

It wasn't an illusion! Through his divine sense and visual comparison, he could clearly see that the rock walls and mudflats around the island, which were originally submerged in the lake water, were being slowly lifted up from below by an invisible giant hand, accompanied by a continuous, low rumbling sound!

The island's overall height is slowly increasing at a visible rate! Moreover, the island's area also seems to be slowly expanding into the surrounding lake!

Is the island... growing and "rising" on its own?

This was completely beyond Lu Xuan's, and even the understanding of most cultivators! Moving mountains and filling seas was a legendary supernatural power! Even a Nascent Soul cultivator might be able to move a small mountain, but to make an island with a radius of ten miles "grow taller" and "grow bigger" out of thin air was simply unheard of!

……

The root cause of this sudden and inexplicable "growth" anomaly on Qinghu Island is naturally neither a natural disaster nor an external enemy, but rather from Luo Ming and Xuan Gui, who have just completed a key breakthrough in the "spirit-nurturing land" deep underground!

At this moment, Luo Ming was looking at the Xuan Turtle with a look of surprise. Its body had become enormous and almost occupied half of the empty space.

At this moment, the Xuan Turtle's size has increased several times compared to five years ago! Its body length is now close to two hundred feet!

Like a moving, black mountain covered in thick rock armor! The original simple patterns on its carapace are now covered by a deep, mysterious and complex pattern!

It exudes a powerful aura that is heavy, vast, and full of vitality, a perfect manifestation of the fusion of water and earth elemental powers! Its demonic power is so condensed that it has firmly stepped into the realm of a level seven demonic beast!

Six months ago, Luo Ming finally finished refining the remaining "Xuanwu True Blood" in his dantian golden core by taking advantage of the special environment of this place!

Not only did he fully regain control over his Golden Core, but his magical power also naturally recovered to the late stage of Core Formation, and he was not far from condensing his Nascent Soul.

What surprised him even more was that, as the true blood was completely refined, his "Myriad Spirits Blood Body" dharma form also underwent a subtle transformation. The dark golden armor phantom on his body became more solid, and the patterns became more and more similar to the shell of the Xuan Turtle. His defensive power and control over the power of water and earth were greatly enhanced.

After completely refining the true blood, Luo Ming had a sudden inspiration. He remembered that the Xuan Turtle possessed a rare Xuanwu bloodline, was an important spirit beast of his, and was one of the sources of essence blood needed for cultivating the "Myriad Spirits Blood Technique." So he separated half of that drop of true blood and transferred it to the Xuan Turtle, which was on the verge of a breakthrough, to help it.

The effect of this move far exceeded Luo Ming's expectations!

Nourished by this pure Xuanwu essence, the thin bloodline within the Xuanwu's body seemed to be completely activated and ignited! The process of breaking through in seclusion was exceptionally smooth. Not only did it cross the threshold of level seven in one fell swoop, but during the breakthrough, a powerful innate divine ability—the vicissitudes of life—awakened deep within its bloodline!

Luo Ming and the Xuan Turtle were connected by mind and blood. The moment the Xuan Turtle awakened this divine power, he clearly perceived and even indirectly "shared" some of the secrets and power of this divine power through blood resonance and soul contract!