Chapter 948: Heavenjade, Assist Me! (I) |
Blood Hermit! Luo Chen was no stranger to this name. In fact, cultivators across the entire Northern Sea knew it well. There were countless stories about him. He was once a heaven-blessed prodigy, later fell from grace, and ultimately rose again to prominence. He bore a grudge against the Primordial Devil Sect and had lived as a raiding cultivator. He was known for his extreme and domineering temperament and had even once committed the madness of refining an entire Nascent Soul force alive. In these stories, it was difficult to separate truth from falsehood. But at the very least, there was one undeniable testament to his nature—the state of Dragon Abyss City!
After the fall of the devil sect, Blood Hermit was the first to begin hunting down its remnants. At one point, he personally launched an assault on Dragon Abyss City, which was still a grand immortal city at the time. In those days, the city stood as the foremost city before the stronghold of the devil sect. Its formations were strong, its defenses impeccable, and it was personally overseen by a Sage. Yet even under such circumstances, Blood Hermit charged in without hesitation and laid waste upon the city! What had once been a prosperous place, rivaling even Divine Origin City, was reduced to a mere ruin! A good century had passed since then, and despite continuous reconstruction by the Myriad Immortal Society, the city still gave off a dilapidated feel. Well, admittedly, this appearance did suit a city dominated by rogue cultivators.
Over the years, only Moon Hermit would occasionally appear to oversee matters, while the other two remained elusive. Nobody knew if they were even in the Society’s territory. Mad Hermit was one thing; rumor had it he had long since gone insane, acting without any logic, and whether he was there or not made little difference to the Society. It was said his last appearance had been on the battlefield where the Devil's Snare attacked a core island of the Blue Sea Alliance. But why was Blood Hermit nowhere to be found? Nobody had any explanation for that. In any case, his sudden appearance caught Luo Chen off guard.
"He's here? Has he done anything?"
Heavenjade nodded. "He has. The moment he appeared, he issued a major task through the division."
"A major task?"
"Yes. It's broken down into a number of smaller ones, but overall… it's all about gathering resources for him."
"What exactly? Tell me about it."
"At the top of the list is a fifth-tier Withered Blood Vine, preferably over a thousand years old. Then there's the inner core of a fourth-tier Soul-Seizing Ghost Crow, Woven Gold, Cloud Silkworm Silk, Myriad Li Everbright Smoke…"
Heavenjade wasn’t surprised by her master’s deduction. "Just as you guessed, a lot of people think Blood Hermit is crafting some kind of powerful treasure. Actually, not long ago, Devil's Cloud personally delivered a large batch of materials to the division. I heard Blood Hermit praised him."
Luo Chen frowned. "What, is that all he got?"
Heavenjade shook her head. "Not quite. This task allows people to earn merit and raise their demon hunter rank. Devil's Cloud used that offering to jump from five stars to six stars."
Luo Chen curled his lip, clearly unimpressed. For someone like Devil's Cloud, that doesn't mean much. He wouldn’t even get out of bed unless it was for a promotion to eight stars. In other words, if he’s this eager, it’s probably because he’s trying to curry favor with Blood Hermit.
While he was in thought, Heavenjade suddenly added, "Aside from merit points, Blood Hermit is also offering insights on forming the Nascent Soul. Anyone who brings him the Withered Blood Vine will get that as a reward."
Luo Chen was instantly shaken. "Nascent Soul insights? The rogue Adepts in the Society must be going crazy over it!"
"Actually, yes, they really are going crazy."
The Myriad Immortal Society had over a hundred rogue Adepts, and even after excluding those stuck at the Pseudo-Golden Core Realm, there were still several dozen remaining. Among them, those with the potential to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm could be counted on both hands. At the forefront were the three eight-star demon hunters!
"What about the Angler and the others?"
"The Angler's already set out. As for the other two… nothing much from them yet."
Luo Chen nodded. Among the three eight-star demon hunters, Purple Empress stemmed from a force that had previously produced Sages, so she definitely had methods of her own. As for Ghost Spirit Child, though he had “child” in the name, he was actually the oldest of the three and only had a few years left to live. In recent years, he had spent heavily to lease the Hundred Ghost Cavern in hopes of passing on his bloodline and inheritance. The only one with both the need for these insights and the state to profit from them was the Angler, so it was no surprise that he was proactive.
However, a fifth-tier Withered Blood Vine would not be easy to find, and even if it was found, it would be difficult to harvest. Spirit plants of this tier could develop spirit intelligence and become sprites. Though they might not compare to Ascendants, they were definitely on par with Sages. Meanwhile, the Angler was only at the ninth stage of Golden Core. How could he possibly obtain such a vine for Blood Hermit?
"Master, are you planning to take this task? Your rank's still pretty low. You might be able to jump several ranks in one go," Heavenjade asked.
Luo Chen shook his head. He had no such plans for now. Setting aside any potential danger, the matter of the Purple Monkey Flower alone was enough to demand his full attention. After asking a few more questions and learning that Blood Hermit had been keeping a low profile aside from issuing that task, he shifted his focus to Black King. "It has been nearly a year, hasn't it? Still no news from him?"
Heavenjade was helpless. Indeed, she had received no news either. A troubled look crossed her face. "Master… Do you think Black King might've…?"
"No." Luo Chen waved a hand. "The connection between us is still there."
After pondering for a moment, he forced down the urgency in his heart. "He probably just ran into some trouble on the way back."
That was the only way he could reassure himself. The distance marked on the map was indeed substantial, but with Black King's unhindered speed in the sea, a year should have been enough for a round trip. If he still had not returned, then something must have delayed him.
Luo Chen then asked Heavenjade about the situation of Surging Lake. This time, he received some good news. The Zhang family had managed the lake well over the years. The Golden Dragon Carp, corals, and various shellfish had all reached the stage suitable for sale. With their connections to Endless Valley and the Zhou family, the biggest concern of distribution had also been resolved. Last year, Heavenjade had gone over to settle accounts and brought back 700,000 spirit stones. In addition, Luo Chen received 200,000 spirit stones from Azure Yang Treasure Pavilion. It did not seem like much at a glance, but that was only a single year's profit. And what Luo Chen had contributed was merely his name and the Surging Lake territory; he had made almost no investment.
Nine hundred thousand a year… not a huge amount, but it’s something. It’ll help me with rent, I suppose.
Luo Chen smiled faintly, his mood noticeably lighter. A territory of his own meant a steady source of income. Back when the Luo Tian Society had only a small Danxia Peak, they worked tirelessly all year for no more than 300,000 to 400,000 spirit stones. The contrast between the two was immense. Moreover, it was easy to imagine that as the Zhang family continued to develop the lake, the income generated would only grow. The Zhang family itself was in a phase of rapid development. If they still could not rise even with the backing of a Nascent Soul family, then there was really no hope for them.
As for Luo Chen, with the Profound Dust Armor successfully crafted, his future investment in artifact creation would decrease. At most, he would craft one or two enchanted artifacts or treasures each year, simply to maintain his obligations to Endless Valley. In the end, it all came down to one thing: expanding income while reducing expenditure. Luo Chen's long-deflated pouch of spirit stones would gradually begin to fill once more.
"When it comes, it comes in waves. And this time, it's all good news. Now I just need to wait for news from Black King."
Luo Chen smiled faintly. In his good mood, he asked about Heavenjade's cultivation. She was naturally delighted and quickly brought up the issues she had encountered, seeking his guidance one by one.
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