Chapter 159: Mountain City Reorganization

Chen Luo waited at the entrance of the Great Mausoleum for three days.

Afterward, he received a letter from his shimei, Xie Shuang. Similar to Du Jian, she too chose to stay behind. Each person has their own path; not everyone can abandon everything to pursue the immortal way.

“Time to leave.”

With one hand, Chen Luo crushed the letter into dust and, without any hesitation, entered the passage, activating the teleportation formation to return to the cultivation world.

Crack

Following the familiar dizziness, a faint sound of breaking echoed behind him.

Chen Luo turned and noticed that the colors within the teleportation array inside the mountain cave had faded significantly, indicating that the formation was now completely rendered useless.

‘Formation markings disrupted, array is报废.’

The mummified brain provided feedback in his mind. After automatically integrating the second brain, its activity noticeably increased, offering clearer responses when accessed.

‘We cannot return.’

Chen Luo gently touched the ground, attempting to utilize the newly acquired Core Formation powerhouse’s brain, and surprisingly, he received another response.

‘Teleportation point shifted, location lost.’

“Transmission point shifted?” Chen Luo had some suspicions forming in his mind. With a regretful glance at the teleportation array beneath his feet, he stepped out of the mountain cave alone.

This return had resolved several matters and concluded many lingering entanglements.

After leaving the cave, Chen Luo reestablished a concealment formation at its entrance. Utilizing the materials now available to him, combined with his Foundation Establishment strength, the resulting hidden technique was significantly stronger than before.

“Hide!”

He channeled spiritual energy from his hand into the ground. The mountain cave vanished completely, its original entrance concealed, transforming the area into an unremarkable thicket of brambles. Unless a specialized array master came to investigate, it would remain undiscoverable.

Although the teleportation array inside the cave was no longer functional, the location still held value. Once his cultivation base advanced further, he could return to attempt its repair.

Having concealed the cave, Chen Luo did not linger any longer.

Following the contours of the mountains, he traveled westward.

In his mind, the map of the Luxury Nation that Daoist Wuwei had shared with him surfaced. To the south lay the Dividing Forbidden Mountains, inhabited entirely by barbarian tribes where spiritual energy was scarce. This region was known as the Wilderness by the people of the Seven Nations. To the west, as Daoist Wuwei informed him, was the territory of evil cultivators, which became his destination.

It was now time to refine the Core Formation cultivator’s corpse gifted by his master, Longevity Daoist. The first step involved finding a baleful location to ‘nourish’ the body.

The rudimentary corpse refinement techniques he had casually learned from the dried-up old ghost were sufficient for this purpose. For more advanced methods, one would need to study at the Corpse-Raising Sect. However, with a Core Formation cultivator overseeing it, the Corpse-Raising Sect wasn’t an ideal place for Chen Luo. Similar to other regions within the Seven Nations, there were no third-stage spirit meridians here, making it impossible to cultivate Core Formation cultivators. The current three Core Formation patriarchs of the Seven Nations all originated elsewhere before returning. Additionally, unlike the open Divine Lake Immortal Sect, the secretive Corpse-Raising Sect maintained a fixed number of members. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Chen Luo would be too conspicuous, potentially alarming the sect leader himself if unlucky.

“First, I must find a suitable baleful location to develop the corpse fiend’s instincts.”

The dried-up old ghost spent nearly twenty years refining his corpse to reach a level akin to a Foundation Establishment iron corpse. With the superior foundation of the Core Formation corpse in Chen Luo’s possession, it would still require at least ten years to achieve initial development, and further investment would be needed to enhance its combat capabilities.

Following the mountain range, Chen Luo continued westward.

Three days later…

As Chen Luo ventured further, the surroundings became increasingly unfamiliar and the mountains more rugged. The attire of the locals also noticeably changed; some mountain dwellers applied medicinal pastes on their faces to ward off venomous insects, donning peculiar clothing styles. Even their dialect significantly differed from that spoken in the Divine Wind Territory.

Upon reaching this area, Chen Luo ceased his flight.

Continuing westward would take him beyond the borders of the Luxury Nation, where unrestricted sword travel was no longer permissible as it had been within its territory.

Spending half a day, Chen Luo found a relatively secluded mountain town where he planned to rest and regroup. Out of caution, he scanned the entire town with his divine sense, ensuring there were no cultivators present before feeling at ease.

Entering the town, Chen Luo spent some silver to secure a quiet room in an inn.

Inside the room, Chen Luo took out all the items collected during his journey for inventory.

Firstly, he examined the contents from the Yue Tomb. Though not numerous, each item was immensely valuable. Within the spirit sealing box, the root lay dormant, showing no change even after being removed from the Yue Tomb.

“Spirit planters excel at this; when the opportunity arises, I should borrow some spirit planters’ expertise to give it a try.”

A fleeting thought crossed Chen Luo’s mind as he carefully stored away the spirit sealing box.

This item needed to be safeguarded meticulously. The spirit medicine capable of enabling breakthroughs even in the Land of Lost Spirituality, like the Yue Tomb, was undoubtedly extraordinary—possibly a rare and invaluable treasure.

The second gift, the Core Formation corpse, remained inside the corpse storage bag given by the dried-up old ghost. Recalling his former friend, Chen Luo couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. He wondered how his mummy buddy was faring, considering the peculiar evil fiend that had possessed him. Even now, Chen Luo wasn’t entirely confident in handling such a situation. Judging from the way the dried-up old ghost departed, it seemed he had his own plans; hopefully, he could overcome this ordeal.

After inventorying these items, Chen Luo took out another bag of holding.

Inside were various possessions he had ‘organized’ from Medicine King Peak before leaving the Divine Lake Immortal Sect, mostly contributed by Elder An, the peak lord himself. Additionally, there were some treasures from Guo Mountain County, such as dug-up cabbages and radishes from the medicinal garden, along with the stone chess table from the courtyard.

“Hmm? This pill furnace…”

As Chen Luo briefly organized his items, he paused when scanning the pill furnace with his divine sense.

With a thought, he retrieved the furnace from the bag of holding.

This pill furnace belonged to Elder An’s pill-concocting room at Medicine King Peak. Initially, just to take this furnace, he had ended up prying away part of the floor as well. Upon closer inspection now, he realized it was indeed extraordinary. A potent medicinal aroma permeated the furnace, indicating that it was a rare second-tier pill furnace, which must have been used for at least three centuries to accumulate such a strong scent.

Its value was undoubtedly immense!

Unlike magical artifacts, high-quality pill furnaces require time and nurturing. A superior furnace can significantly enhance an alchemist’s success rate in pill concoction, greatly increasing the likelihood of producing top-grade pills.

As one’s cultivation base advances, the complexity of refining higher-tier medicinal pills also escalates rapidly. From the Foundation Establishment stage onwards, any item capable of improving the success rate of medicinal pills becomes highly sought after, often scarce despite demand.

“Elder An, what a generous soul.”

Pill Master Chen was in high spirits, as he had recently planned to start refining second-tier medicinal pills. He was already contemplating that his first-tier pill furnace would no longer suffice, and unexpectedly, a replacement arrived so swiftly. It truly showcased the camaraderie among fellow sect disciples - such generosity!

After organizing his belongings, Chen Luo began assessing his own strength.

“With the integration of external brains, my spiritual roots now encompass all seven attributes. I have mastered seven divine abilities and various minor techniques. Among these, the Soul Technique, which I primarily cultivate, is the most powerful, followed by the Wind Control Technique, while the Five Elements divine abilities form another tier.”

These were the current capabilities at his disposal, with the remaining aspect being his cultivation realm.

Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, the hundred small green snakes of spiritual energy within Chen Luo merged into one large emerald python. The nature of this energy also transformed from spiritual energy into magical power, exclusive to Foundation Establishment cultivators. When unleashing divine abilities through this magical power, they become significantly potent but consume vast amounts. At full exertion, after using four divine abilities, the balance of magical power inside him would be disrupted, leading to recovery lagging behind consumption.

“Therefore, it’s crucial to acquire methods with minimal energy expenditure. Refining corpses is an excellent choice, and incorporating formations and magical artifacts would also be beneficial at this stage.”

Chen Luo organized his current capabilities while continuously envisioning scenarios of combat against fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators.

‘In battle, one must go all-in, regardless of the foe—be they demons or specters, let my sword cut them down.’

‘Focus on endurance; the wood attribute possesses remarkable longevity. In engagements with peers, fear not the drain of energy. By outlasting opponents until their magical power depletes, victory can be achieved without further conflict.’

‘When facing danger, actively evade. Utilize Wind Control Technique for swift escape, as it is said, “A wise man avoids perilous situations.”’

The thirty-plus Foundation Establishment brains provided feedback, each considering encounters from their unique perspectives and offering distinct strategies based on confronting equal-rank cultivators.

Analyzing these insights, Chen Luo noticed a common theme: ‘Exploit your strengths against your enemy’s weaknesses’.

These approaches were valid but had limitations. Enemies cannot always follow your preferred strategy, and there will inevitably be situations disadvantageous to oneself.

For instance, if a Foundation Establishment brain skilled in the Wind Control Technique encountered a peer with superior mastery of that technique, their advantage would vanish instantly, turning into an absolute disadvantage. The sword cultivator brain faced a similar dilemma; if one strike failed to kill the enemy, would they simply await their demise?

Chen Luo then accessed the only Core Formation cultivator’s brain among the external ones.

“Simplify divine abilities, conserve magical power.”

From the perspective of a Core Formation cultivator, he gained entirely new insights. As he reevaluated battles against peers, ideas continuously sparked in his mind. Those once formidable opponents now seemed less overwhelming.

Next, he consulted the mummified brain.

“Overwhelm with divine sense and erase memories using Soul Techniques.”

The feedback was straightforward yet brutal, and Chen Luo immediately dismissed it.

It was impractical and difficult to comprehend at his current stage. He had no idea how to initiate a divine sense overwhelm, as he hadn’t cultivated any related divine abilities so far. Erasing memories was even more complex, likely beyond the capabilities of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After ignoring the mummified brain’s suggestion, Chen Luo began reconsidering his approach.

Drawing inspiration from his external brains, Chen Luo conceived a suitable approach for himself. He would simplify each brain’s most specialized divine abilities, then combine these composite skills to leverage their individual strengths against diverse enemies. With this strategy, he could become the ultimate law cultivator, capable of countering any adversary!

“That’s what I’ll do!”

With Foundation Establishment cultivators as his hypothetical opponents, Chen Luo began optimizing his seven primary divine abilities step by step. All thirty-plus Foundation Establishment brains became highly active.

The varied perspectives invigorated his thinking. With assistance from these ‘peer-level brains,’ they identified flaws previously unseen and addressed them, gradually refining his abilities. The Core Formation-stage brains occasionally provided higher-level insights, further enhancing the completeness of his divine abilities.

As for the remaining hundred-plus Qi Refinement-stage brains, they were now largely useless, merely spectating without offering meaningful suggestions.

However, there was one exception: Wan Ming’s brain, belonging to a solo cultivator, continued to develop during this process. As Chen Luo advanced, Wan Ming’s perspective also elevated to the Foundation Establishment level, contributing unique viewpoints. Although not significantly impactful, it prevented him from being entirely obsolete.