Chapter 162: Shanyin Pass

Elder An’s passing was remarkably peaceful. After killing him, Chen Luo acquired yet another Foundation Establishment cultivator’s brain.

Now, he possessed thirty-five Foundation Establishment brains! With Elder An’s brain, his alchemy skills instantly broke through to that of a tier-2 alchemist. All that remained was finding time to practice and synchronize his mind with his hands.

‘Upon contact with deceased brain waves, Degradation Rate at 7%. Read now?’

Read now!

A flood of obsessions surged in, causing Chen Luo to pause for quite some time.

‘I must definitely concoct high-grade Yang Yuan Pills.’

‘The Tier-Two Azure Wood Cauldron holds a monumental secret.’

‘Once the sect leader is incapacitated, I will lead Medicine King Peak to ally with Nine Poisons Valley. The Corpse-Raising Sect’s techniques are too extreme; there’s limited potential for alchemists there.’

’…’

Sensing these relatively complete brainwaves, Chen Luo felt highly satisfied.

From Elder An’s obsessions, he gleaned three valuable pill formulas. As the peak lord of Medicine King Peak, Elder An had spent most of his life involved in pill concoction, mastering over fifty medicinal pills suitable for both the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Realms. Among them, there were three pills he never succeeded in creating before his death. Conveniently, all three were tier-2 Foundation Establishment medicines, filling the gap in Pill Master Chen’s knowledge of tier-2 alchemy.

“The Yang Yuan Pill, Yun Shen Pill, and Jade Bone Pill—these three Foundation Establishment medicinal pills are perfect for enhancing divine sense, spiritual power, and physical cultivation. Elder An likely planned this before his passing, and now I can fulfill his legacy.”

Chen Luo was highly satisfied with the benefits bestowed by Elder An.

Clearing his thoughts, he proceeded to collect the bags of holding from Elder An and the others. As expected, the three solo Foundation Establishment cultivators were remarkably poor—one after another, their wealth was minimal. The only item of value was within the bug-taming woman’s bag—a gourd used for nurturing insects. The remaining bags belonging to the emaciated old man and the fat cultivator contained mostly eerie materials like corpse hand bones and malevolent qi beads—all low-quality goods, hardly worth selling.

Elder An, however, truly came through!

His bag of holding held more than just the tier-2 square seal, which Chen Luo had earlier sent flying. It also included the defensive garment that had been recently activated. Among various spirit materials for pill concoction, what stood out most prominently was a pile of spirit stones. Divided into three portions, they were intended as payment for the solo cultivators’ assistance but now fell into Chen Luo’s hands, making it quite a profitable haul!

“Elder An, you’ve been too generous.”

Glancing at Elder An’s lifeless body with eyes still wide open, Chen Luo retrieved his shovel from the bag of holding.

Considering how meaningful this encounter was, he couldn’t leave them exposed in the wilderness. So, Chen Luo donned gloves, dug a pit in the middle of the road, and tossed Elder An inside. To simplify matters further, he dragged over the dried-up old man, the fat cultivator, and the third solo cultivator from nearby, burying all four together. With each person placed, the grave quickly filled up.

“Make yourselves cozy; being buried under a bustling road isn’t so bad.”

After filling the hole, he compacted the soil with the shovel to ensure the road remained stable for future travelers.

Having taken care of these miscellaneous tasks, Chen Luo redirected his attention towards the city outskirts.

By now, the formation’s power had begun to weaken as its caster outside likely realized the outcome within and chose to flee. However, there was no way Chen Luo would let them escape. While digging the graves, he managed to recover much of his spiritual energy. Without delay, he soared on his sword, transforming into a streak of light as he pursued the fugitives.

Qiao Yi flew swiftly, exerting almost all his strength, completely disregarding the limitations of his insufficient spiritual energy as a Qi Refinement cultivator.

He never anticipated that four Foundation Establishment cultivators, working together, could be outmaneuvered and killed by a newly advanced Foundation Establishment practitioner. More crucially, his misfortune placed him on the losing side, which was now fatal. As he fled, Qiao Yi suddenly turned back, spotting a dark silhouette approaching on a flying sword. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to plead for mercy.

“Spare me!”

Shhhk!

The flying sword pierced through his throat, carrying away his severed head.

Hovering mid-air, Chen Luo extended his hand, reading the opponent’s mind while simultaneously retrieving the bag of holding from the decapitated corpse below. After a brief examination, aided by the residual obsession left upon death, he successfully acquired two first-tier formations.

Having dealt with these individuals, Chen Luo did not linger further. He immediately commanded his flying sword, transforming into a streak of light heading west towards the territory of evil cultivators.

It wasn’t until the next morning, as daylight broke, that people within the mountain city discovered the incident at the inn.

The civilians, influenced by the formation’s effects, had no idea what transpired the previous night. They merely assumed it was some sort of fire mishap and reported it accordingly, but all this held no relevance for Chen Luo anymore.

After half a day of traveling by sword, he successfully reached the borderlands.

Upon entering this region, the density of spiritual energy noticeably decreased. The surrounding vegetation turned grayish, becoming shorter, and the air filled with dust.

Dressed as an ordinary traveler, Chen Luo led his camel along the official road.

He planned to temporarily settle here, seeking out local cultivators to gather information about the area. Ideally, he wanted to find a place suitable for nurturing the Core Formation corpse. Additionally, he needed news on third-stage spiritual veins, various pill formulas, and spirit materials obtained from Elder An—all of which were unavailable within the Seven Nations territory.

At noon, under the scorching sun, the intense heat distorted the air around. Plants lining both sides of the road wilted, their vibrant green fading into a parched yellow. Hungry refugees sat in the shade by the roadside, casting indifferent gazes at passersby, searching for easy prey. Society was divided into hierarchical tiers, and these refugees occupied the lowest rung. Like hyenas, they preyed on the weak while fearing the strong.

As Chen Luo passed with his camel, the refugees dared only to watch him from afar.

Chen Luo carried neither a sword nor a dagger, and he had no traveling companions. However, to the refugees, such individuals were the most fearsome. Surviving alone in this harsh environment while maintaining a clean appearance was not something an ordinary person could achieve.

“Shanyin Pass?”

At the entrance, Chen Luo looked up at the inscriptions above, barely discerning the official script eroded by wind and sand. This was the last major military stronghold on the western border of the Luxury Nation, constantly guarded by a formidable force. Additionally, the imperial court stationed a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator here to prevent evil cultivators from infiltrating.

Once inside the pass, Chen Luo wasted no time. Using his divine sense, he immediately headed towards the central mansion.

There, he sensed the aura of a cultivator.

As he approached closer, the crowd around him dwindled. After crossing the main street, the attire of pedestrians became noticeably cleaner, and their demeanor more refined, as if entering a different world compared to the Outer City’s destitute.

Chen Luo slowly led his camel past, pausing near a blacksmith shop where he left it temporarily. The camel had been seized from desert raiders during his journey; encounters with such unsuspecting fools were inevitable, providing him with wealth and clothing along the way.

“Halt.”

When Chen Luo reached the targeted mansion, someone blocked his path - one of the estate’s retainers.

“I’m here to see the master of this place.” As Chen Luo spoke, a subtle glow flickered in his eyes, causing the guards blocking his path to momentarily falter and instinctively step aside.

Ignoring them, he proceeded directly inside.

Only after reaching the Inner Court of the mansion did Chen Luo dissipate the divine soul force emanating from him.

“Who are you?!” The master of the mansion noticed Chen Luo’s presence immediately, drawing out a magical artifact and staring at him with heightened vigilance.

The master was a cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, akin to the Hu Family controlling Woodmount City. However, due to this location’s remoteness, few were willing to come here, allowing him, as a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, to become the city lord.

“Is there a market nearby? I wish to purchase some items.”

A layer of divine sense manifested around Chen Luo, effortlessly repelling the host’s probing spiritual energy.

“There will be a cultivator fair in three days.”

Feeling a chill, the mansion owner swiftly withdrew his magical artifact, his attitude shifting to one of utmost respect. Unable to discern Chen Luo’s cultivation base and witnessing his effortless defense, he surmised that Chen Luo must at least be a Late Stage Qi Refinement expert, possibly even Peak Qi Refinement. He didn’t consider Foundation Establishment, as cultivators of such stature rarely visited remote places like this.

“Arrange a room for me,” Chen Luo commanded casually, exuding an air as if returning home. With his current strength, Qi Refinement cultivators seemed no different than ordinary people to him, warranting little attention.

With casual authority, Chen Luo gave instructions as if returning to his own home. Given his current strength, cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm were akin to ordinary people to him, warranting no concern.

“The junior will immediately make preparations.”

The mansion owner promptly rose and personally arranged accommodations for Chen Luo.

Three days swiftly passed by.

As Chen Luo emerged from secluded cultivation, he heard Liu Wenshan’s voice outside.

“Senior, the cultivator fair has begun.”

Liu Wenshan was both the master of this mansion and currently the Pass Lord of Shanyin Pass. In his youth, he had attended the Divine Lake Immortal Sect but, due to poor aptitude, was expelled after only three years. He later returned to his homeland, the Luxury Nation, and joined the Loose Cultivators Union. Through decades of steady accumulation, he managed to cultivate to the sixth level of Qi Refinement.

Within the Loose Cultivators Union, his position was quite significant, overseeing the entire border region.

Through Liu Wenshan, Chen Luo gained insight into the situation of border cultivators. They were all within the Qi Refinement Realm, with none of the other pass lords even reaching mid-stage Qi Refinement. Many hadn’t attended the Divine Lake Immortal Sect at all, being purely self-taught wild cultivators. With knowledge of just one or two minor spells, they claimed dominance over their local areas. As someone at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, Liu Wenshan held absolute authority in the region, and no one dared to defy the order he established.

“Lead the way.”

Chen Luo stood up and opened the door, stepping out.

By showing Liu Wenshan his token as a special envoy from the Loose Cultivators Union, Chen Luo completely alleviated any lingering suspicion. Now, Liu Wenshan held him in high regard and was eager to fulfill any request.

“Oh, there’s something I almost forgot to mention, Senior.” As they walked towards their destination, Liu Wenshan took a few steps before slapping his forehead, seemingly remembering an important detail. He turned to address Chen Luo.

“Deacon Zhu has arrived, and it appears she knows you well.”

“Deacon Zhu? Zhu Jie?”

Chen Luo recalled his old friend from Woodmount City. Back then, Zhu Jie had asked if he could refine a Foundation Establishment Pill. Her visit now likely meant she was preparing for her own Foundation Establishment. The question remained how she managed to gather the materials, given that the embargo on Mind-Focusing Grass was still in place, making it inaccessible to solo cultivators outside.

“Yes, indeed,” Liu Wenshan responded with relief, realizing that Chen Luo truly knew Zhu Jie. In his view, both Chen Luo and Zhu Jie were influential figures he couldn’t afford to offend; their acquaintance made for the most perfect outcome.

Under Liu Wenshan’s guidance, they swiftly reached the location of the cultivator fair.

This venue was a specially arranged Treasure Pavilion by Liu Wenshan, patrolled by martial experts. On the day of the fair, various treasures from warriors would also be auctioned alongside other items, making it the highest-tier auction event at Shanyin Pass.