Chapter 195: Reunion with the Fox Woman

For two months after Lady Bai Gu’s departure, Gu Demon Mountain remained peaceful.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator they had repelled earlier didn’t return, likely abandoning any claim to this place. Chen Luo viewed it as a found opportunity; he would defend it if possible, but if not, he’d leave without hesitation. People come first, resources serve them—fighting desperately for resources is putting the cart before the horse.

However, Chen Luo never anticipated that tranquility would be shattered so soon.

In the third month, a small clan approached seeking refuge.

This clan wasn’t large, its strongest member being only at late Qi Refining stage. Among them were no more than three individuals with aptitude for cultivation. The rest consisted of mundane guards trained in martial arts, lacking even spiritual roots. In the cultivation world, such small clans were as plentiful as hairs on an ox, and Chen Luo initially planned to drive them away outright. To his surprise, however, their patriarch produced something remarkable—a mystical insect egg.

Impressed by this gift, Chen Luo decided to shelter the small clan, allowing them to settle near the outskirts of Gu Demon Mountain.

With the arrival of the first loyal clan came quickly the second, then the third.

Chen Luo dismissed most of these clans, keeping only a select few.

As time passed, more families joined Chen Luo’s cause. Half a year later, thirteen cultivation clans had gathered at Gu Demon Mountain.

The influx of these clans brought with them numerous mortals who settled around them, building homes in the villages at the foot of Gu Demon Mountain.

The small village that Chen Luo had noticed earlier gradually grew into a sizable town as people flocked to the area.

Among themselves, the thirteen cultivation clans formed new alliances, pledging allegiance to Chen Luo. They established a market on Gu Demon Mountain where resources suitable for Qi Refining cultivators could be exchanged. Chen Luo observed all this from above like a silent sentinel.

He never would have imagined that such power and influence could grow from a single thought. Only now did he grasp the true impact of a Foundation Establishment cultivator—one who controlled a spiritual vein wielded unimaginable authority.

Another half-year passed.

It was the sixteenth year since Chen Luo began his cultivation journey.

Perched atop the mountain, Chen Luo’s aura had become even more profound. With Lady Bai Gu having left, Gu Demon Mountain now belonged solely to him—a solitary ruler enjoying exclusive access to a second-order spiritual vein, a privilege surpassing even that of the sect leader of Sacred Lake Immortal Sect.

Though Chen Luo had resolved his spiritual meridian issue, a new problem loomed: resources.

Unlike the sect leader of the Sacred Lake Immortal Sect, who commanded a powerful sect that provided him with ample resources, Chen Luo now sheltered only cultivator clans at the Qi Refining stage. Even experts in the late stages of Qi Refining were few; those at the peak of this realm were non-existent. Such low-tier vassal forces could offer him limited resources—mostly spirit materials suitable for Qi Refiners—which did little to aid Chen Luo’s current needs.

These materials were good enough for concocting some medicinal pills or exchanging for spirit stones, but as time wore on, Chen Luo found himself rapidly depleting his stores of spirit materials. The supply of medicinal pills he relied on for daily cultivation support dwindled, and over the past half-month, he’d barely consumed any.

Without these pills, his cultivation progress naturally slowed considerably.

The sky grew colder still, and large flakes of snow began to fall from the heavens.

Chen Luo stood motionless, like a stone statue, allowing the snowflakes to blanket his body. His mind was wholly absorbed by the Blackstone Secret Technique. With the addition of the Demonic Heart Art, it was no longer just a simple ‘Divine Sense’ technique. This fusion allowed Chen Luo to perceive things invisible to ordinary individuals.

Somehow, he could now perceive a unique form of energy floating in the world around him.

Increasing his divine sense had become the least remarkable of his abilities.

Chen Luo opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the cloud sea below as he looked down at the small town nestled at the foot of the mountain. This village that had been so tiny just a year ago had undergone a dramatic transformation. With more people living here, it now exuded a lively atmosphere.

Wherever there were people, desires flourished; and where desires thrived, those special particles of energy accumulated.

Chen Luo observed a newly arrived philanthropist who had set up shop in town. The man was distributing porridge outside his door, garnering praise from all for his kindness. Yet, in Chen Luo’s eyes, this great benefactor was surrounded by a dense swarm of special energy particles, faintly pulsating with an underlying emotion.

The Demonic Heart Art.

Chen Luo shifted his focus, recalling scenes from within the Sacred Lake Immortal Sect. He remembered his master, Void Sage, during cultivation.

The paintings hanging in Void Sage’s practice room weren’t works of renowned artists but rather, they served as a means for balancing and releasing the peculiar force. Unlike Chen Luo, Void Sage hadn’t cultivated the Blackstone Secret Technique. Instead, he developed his own method in the later stages of Foundation Establishment to harness and utilize such energies—a technique distinct from Chen Luo’s approach.

To rapidly master the Blackstone Secret Technique, aside from grinding it out over time, the most direct approach is to accelerate cultivation with Spiritgathering Pills.

Elder An had been immensely helpful to Chen Luo. Whether through the spirit stones and medicinal herbs he amassed in life or the three types of pills within his lingering consciousness, he saved Chen Luo a vast amount of time. Among all the benefactors Chen Luo encountered, Elder An undoubtedly ranked in the top five!

I must resolve the resource issue swiftly; I cannot let such matters hinder my cultivation.

As Chen Luo pondered solutions, he suddenly sensed a familiar presence.

At the foot of Gu Demon Mountain, an elderly man dressed in the attire of the cultivator clans led a woman towards the mountain’s peak.

The man guiding them was none other than the first clan leader to pledge allegiance to Chen Luo. The woman behind him was also someone Chen Luo knew well:

Fox spirit Su Linlin.

Chen Luo recognized her at once. She had provided the primary ingredients for his Yu Bone Pill concoctions. He’d even considered sending someone to contact her about purchasing more Blood Jade Marrow, only for her to show up on her own accord.

Patriarch Sun arrived at the formation border, his face etched with anxiety as he led Su Linlin towards it. Before he could utter a word, a voice drifted out from within.

“Bring her in.”

Only after confirming that Su Linlin truly knew Chen Luo did Patriarch Sun finally exhale a sigh of relief. After seeing her safely inside, he tactfully made his way down the mountain without delay.

“I never imagined I’d encounter Senior here,” Su Linlin remarked, her face adorned with her usual smile. “It seems our patriarch was right; we do have fate on our side.” Seeing Chen Luo, she even had the audacity to jest.

Chen Luo scrutinized Su Linlin, his divine sense sweeping over her to gauge her cultivation instantly.

“You’ve reached Foundation Establishment?”

The last time they met, Su Linlin was still in the Qi Refining realm. He hadn’t anticipated that after several years’ separation, she would have advanced to Foundation Establishment. Though she appeared to be a recent ascension, this milestone surpassed the vast majority of cultivators. Such were the benefits of being backed by a powerful clan—similar advantages Chen Luo himself once enjoyed when affiliated with the Sacred Lake Immortal Sect.

“I just stepped into Foundation Establishment three days ago,” Su Linlin explained. “I planned to return to my ancestral home, but encountered some complications along the way.”

“Complications?” Chen Luo echoed, his interest piqued.

Chen Luo frowned slightly.

“Just ran into some minor issues,” Su Linlin said vaguely. “I need a couple of days off. Don’t worry, I won’t freeload on Senior for nothing these next two days.” She didn’t elaborate further, quickly changing the subject.

“Since you’ve taken over Gu Demon Mountain, I assume you haven’t inherited Senior Khan Jiu’s connections for Foundation Establishment materials? Such spiritual resources only circulate in specific places.”

As soon as she spoke those words, Chen Luo sensed something amiss. This woman was here for him, and her troubles likely involved the change at Gu Demon Peak.

However, her concerns weren’t unfounded; he indeed lacked access to Foundation Establishment resources.

“You have a solution?”

“To the west lies a sect called Qiong Hua Sect, which dominates the entire southwestern region. Nine out of ten high-grade spirit materials in Blackstone City come from them. Even the materials needed by Senior Khan Jiu were purchased from Qiong Hua Sect.”

At this point, Su Linlin abruptly changed tack.

“The journey to Qiong Hua Sect is arduous. Traveling solely by sword flight would take at least three years for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with several treacherous areas along the way.”

“I understand. Name your terms.”

Chen Luo grasped the unspoken meaning within her words—the channel for Khan Jiu’s Foundation Establishment was none other than their fox clan!

“Everything remains as before. What does Senior think?” Su Linlin didn’t overstate her hand; they had their own set of rules.

As they conversed, another presence appeared outside Gu Demon Mountain. This new arrival’s aura was far more urgent than Su Linlin’s upon her initial ascent. Chen Luo sensed it briefly before his gaze fell on Su Linlin once again.

“A friend of yours?”

“I don’t know them,” Su Linlin promptly replied.

“Fellow Daoist Han, save me!”

The figure hovering mid-air seemed somewhat out of touch, unaware even of Khan Jiu’s demise. They had rushed hurriedly all this way, apparently intending to seek Khan Jiu’s assistance.

Behind this person, Chen Luo detected three strands of black demonic energy, each emanating from a long-haired flying sky rat.

Gu Wang Peak stood directly north of Blackstone City, near the northern mountain range. Lady Bai Gu had previously informed him about the situation there. Beyond these mountains lay the domain of monsters, rarely trodden by human cultivators. The monster cultivators residing within were not particularly friendly towards humans, making entry highly likely to provoke conflict.

Su Linlin stepped back, showing no intention of getting involved.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about; he’s looking for Senior Han.”

Chen Luo shifted his gaze away, with not a hint of wanting to interfere.

“You still won’t make a move?! Old Ghost Han, trying to hog all the glory?”

The man in mid-flight hadn’t anticipated such a lack of response from the mountain. He had expected Khan Jiu to step in and assist him immediately upon entering Gu Demon Mountain, as they had planned from the outset.

Behind him, three Flying Sky Rats quickened their pace. One of them arced through the air, aiming to intercept the fleeing man’s escape route.

But this individual was equally determined. A blood-red aura surged around him, propelling his speed to its absolute limit as he hurtled straight towards Gu Demon Mountain.

Wanting to sit on the sidelines? I’ll drag you into the fray then!

Chen Luo furrowed his brow, puzzled by the connection between this person and Khan Jiu. He was unaware of the tangled web of events unfolding behind the scenes, but simply didn’t want to shoulder the blame for his old brother’s actions.

He raised his hand, his index finger swirling as if stirring water before him.

A translucent ripple emanated from his fingertip, gradually expanding outward like a stone tossed into a pond.